Strong smell of petrol with a full tank..

[Shedtastic]

I've owned my 325i for about a month, but have only just succeeded in getting it MOT'd.. As a result I treated it to a full tank of petrol, and after the (spirited) journey home there was a distinct stink of unleaded. I can't see any dripping under the car though..

The car had been stood for about 18 months before I bought it, and prior to this weekend I've only been able to do short little drives in it (to and from the MOT station, officer) and it only had a tenner's worth of petrol in it - and there was no undue smell..

So I guess I have a leak from the upper half of the tank or from the filler pipe? I suppose the latter I could live with and just not fill it to the brim..
I read that replacing the tank (if I can find a good condition replacement) is pretty 'involved'. If it turns out the be the filler pipe, is that any easier to fix? How is it attached to the petrol tank? Does the tank still have to come out to change the filler pipe?

Any comments would be much appreciated..

(Other than the smell of fuel, I'm very impressed with the 180K miles BMW - it's ace!)

Neil.

[h7fal]

Since the smell is only noticeable with a full tank I would think it's likely to be the fuel tank itself, they are prone to rust. On a positive note it's something your only likely to replace once if a new part is used. That's what I told myself when I had to carry out same repair.

My cab had also sat in a garage barely used for a number of years.

[Shedtastic]

Ouch - I suspect a 'new' tank would cost more than the car cost me.. just for the part! I don't suppose you remember how much teh tank cost?
I'm still hoping it might just be the filler pipe.. I'm hoping that when the tank was full the fuel sloshed up the pipe a bit.

That sounds weak now I actually type it..!

[konfuzion]

A GSF one was about £170 IIRC when I replaced my touring one 6 months ago.



Regards,

Ian

[daimlerman]

I think you will find that a GSF tank is cheaper than a filler pipe,which is a BMW only item....

But the first thing to do is to establish just where the leak is.

Have a look under the car by the o/s rear wheel,you will see the filler pipe running down to the tank.They are connected by a short length of rubber hose with a jubilee clip at each end.At the tank end,the hose goes onto a stub pipe into the tank,it's this area of the tank that rots,so grab that hose and give it a tug...

Next favourite leak point is the breather pipe on the top of the tank,lift the rear seat base and remove the access hatch on the o/s and check the condition of the pipe end,they can be trimmed back,once,before the pipe is too short to reach.

[Shedtastic]

Thanks for the advice - I shall have a look tonight when I get home..

I now also have to investigate the screeching noise that lasted two minutes when I fired it up this morning.. Am guessing waterpump. Ho hum!

[daimlerman]

I now also have to investigate the screeching noise that lasted two minutes when I fired it up this morning.. Am guessing waterpump. Ho hum!

That could just be a loose fan belt,the alternator will load up to re-charge the battery,remember,alternator is mounted in rubber bushes that fall apart with age,there's a guy in London who supplies poly replacements.

[Shedtastic]

Thanks very much to you Daimlerman - I'm hoping this was the beginning and the end of the fuel stink:



Sure enough - the breather hose was split..



So now suitably trimmed and refitted, hopefully that was the only source! Thanks again..

Also the alternator looks fine - I think the noise comes from the power steering pump belt, which is probably not as tight as it should be. There's no adjustment left though on the bracket - so perhaps a new belt is needed..