1800: Petrol leaking while refuelling

[VolvoFan]

I have a 1972 1800E and whilst refuelling from just under half a tankful, I put in barely £8 worth of petrol when fuel came rushing out from under the nearside rear.

I stopped filling at this point and the leaking ceased pretty quickly. On checking to see if the tank or any rubber fuel hoses were leaking, I found nothing amiss. I could find no trace of petrol anywhere, as it had all evaporated whilst in the shop paying.

I disconnected the vent pipe from the filler neck, which passes through the boot underneath the nearside rear, and blew through it to make sure it was clear, which it was.

Then I emptied the boot and lifted the rubber mat and hardboard cover on the fuel tank to see if anything was amiss and found all okay.

Has anyone else had this trouble before? I don't normally fill the tank with full pump pressure to avoid blow-back; but could there have been some sort of air pocket causing some back pressure in the system?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[powen1]

Originally Posted by VolvoFan

I have a 1972 1800E and whilst refuelling from just under half a tankful, I put in barely £8 worth of petrol when fuel came rushing out from under the nearside rear.

I stopped filling at this point and the leaking ceased pretty quickly. On checking to see if the tank or any rubber fuel hoses were leaking, I found nothing amiss. I could find no trace of petrol anywhere, as it had all evaporated whilst in the shop paying.

I disconnected the vent pipe from the filler neck, which passes through the boot underneath the nearside rear, and blew through it to make sure it was clear, which it was.

Then I emptied the boot and lifted the rubber mat and hardboard cover on the fuel tank to see if anything was amiss and found all okay.

Has anyone else had this trouble before? I don't normally fill the tank with full pump pressure to avoid blow-back; but could there have been some sort of air pocket causing some back pressure in the system?

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Hi, I had an issue with the air return pipe in the boot on the connection to the fuel tank that was cracked. But you say all in the boot is fine and no petrol smell - could you use a fuel can and fill the car up while watching for leaks to find the source ? be safe .

[VolvoFan]

Thanks for your reply. I will try filling from a two-gallon can and sometime over the next few days (not sure exactly when as I'm working on my other car) and let you know what transpires.

[VolvoFan]

At last I got around to filling the tank with a two-gallon can & funnel. No sign of any petrol leaking underneath or in the boot; no smell of petrol either.

I guess that when I was filling the tank at the pump, it was too fast and somehow caused fuel to pass down the air return pipe, although this has never happened before.

Hopefully all is well now.