I know this has been mentioned before and I have done a search and come up with nothing.
I have a slight petrol fumes smell in the back of my van sometimes... My petrol cap fits fine.
I remember reading about the tubes that run above the engine, attatched to the masonite stuff being a 'breathing/venting' system. My tubes are all connected
..any help would be great!

a bastard of a job to fix firstly u need double jointed elbows and wrists and a vice like grip .if u reach up inside the wheel arch from the engine bay u will feel the tube joiners where it goes up into the tube that runs up to the air intakes there is a rubber line here that perishes with age all u have to do is replace it and all will be fixed then when u have lots of practice come over and do mine .hahahah:beer:beer:beer

When I had fuel smell in my kombi, the problem was a leaky tank filler hose. Some people will tell you that you have to take the tank out to get to it, but that's not true: I watched my mechanic replace it with the tank still in place.

Yeah, but there's a huge difference between watching and doing!!! :cussing:cussing:cussing

Yeh we had that one too. the rubber elbow at the filler point.

It was about half an hours job done with the tank in place.

There is a circle pop out panel in the RH side of the engine bay to access it. If you have fat arms you will find it a bit harder.

The elbow was $50 five years ago.

I;ve looked from the petrol cap end and it is a metal tank filler hose.
My van is a '77. I know the disc you are talking about Hellbus. Do I pop it inwards? I might just call Irwin from 'Phoenix Engineering'.
I did change all the rubber hoses on the breather system and it appears to be a less smell but now I think I am paranoid

[Edited on 4-5-2004 by azz]

The metal disc pops off like a paint tin lid.

The very start of the filler neck where the cap is metal, then there is a very very short bit of rubber visible, then it is metal again. The rubber is not easy to see from the outside.
The bottom of the rubber is real thick and it is sort of what you would rest the petrol filler nozzle on when you fill up.
When this wears away or cracks, petrol fumes and liquid get into the bus.

Here's a photo of the persihed part...

I know the rubber bit you are talking about now
It possibly could be old and cracked but I am not certain.. I found another rubber elbow thingy on the right hand side of the breather system. It was way up in the back!! I will get the van to the garage and have the spout bit replaced next week... In theory it should only smell if the tank is really full or going around a corner though shouldnt it?

Quote:

Originally posted by azz I know the rubber bit you are talking about now It possibly could be old and cracked but I am not certain.. I found another rubber elbow thingy on the right hand side of the breather system. It was way up in the back!! I will get the van to the garage and have the spout bit replaced next week... In theory it should only smell if the tank is really full or going around a corner though shouldnt it?

Phoenix Engineering is too busy to do it this week so I am going to pick up the part today and have a go this afternoon...I mean how hard can it be???
Wish me luck!!!

Ok the rubber bit was changed to the tank and the smell left for about 2 weeks buit now it has come back???
All the rubber tubes off the breather system have been replaced?
Anyone else have any ideas

New rubber bit come off?
Hole at top of tank?

what about the short rubber tube connector hidden between the spare tyre well & outer rear panel that connects the metal tube that loops up to passegerside airvent - complicated way to describe it, sorry but you may have missed it, it is hard to see & frequently goes hard & leaks

what about in a splitty ????? any ideas on where the smell of fuel comes from when turning right sometimes ???? not leaking when standing still or on an incline. fish

Can there be any other reasons why it would smell?
I think it is usually only be the rubber filler spout problem when the tank is full..right??
Well it must be the breather system beacuse it smells when it is nearly empty, but I have changed all the breather system rubber hoses.
Are ther any more reasons why it might smell?
Any help would be great

Phoenix Engineering fixed it in 5 minutes-
It was a leaky hose from fuel tank to engine

Now all I have to fix is the engine smell that I get when I put the heater on.
Sometimes I don't know why I persevere.