Petrol Leak Near Tank

[davemar 16]

I've just spotted I've got a petrol leak near the fuel tank, with it dripping from sill just in front of the wheel arch. The car has recently been filled with petrol, so I assume the leak is showing up because it's a full tank. I can't spot anything obvious at the moment, but I'm having a poke around where the pipes connect with the tank just inside the wheel arch. After cleaning away 20 years worth of crud around the pipes I noticed behind the two fuel pipes there a little white hose with a green and black plastic union in it (see first picture). What is this, and has it got anything to do with the fuel?

 

Also I'll need to get better access to the two large pipes/hoses to inspect them, how do I move them away from the wheel arch as they seem firmly attached up there? Do I need to access anything from inside of the car? I started trying to remove some of the trim inside the car in front of the wheel arch but have got stuck. How do I remove the main trim panel below the rear side window? It feels clipped to the body, but looking just inside the edge of the panel the clip I can see doesn't look like the unpopping sort (see second picture)?

 

[Anthony 1,003]

That is one of the breather pipes that goes from the tank to the filler.

 

You can't really see anything of the fuel filler and hoses from inside the car, so I wouldn't bother trying to remove the interior plastics.

 

From memory, to remove the fuel filler and pipes you need to partly drop the fuel tank (you ideally want it nearly empty for this!) and then it's held on with a couple of nuts in the OSR wheelarch (that will likely be caked in mud and seized solid) and a couple of screws behind the petrol cap. With them all removed, you can sort of wiggle and pull the whole lot out - it's been a few years since I've done it, so apologies for being a little vague or if I've missed a step out.

 

There's a couple of breathers on the top of the tank, and the breather hoses go through a cutout in the shell a couple of inches in front of the main filler pipe, so the leak could be coming from one of those as well as from the filler and breather pipes in the wheel arch.

[davemar 16]

From memory, to remove the fuel filler and pipes you need to partly drop the fuel tank (you ideally want it nearly empty for this!) and then it's held on with a couple of nuts in the OSR wheelarch (that will likely be caked in mud and seized solid) and a couple of screws behind the petrol cap. With them all removed, you can sort of wiggle and pull the whole lot out - it's been a few years since I've done it, so apologies for being a little vague or if I've missed a step out.

Will I need to drop the exhaust pipe for this?

Where in the wheelarch are these two nuts, can they be felt for before removing anything?

There's a couple of breathers on the top of the tank, and the breather hoses go through a cutout in the shell a couple of inches in front of the main filler pipe, so the leak could be coming from one of those as well as from the filler and breather pipes in the wheel arch.

I'll bare those in mind on my search.

 

Thanks for the advice so far.

[feb 47]

Let me know how you get on as I have exactly the same problem with a full tank.

But if I don't fill up to the automatic cut off and stop slightly before it's OK.

Edited November 20, 2011 by feb

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

Let me know how you get on as I have exactly the same problem with a full tank.

But if I don't fill up to the automatic cut off and stop slightly before it's OK.

 

When I replaced my solid and flexi fuel hoses, I'd managed to knock off the breather hose from the top of the tank. Only showed up with a full tank, where it would dribble out all over the exhaust (Thankfully, Rob spotted it as we drove though Adenau ).

 

Quite sure I managed to get it back on via the level sender hole after the tank had been lowered a smidgen.

[feb 47]

Is that white/transparent breather hose that goes to the barrel used for the cut off?

 

I found mine to be disconnected at the bottom and I put it back in the barrel again. I am not sure why Peugeot used the barrel to connect the 2 hoses though instead of running a single hose all the way through.

 

I have yet to see if the problem is solved as I haven't filled up yet.

 

 

 

Alan, by solid do you mean the steel hoses that run underneath the car?

 

Did you have a leak and had to replace those?

 

I wonder if they will be OK and not perish with 25% E85, I used some yesterday and I *think* the car goes better at the top end, mind you I had to enrichen the mix by 9%.

The other good thing is that the exhaust doesn't stink anymore, in fact I am getting a fix from my friend's Colt that runs on 75% E85, the exhaust smells almost like wine

 

Excuse the crap pics they are from my phone.

Edited November 26, 2011 by feb

[Alan_M 66 1 Cars]

Alan, by solid do you mean the steel hoses that run underneath the car?

 

Did you have a leak and had to replace those?

 

 

Yes. They were corroded and verging on MOT failure so replaced them using 8mm copper pipe from B&Q. But when I pulled the flexi pipe through by the tank, I must have caught the breather hose and pulled that off. Only found out after I filled the car up in Adenau, drove down the high street and a load of petrol spilt over the hot exhaust Had to syphon a load out and have more freqeunt fuel stops on the way home.

[feb 47]

I refilled once and I haven't noticed any leaks after refitting the breather pipe to the barrel so fingers crossed.

How did you get on with yours davemar?

[davemar 16]

Let me know how you get on as I have exactly the same problem with a full tank.

But if I don't fill up to the automatic cut off and stop slightly before it's OK.

The two clips holding the thick flexible hose to the tank and the inlet pipe had rusted away they weren't really doing their job (one had half vanished), so there was scope for leaking there. There was also a tiny little hole in the hose. I turned the hose around (so the hole wasn't in such a problematic location) and fitted new clips and so far it seems to have fixed the problem.

 

It did take ages to remove the nut that holds the inlet pipe to the wheel arch. It was so rusted it wouldn't budge, and obviously I didn't want to risk using anything that generated too much heat to get it off. I couldn't get a nut-splitter in there, so I just had to part drill part chisel the nut off. One of the jubilee clips needed drilling off too.

[harryskid 193]

I have seen the thick flexi hose on my first 1600 gt1 had a split in it. First i replaced the clips as i thought that was the leak problem but on closer inspection it was the actual hose!

[Robbiedundy 58 4 Cars]

Bringing up an old topic, I'm trying to take the whole fuel filler pipe completely off the car, the fuel tank isn't attached anymore, I've undone 2 more screws under the petrol cap but it doesn't seem to budge, and I can't find any sort of other nuts?

 

ta

[MikeC 10]

This picture might help, i hope.

fuel3.bmp

[Robbiedundy 58 4 Cars]

I got it off, all the bolts snapped when I pulled it haha, cheers for the pic!

[shawsburypug 0 1 Cars]

I have got the same problem with my 205, The clips have rusted and weren't really doing there job, I have replaced them now, but I am going to put a piece of metal to protect them from any stones/ knocks or mud. as i rally the car, i think this would be a good i idea?