Leaking fuel tank

Post Sun Jul 12, 2015 5:50 pm

Now I know why the garage is stinking. There are multiple drops falling from what I assume is the fuel tank.

Has anyone had this issue before?

Would this be covered by a mechanical warranty? I bought the car just over a week ago.... from a dealer about two hours away.

Not sure what to do....

Post Sun Jul 12, 2015 6:00 pm

Some-one should have looked a bit closer at their new purchase!

Tanks can leak from a number of places;
a)the seam between the top and bottom
b)the filler neck where it enters the tank
c)the breather pipe on the top r/h side

Odd drips on the n/s of the car could be the feed/return pipe corroded,just forward of the n/s rear wheel a drip could be the fuel filter/or it's clips.

Post Sun Jul 12, 2015 7:46 pm

daimlerman wrote:Some-one should have looked a bit closer at their new purchase!

Tanks can leak from a number of places;
a)the seam between the top and bottom
b)the filler neck where it enters the tank
c)the breather pipe on the top r/h side

Odd drips on the n/s of the car could be the feed/return pipe corroded,just forward of the n/s rear wheel a drip could be the fuel filter/or it's clips.

Mines leaks from b) when I fill it above half... So I only run 1/2 tank max... I know, it's lazy. But I've tried metal filler etc and can't stop it, can't be arsed to pull it out either.

Post Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:02 pm

Acaciastrain360 wrote:
daimlerman wrote:Some-one should have looked a bit closer at their new purchase!

Tanks can leak from a number of places;
a)the seam between the top and bottom
b)the filler neck where it enters the tank
c)the breather pipe on the top r/h side

Odd drips on the n/s of the car could be the feed/return pipe corroded,just forward of the n/s rear wheel a drip could be the fuel filter/or it's clips.
Mines leaks from b) when I fill it above half... So I only run 1/2 tank max... I know, it's lazy. But I've tried metal filler etc and can't stop it, can't be arsed to pull it out either.

If yours is a 'sorry turd'

then spending half a day laid underneath it is,perhaps,not worthwhile.But eventually,the MoT man will catch up with you!

Post Sun Jul 12, 2015 8:02 pm

your gonna need to drop the tank mate and get a good one or a new one from ecp

Post Sun Jul 12, 2015 11:29 pm

My brothers tourer used to leak from 'b' and fill the car up with fumes and got worse when you opened the window! But when we looked closer to swap it out we found gaping holes in the floor as well so it got scrapped. Hope yours ain't so bad

Post Sun Jul 12, 2015 11:51 pm

daimlerman wrote:!

Tanks can leak from a number of places;
a)the seam between the top and bottom
b)the filler neck where it enters the tank
c)the breather pipe on the top r/h side

There is one other place that a tank can commonly leak from, and is an easy fix.
The rubber O rings that seal the fuel pump assembly to the top of the tank, and the similar one on the LH level sender (63l tanks only) can break, allowing fuel to leak out.

Post Mon Jul 13, 2015 6:41 am

bimanut wrote:we found gaping holes in the floor as well so it got scrapped. Hope yours ain't so bad

I reckon it's this.

Post Mon Jul 13, 2015 9:34 am

daimlerman wrote:
Acaciastrain360 wrote:
daimlerman wrote:Some-one should have looked a bit closer at their new purchase!

Tanks can leak from a number of places;
a)the seam between the top and bottom
b)the filler neck where it enters the tank
c)the breather pipe on the top r/h side

Odd drips on the n/s of the car could be the feed/return pipe corroded,just forward of the n/s rear wheel a drip could be the fuel filter/or it's clips.
Mines leaks from b) when I fill it above half... So I only run 1/2 tank max... I know, it's lazy. But I've tried metal filler etc and can't stop it, can't be arsed to pull it out either.
If yours is a 'sorry turd' then spending half a day laid underneath it is,perhaps,not worthwhile.But eventually,the MoT man will catch up with you!

It's not so much a sorry turd, just showing its age. No fumes coming inside though, only in the garage if I over fill it... Nah mean

Post Wed Jul 15, 2015 5:36 pm

Well a chat with garage said if it's a whole new tank etc required then it's a grand to sort (tank alone £400-£500).

Does that sound about right?

Post Wed Jul 15, 2015 5:46 pm

sounds expensive, a quick look on ebay and theres 2 types. one for £155 and one for £175

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIESEL-PETROL ... 58b51c4ed4

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PETROL-FUEL-R ... 58b5264085

and 500 labor sounds mad to me. heres a link to zone wiki so you can see whats involved.
http://www.e30zone.net/e30zonewiki/inde ... _Fuel_Tank

Post Wed Jul 15, 2015 5:56 pm

Maybe he is pricing it with genuine BMW parts

Post Wed Jul 15, 2015 8:15 pm

Tank swap for a guy like me(retired,and working with the turd on axle stands)will take half a day,say 4-5 hours.

So if your guy is quoting £500 for a 'genuine' BMW tank,he's thinking £125 an hour labour....

I've bought and fitted at least three GSF supplied fuel tanks to my various E30's over the last ten years or so,so your guy just does not want the job!

Post Thu Jul 16, 2015 8:36 am

i have a very good 63ltr fuel tank for sale £80 delivered in UK if needed .

Post Mon Jul 20, 2015 7:59 pm

Thanks Magpie, I'll bear that in mind.

Another question I had was about seeing what I think is water in the petrol. It looks gelatinous, little blobs sunk to the bottom. Is that normal / a problem?

Post Tue Jul 21, 2015 6:05 pm

Water can condense in the tank over the years, had that before and then when cornering hard can get into supply line. Best to drain it or pump it out if poss.

Post Wed Jul 22, 2015 10:00 am

I had a similar problem on mine...bought the tank from GSF took around a day to fit it with some help whilst the car was on axle stands...bare in mind you need to remove the exhaust, heat shields and prop to get at the tank and be prepared for some stubborn old bolts!

Post Fri Aug 07, 2015 9:02 pm

Three weeks later the car is back from the garage. Tank is not done, they really didn't want to do it. Said there was some corrosion near the top and to stop the leak just don't fill it up! At least they found other things to charge me for in the 21 days

Post Sat Aug 08, 2015 6:50 am

Mate, I would be looking for a new mechanic if I was you replacing a tank, whilst not a glamorous job is not that difficult... These boys sound like a bunch of muppets.

Post Sat Aug 08, 2015 10:20 am

aimlessrock wrote:Mate, I would be looking for a new mechanic if I was you replacing a tank, whilst not a glamorous job is not that difficult... These boys sound like a bunch of muppets.

Legal implications of this could be interesting as well. Advising you to continue to drive a car which is clearly unroadworthy.

Post Mon Aug 10, 2015 4:45 pm

Brianmoooore wrote:Other place that a tank can commonly leak from, and is an easy fix.
The rubber O rings that seal the fuel pump assembly to the top of the tank, and the similar one on the LH level sender (63l tanks only) can break, allowing fuel to leak out.

This is where my problem was with my old fuel tank.

Post Sun Aug 16, 2015 6:14 pm

hi ,just had a leak repaired on mine , its a long and difficult job to do , you can get a plastic replacement from Germany for around £150 including delivery , look carefully one ebay as there are 3 different types ie saloon 55 liters convertible 65 liters and a different shape one for the tourer , hope this helps mike