Plus Two Fuel Smells.

[rjaxe]

Not a new issue I know but I would welcome comments on the trial solution I have fitted to my Plus Two. To re-cap the smell in the garage started to become very significant when I started to re-use the car more frequently after a refresh. As the garage is partly integral with the house this smell was infiltrating indoors, very unpleasant. I could not find any leak in the fuel lines, tank or carbs, All the fuel lines parts from the tank to the carbs were renewed over the previous year. In fact the majority of fuel run is solid only small sections are rubber and material used is said to be suitable for the latest fuels. My conclusion was that the tank vent lines were the culprits. So what I have trialled so far is to make up two active charcoal filters and fit one in each of the vent lines and so far the smell has been eliminated completely. I have no idea how long this filtration will be effective as the filters themselves are small and there could be other drawbacks I have not thought of, so any comments would be welcome.
Richard

[Sprint4501971]

Thanks for posting this as I have a similar problem. I have bought an aluminium canister and carbon particles to filter the smell but am unsure where to install and ask if you would kindly post some pictures.

I have fitted an electric pump and had the tank out which is original and in good repair but bewildered by the smell and like you have an intergral garage (luckily the wife hasnt noticed)

[rjaxe]

I am away for the next week or so but when I return I will find the photos I took at the time and post them.

[Graham B]

Thanks for posting this as I have a similar problem. I have bought an aluminium canister and carbon particles to filter the smell but am unsure where to install and ask if you would kindly post some pictures.

I have fitted an electric pump and had the tank out which is original and in good repair but bewildered by the smell and like you have an intergral garage (luckily the wife hasnt noticed)

Is this an Elan or a +2? You fitted an electric pump. What type of hose have you used? Most fuel hose is permeable to some extent and will smell in a closed boot. You need to use a ptfe braided hose for plumbing fuel within the boot or cabin. I have had this problem and it took ages to track it down. This has been discussed elsewhere on the forum.

Graham

[Sprint4501971]

Hi Graham Merry XMas & thanks

im using FUELPN25BAK ANTISTATIC HOSE 5mm(3/16") WP 2MPa AGOMA sae J30 (20bar) R6 pipe supplied by local hydraulics company with hydraulic metal bends with compression and seals. pipes fixed with jubilee clips (only area of concern

The electric fuel pump came from Kelvedon motors and is a FACET USA

Have in Sytec in line clear fuel filter low flow hose barbs Ebay

Any advice Photos welcomed

Kind regards Dale

[Andy8421]

Hi Graham Merry XMas & thanks

im using FUELPN25BAK ANTISTATIC HOSE 5mm(3/16") WP 2MPa AGOMA sae J30 (20bar) R6 pipe supplied by local hydraulics company with hydraulic metal bends with compression and seals. pipes fixed with jubilee clips (only area of concern

The electric fuel pump came from Kelvedon motors and is a FACET USA

Have in Sytec in line clear fuel filter low flow hose barbs Ebay

Any advice Photos welcomed

Kind regards Dale

Dale,

I did quite a bit of research a couple of years ago, and managed to convince myself that R9, not R6 was the way to go if there were biofuels present. I also managed to convince myself that a lot of the fuel pipe available on the web is fake, and not from the manufacturer or to the standard printed on the hose. From Codan's website:

R6:
https://www2.codan.com/node/28245

R9:
https://www2.codan.com/node/28273

I did manage to find a reliable supplier, but have mislaid the link. If I find it, I will edit this post.

Good luck.

Edit: Here it is:
https://www.thehosemaster.co.uk/r9-unleaded-petrol-diesel-ethanol-automotive-fuel-hose

[Graham B]

Hi Dale & Andy,
In testing for permeability, I went as far as testing the hose on its own.
I sealed off one end with steel round rod and a jubilee clip, filled the hose with fuel and sealed the other end with steel rod and jubilee clip. I put the assembly in a large bucket and sealed the top of the bucket with plastic sheet. A couple of days later I carefully opened the bucket to a strong smell of fuel fumes. This convinced me to use teflon braided hose for all connections within the boot. I also replaced the filler neck flexible pipe just in case.
On the S4 Elan, Lotus used a very short length, 50-60mm long to join the fuel tank outlet to the nylon pipe that goes down the chassis to the fuel pump. Only about 20mm is exposed to fuel. Maybe they knew it was also permeable but so short nobody would notice any fuel smells.
Good luck in finding the source.

[rjaxe]

Happy new year to all, I have retrieved a photo I took of one of the charcoal filters I fitted into the fuel tank vent lines, This one in on the filler side and the other, not shown, is on the drivers side both used the same components.
So far these have worked.

[Robbie693]

Does that mean the filter could be fitted to the ends of the hose where they exit in front of the rear wheel?

Robbie

[rjaxe]

Hi Robbie, on the face of it the filters could be fitted anywhere in the vent lines. I did not look at the hose exit region because I chose to fit them in the fuel tank region as it could be reverted easily if the scheme did not work and there is more room if they work but are not big enough. The jury is still out on the long term effectiveness of the size of filters I used I confess I really have no idea, but I am quite happy to wait and see. If you do give this a try I would be interested to hear how you get on.

[Robbie693]

Thanks Richard, will do some investigation.

Robbie

[wdb]

I'll preface this by saying yes, by all means, make sure the fuel lines throughout the car are made for modern fuels.

My Caterham has a fuel cell with a vent opening. When I first got it home I couldn't believe how strong the fuel smell got in the garage. I did some research and found that a common solution is to connect a length of hose to the vent opening, put a loop or two in the hose above the level of the vent, then exit the hose somewhere a low as possible, preferably lower than the bottom of the tank. The intent is to allow the vapors to condense inside the hose, perhaps even pool a bit. Sort of like the P trap in a sink drain.

The carbon canister is a great solution also, although I believe they will have to be changed out occasionally unless a complete closed system is devised such as modern cars have. There are various carbon canisters available, such as these. https://www.usplastic.com/catalog/item. ... mid=104111

Here are pictures of how I did the Caterham. I still have a small amount fuel smell but it is enormously reduced; I'm told Webers have vents in the fuel system somewhere? Plus the fuel line in the car is ancient and needs replacing.