E30 Zone

I have just had intensive work done on my sport 89 sport due to MOT requirements. One of the requirements was to replace the fuel Lines from the tank., the car was given to my local garage for repair work to be carried out, from my understanding fuel tank was removed and the fuel lines replaced, I'm not too sure of the exact procedure carried out but... I've got eh the Car back now with MOT passed. However I've noticed a Major fuel leak from with in the engine bay coming from an open end black rubber pipe/hose, this is one of the 3 that come in to the engine bay.

My mechanic has said that this is a ventilation/overflow pipe, however i think that he's talking Rubbish!! The problem is that he has gone on holiday and need to get this sorted as this potentially dangerous! The fuel leaks on a intermittent basis however, the car runs an drives as normal, the question is, is there such thing as over flow/vent pipe for the fuel? Or is it meant go somewhere else? How can i solve this? Please help...

If required i can post pics /Video of the pipe in question

Tank vent pipe does indeed come into the engine compartment, but I've never heard of one spewing fuel!

Might be worth asking him what he's actually done.

Fuel lines run from filter near pass. rear wheel arch, along underside to just inside engine bay.

Unless he's repaired the actual tank pipes, I don't think he would have taken the tank off.

Guys thanks for your replies!

wildeian wrote:Might be worth asking him what he's actually done.

The mechanic is off for 2 weeks or so and there is no one else at the garage, just the owner??

The tank was definatly taken off as I saw it when I popped in to see the work.

One other thing I forgot to mention is that i have notice that there is slight pressure being built up in the fuel tank? ...... is this causing all the fuel leak via the vent pipe???

come on guys can anyone help me on this????

PM replied to fella.

Sounds like he's put it back together wrong!

You don't need to remove the tank if your only relacing the pipes along the floor pan, as they go up and over the tank there's a small piece of rubber pipe that joins to the pipe along the top of the tank Or a filter.
If hes removed the tank then at a guess he kinked one of the breather pipes along the top.
http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do ... g=16&fg=10

They've either blocked a pipe somewhere, or connected them wrong. The vent pipe should be connected to a small plastic tank high up in the rear right wheel arch, and definitely, under no circumstances, should have fuel in it!!
Take it back, and tell them to do it right, at their expense. No idea why they had the tank out in the first place, unless they were doing the rear brake lines as well.
If the mechanic's on holiday, that's their problem, not yours.

Guys thanks for your feedback much appreciated!

The pipe that it is leaking from is at the front near the front passenger arch, the pipe is not connected to anything. The problem is only intermittent when the car has been running. But when it does start to leak it leaks pretty bad ( eg at the lights I had the guy besides me saying that you can smell fuel from your car).

I had to also get the brake pipes redone on the car that's why he had removed to tank.

If there was a bend or a kink within any of these pipes wouldn't it cause the engine to hesitate when driving/revving? The car is absolutely fine when I drive it, I have also noticed the other day when i had parked up that the fuel kept leaking from the pipe at the front???

I will definite take it back when the mechanic returns after 2 weeks, but in the mean time i was hoping if i could solve this problem has i need a car for work!

I will try try posting pics/vids of this pipe, if it helps identifying the problem

The garage has messed it up. Ask them for a loan car.
We know where and what the pipe is at the front of the car, and under no circumstances should it have fuel in it!

To identify what he's done wrong then you need to work out when it leaks. At a guess he's kinked the expanpion pipe on top of the tank so theres to much pressure in there and its ejecting fuel through the breather.
Take the car back to the garage and tell them you want a replacment car until the numnut gets back and fixes it, if you want the same twat to attempt it twice. If the mechanic is not there why is the garage open ?

If your happy drive around pissing petrol out at 90 odd pence a litre then you truly are a sickman.

Oh and by the way the exhaust gets very hot.

Gents Thanks for all your input you'd never guess what the plonker did he put the breather and return back the wrong way round.... problem sorted. Thanks again.