9 replies to this topic

[minispike]

1985 Mini Mayfair
Now the hot weather has arrived, my daughters Mini constantly smells of fuel in the car. I have checked the fuel lines and had the tank out. No visible leaks. Has anyone experience of this. The neck of the tank has slight rust but does not smell.
Vent pipe replaced as well. Baffled at where the petrol fumes/smells are coming from. The smell seems stronger in the boot, so it must be pin holes in the actual tank, venting into the boot? Advice/experience very welcome. Spike

[lrostoke]

does it happen more with a full tank, my cap leaks a bit and I do get a bit of a whiff if full. also the neck can rust out where it goes into the body, can be a foam ring round it that is nice moisture trap.

My first thought would have been breather but you say thats ok. how far does it go through the boot floor ?

have you checked for leaks under the car. were the rubber pipe from the tank joins the rigid fuel line, common place for the rigid pipe to rot, just done mine cleaned some dirt off and the bugger started leaking

[Ethel]

It's hot at the mo'. Could it be fumes emitted through the vent pipe are wafting back up in to the boot? Is it more noticeable after it has stood or when she's driving? At rest suggests the arse end; on the move, the front.

[MiniMonty]

I thought I could smell fuel in the cabin and couldn't find the cause until someone here
suggested that it might actually be the smell of coolant leaking from the heater (which is exactly what it turned out to be).
Might be worth checking if only to eliminate it.

Even a tiny leak can give off a pretty strong smell - check for moisture anywhere around the heater / hoses.
Also look for any discolouration of the carpet anywhere below the heater (drips).

Best wishes
Monty

[POWER5LAVE]

im having the same problems checked the tank emptied it out filled it with water and watched it to see if it was leaking.

by any chance have you got an aston/forza cap on because my problem was that i hadnt fitted it properly and it was pushing the cap up and petrol was leaking due to it not being sealed properly

i also put a new seal on the cap itself which i thinked has helped and used an mpi filler neck rubber as its smaller so makes it easier to fit my forza petrol cap

just my 2 cents

Edited by POWER5LAVE, 02 June 2010 - 11:56 PM.

[electricjim]

im also having this problem and so far have found nothing with the pipes other than a split at the end of the breather pipe under the car but i wouldn't have thought that would cause a smell in the cabin or boot. my main problem is i am relying on other people to let me know as i have no sense of smell so tracing it is that bit more difficult for me, is there any easy way of checking the filler neck. i should really get a canary for the car

[minispike]

Thanks for all the very helpful hints. It is much worse when HE has been standing for a while, on a warm day like today.
I have checked every joint and am certain it is from the tank area. It is also worse when the tank is full. Just been under Casper (My daughters Mini!) and have wiped a few dew drops of fuel coming out of the breather pipe. It seems that the warm weather causes the petrol fumes to condense back to neat fuel at the point of exit to the fresh air.
I did check the neck of the tank when i had it out. No visible holes , however i did not pressure test it for micro holes.
I think the cap is a good fit as i do not smell fuel around this area, nor around the rubber sael ( new) that supports the tank neck through the bodywork. I think its a new tank, sadly mini spares are out of stock.(
Caspers off for his MOT today, so i am going to blame the fuel smell on a leaky fuel canister left in the boot. if i keep the windows open, it clears ok! Just greased all the important points, Grease guns, what a pain to load!, got more on me than in the gun every time!!! The new guns spring in very tough.
Oh well, thanks for your tips. Fingers crossed for the MOT. cheers and thanks Mini Spike

[electricjim]

i think i may have found my problem see pix, next question is does a new tank come with a sender or do i need one of them too. . hole in filler neck of tank and frayed end of breather pipe, think i might have rubber pipes renewed at same time

[electricjim]

i am assuming the filler neck is part of the tank and not like modern cars a liking pipe ?

[DannyTip]

Yeah the filler neck is part of the tank. Get a s/h tank from somewhere. Shouldn't take more than about an hour to fit.