Petrol Leak

Any views on the following

G Reg 300 series hatch back.

Filled up last sat and found some good cheap petrol so filled to the brim. Pulled over a few minutes later to park and noticed steady drip coming from round petrol filler side of car, but up and underneath. Got underneath for closer look and it seemed to be running down the rubber pipe from filler hole to tank, dripping off it where it bends and then splashing down via rear suspension area. Could not see exact point of leak.

Passing chap noticed and said on an old Skoda he had the seal round the top of the pipe / car bodywork at the filler end perished causing such problem when over filled. Does anyone know if this problem affects Volvos in the same way?

After making saefty check I drove for 40 miles which will have drained fuel in pipe, and will not fill full again. Possibly not helped by warm day and no doubt fuel coming from cold underground tanks at petrol station which will have expanded somewhat in tank.

Anyone got any views / suggestions?

Thanks
Dan



Is the solution a new seal at this point?

[pettaw]

No, its all the hoses that have perished between the expansion tank in the boot and the breather and all the rest of it. Take off the plastic panel in the RHS of the boot and its all there. Renew all the hoses apart from the massive big filler one. IE, all the three breather hoses and the one that joins onto the bottom of the expansion tank.

Don't put cheapy hoses onto it otherwise they'll leak again and you'll have to change them very quickly. They perish because of dampness from the road and because Volvo made them too cheap. Good hoses can be got from Halfords, buy the ones for injectors because they're not much more expensive and are much thicker. Match diameter to the old ones. You might also have to change the ones from the fuel sender in the top of the tank, accessible from the middle of the boot, reply back if these top ones are leaking because that needs more explanation. the expansion tank ones are pretty self-explanatory.

Oh and get good jubilee clips, I think Halfords do them. I can't honestly remember where I bought em from, I might even have gone to the dealer.

Andy

Thanks Andy

I'll have a look under that RHS panel and read up in the Haynes. I bet you are right about this. I'll look at the fuel sender seperatly in due course if that is more complicated. Sounds like it might be worth doing this in 2 stages - ie sort the first ones you describe, wait a bit and experiment before tackling the others.

I'll certainly get decent replacment hoses etc. Are you suggesting that if I get replacment ones as official Volvo parts from the spares dealer they may in fact not be of the best quality despite their inevitably high price?

Dan

[pettaw]

No, just that you'll get much better ones for less money from Halfords.

OEM hoses ARE expensive from the dealer and they are rubbish and don't last, but they also sell better hoses. The trouble is they're really expensive, so its easier and cheaper to get them from Halfords.

[migrator]

When changing the pipes, do have a look at the bottom of the tank. If you have a saddle tank (inverted U-shape) don't forget the pipe between the two sides of the tank.

[pettaw]

I don't think 340s had saddle tanks did they? Not any I've seen anyway. The 360s did though.

[migrator]

OOOPS!!

It is a 360 that I have here and that is what I get for thinking that the 340s would be similar in that respect. I'll study my 'Haynes' more closely next time. :+

Firstly my 340 has a saddle tank and secondly it also has an overflow pipe, so when the tank is overfilled ie. petrol is being stored in the pipe, the excess is expelled and dribbles down the back of the petrol tank, not very elegant but it seems to be what has been initially explained.

Mark




Some days you're the bug, others you're the windscreen!

[pettaw]

I don't say that a 340 can't have a saddle tank, just that I've never seen a 340 with a saddle tank, and I've never heard of an overflow, and I've filled right up to the filler neck when doing mpg calculations, so if your 'overfilling' and getting leaks, you've got the perished hose problem I've described ad nauseam before.

all 340 having diesel engines were equipped with plastic saddle tanks under rear seat, and all cars with two-liter volvo engine too!