Strong smell of petrol but no leak

[Cas]

Hi all' haven't had my +2 for long so still finding my round her . But do other owners get a strong fresh smell of petrol around there cars . Can't find any drips and doesn't seem to be inside . Had her on the ramp checked every where . Found the two vent pipes can only be there I guess . Oh there's no smell under bonnet either .
Cas .

[gus]

tank vents

'they all do it'

they come out just forward of the rear wheels under the car. wind blows in one and out the other causing a stink

If you have the headliner out at some point you can replumb and make it stop

[Sea Ranch]

Or make it stop now (temporarily) by simply putting plugs/corks in the two vent pipe openings.

Done.

Caution: only do this when the car is not subject to heat, as you won't have any venting for the expanding gases if the fuel tank is heating up (assuming you don't have a vented fuel filler cap).

Don't forget to un-cork when you want to drive.

Simple. At least simpler than ripping out the headliner (which is actually not necessary: you don't have to remove the old venting system, just install a new system), or cobbling up a new one.

Consider also one-way check valves with low cracking pressure, as a replacement for the corks. Then you don't have to remove them when you drive. Just remember the heat issue.

Randy

[Cas]

Thanks gus I'll look in to that . Got boring' blokes at work asking if it's leaking .
Cas.n

[gus]

plugging is a bad idea

one way check valves won't work. you need both ways, out for expansion, in for fuel use

mostly the tubes are hanging and pulling the headliner off anyway so best to remove them when you can

[Sea Ranch]

Ooo . . . we've got us a debate!

Plugging is a good idea (there . . . I think I've supplied as much evidence for my position as you have for yours, Gus )

Cas: plugging works. Period. And it works now to eliminate fuel fumes from your garage. (If the vent tubes are indeed where the fumes are coming from; typical for most of us).

Not a thorough fix; you'll need to check out the other threads on this topic and/or devise your own solution, when you're ready to do it right.

Just an fyi: the venting needs to accomodate expulsion of air from the upper half of the tank when refueling, as well as positive venting when the fuel/air in the tank heats and expands, and negative venting (breathing in) when the motor is run and fuel is drawn out of the tank. So three purposes, and both directions.

Regards,

Randy

[JJDraper]

When I first got my +2 there were no petrol smells from the tank vents & the tank filled quickly. During a major resto a few years back, the old breather lines were removed & discarded as 'old and hardened'. They were replaced with new hoses.Big mistake. I am now plagued with fumes as described above, especially when the tank is full. Investigation showed that the new hose is too soft and has kinked behind the quarter panels due to some of the tight bends required. This may be an area worth checking. I intend to replace the hose with a reinforced petrol line - when I find the time! Anyone know the internal diameter of the line?

Jeremy

[Craig Elliott]

Just to echo the last post by Jeremy, it's really important to check the fuel tank breather hoses - especially where they might be exposed to sunlight where they join the tank and run up the pillars either side of the rear screen. I replaced mine a while ago with proper fuel hose and in the small area where they were exposed to sunlight the pipe had hardened, degraded and cracked leaving a hole. I'd noticed that the car was smelling of fuel more than usual and thankfully checked why before I did a journey that would have meant filling the tank up. If I'd done that going round a corner would have meant petrol slopping out of the breather into the boot if the car...

It's not a big deal to fix (just a case of splicing some new hose in) but checking the breather hoses is a definite must if you're getting a strong smell of petrol inside the car and if the hoses are OK make sure they are protected from sunlight.

[Grizzly]

As a last resort you could fit a Charcoal canister, as long as you have a one way valve fitted so you don't get fuel backing up into the canister they work really well.

But Jeremy sounds like he's on to some thing.

[Cas]

Whow ' thanks to every one for your help , I won't have this problem for long ' not with all your help and suggestions thanks again. But just so I'm getting it the pipes are routed on in side of rear pillars then down to underside of the floor .
Cas .

[Sea Ranch]

They run from the upper side of the tank, alongside the C pillar behind the interior panel, then across the roof in front of the rear windscreen (above the headliner), then down the opposite side, and exit through the "floor" vertical wall. One on each side of the tank. Check out Ray's rdent.com webpage on parts lists.

http://rdent.com/manuals/index.html

Plus 2/Liquids/Fuel, you'll see the Lotus diagram of the system.

Thanks, Ray . . .

Randy

[Sea Ranch]

So . . . hopefully Cas won't mind if I ask:

Can anyone with an S/130 and the evaporative loss control system Lotus supplied comment on it's effectiveness? It was designed to deal with emissions issues but presumably if it did that well, it would also deal well with the fumes.

Or, anyone retro-fitted it as a way to deal with fumes?

[Cas]

Thanks ray got it now ' must say I didn't exspect it to involve going across the inside of the roof . First time I've ever heard of that .
Nice to learn something new ever day .
Cas .

[gavk]

Another thought to throw into the mix.

The design of my tank is such that in order to fill it close to the top, it means I have fuel sitting in the rubber filler pipe that joins tank to filler cap.

I'm not sure if that is particular to my setup where I have a Spyder supplied ally tank or if the same thing happens in the standard +2?

I have come to wonder if the rubber filler hose (57mm dia from memory but could be wrong) is being compromised by the ethanol content in the unleaded fuel.

While there are a number of rubber and silicone filler pipes on the market, I have only managed to find one that is totally petrol proof (called Samco Profuel).

While many other rubber hoses or flouro lined silicone hoses say they are "petrol resistant", once you read the details they say they are resistant to fumes but not suitable for having petrol sat in them for extended periods.

Anyone else found this issue or does the +2 normally have the petrol tank sitting lower so that the filler pipe is only full of petrol while filling?

[vxah]

Thats how they are as standard, like you say it's being sure the filler pipe you fitted is really petrol proof not just resistant. It's one thing buying 7mm hose thats 100% but 57mm is another story! When i wanted 13mm fuel hose i found the propper stuff at Pirtek, British standard marked etc.
I have a new filler neck rubber elbow on my +2 and it was not cheap, i hope it was because it's 100% fuel proof and not just because it's for a Lotus? Trouble is, looking at many other parts that are meant to fit and be right for a Lotus I am not so sure!