Strong smell of petrol when fuel tank is full

[farmerjo]

There is a strong smell of petrol when the car is full but when she is 3/4 full there is no smell the car is a 1990 325i sport can any1 help me here plz?

[baptie0]

Hi farmerjo, welcome to the zone.
sounds like you need a new fuel tank mate, have a look under the car in front of the rear wheels and you will see the tank. check for any fuel leakage or dampness. normally the tanks rust at the seam that joins the two halves together, thats why the smell goes away when your below half a tank,

sorry just read the op again, sounds more like the tank is leaking at the top. if you lift the rear seat you can check by removing a cover that enables access to the fuel pump. have a look/smell in there.

[magpie]

filler neck may have a hole?
where is the smell coming from.

[farmerjo]

Thank lads. You would only find the smell when ur driving I havnt been driving the car long due to insurance is to costly and I would only put the insurance on her the nod weekend but I think the smell get stronger if your driving her harder.

[emdog16]

It's the seal around the fuel pump. Take off the back seat and replace the seal. Take a look at your gas mileage... if its off then you may have a hole. If the problem persists, check your fuel lines. It's happened to me before and many others, the o-ring's tend to decintegrate.

[daimlerman]

Whilst you have the backseat out and the access panel on the o/s out to check out all of the above,have a look at the breather pipe on top of the tank as well.These tend to rot at the tank end and create a smell/leak when the tank is full.
When you remove the fuel pump to examine it's sealing ring,you will need to remove the sender unit first...four small nuts...then two large screwdrivers to turn the bayonet fitting for the pump.
Welcome to the zone,BTW!

[Morat]

and no smoking!

[pete_e30]

my 325i has this problem and my breather pipe is letting petrol out how do i replace this without dropping the tank