Pierre Gillet Posted November 8, 2000 Share Posted November 8, 2000 My friend Robert has noticed what he believes is a leak at the fuel tank of his 1.6 K 1999 Seven with 5000 km on the clock. it Can it be a weld ? Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Barkley Posted November 8, 2000 Share Posted November 8, 2000 Pierre I've had problems with the fuel tank leaking. When the car was new, fuel leaked from the pump fitting in the end of the tank when it was filled above a couple of gallons, and which required resealing. A fibre washer on the fuel feed to the engine failed due to corrosion and I had to replace the tank due to corrosion between the tank and the steel chassis. I hope your friend can resolve his problem easily, I previously lost a car through fire from a fuel leak. Good luck Ian B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted November 8, 2000 Share Posted November 8, 2000 Pierre. I too had a fuel tank leak that I couldn't really find. More of a damp trace than a full blown leak. When I removed the tank I found it was pitted with micro holes around the areas that the tank sits on (supported by the chassis rails). It turned out that after a previous owners 'off', the chassis/car was rebuilt at Caterham & they had fitted the tank directly in contact with the steel ie. no foam packing or grease etc. These 'leaks' were therefore out of sight until the tank was removed. Sounds a bit drastic on a 5000K car though!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bees Posted November 9, 2000 Share Posted November 9, 2000 Pierre - leaks around the fuel pump (right hand end of the tank as you face the back of the car) are not uncommon on later injection cars. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bey Posted November 9, 2000 Share Posted November 9, 2000 Pierre I've had 2 fuel ank leaks caused by (I think) being hit by flying stones. In both cases the tank had a tiny dent with a crack/hole at the bottom of it. The first hole was in the bottom of the tank, the second in the front. The first leak was sorted by the application of Lumiweld (having emptied the tank, filled & rinsed with water several times to avoid comedy blackened face & singed head/body!). The second leak resulted in a new tank, as on removal, I discovered what had been causing the strange banging noise for a few months - one of the baffles had come away and was flying around inside the tank. Anyone else suffered from this? Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red SLR Posted November 9, 2000 Share Posted November 9, 2000 Is it possile to get a race tank to fit in the boot to keep it out of harms way? X777CAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Walker Posted November 9, 2000 Share Posted November 9, 2000 On my 1989 live axle car the tank was only supported at either end and began to leak as the weight gradually pulled the seems apart. I then had an ali-honeycoombe pannel fitted underneath - I think they do this on the race cars - and this now supports the full length of the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bees Posted November 9, 2000 Share Posted November 9, 2000 The 'race' tank is in the same place, but uses an ATL fuel-filled bag tank within an ali box. A much cheaper solution is to get the honeycomb fuel tank protection kit. Less effective in a crash than the bag tank, but good protection from flying debris. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red SLR Posted November 9, 2000 Share Posted November 9, 2000 Mike - do you know how much the bag tank is compared to the ali upgrade? Thanks Simon X777CAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bees Posted November 9, 2000 Share Posted November 9, 2000 The CD-ROM (prices out of date now I think) lists: Bag Tank Rover Race - 489.36 Box - Bag Tank - 95.15 I don't know whether this can re-use your existing in-tank injection pump - if not then you're probably looking at another 100+ quid for a remote fuel pump. I can't find a price for the honeycomb tank protection kit, but I can't see it being more than 100quid (surely?!!!). All prices plus VAT. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John E Posted November 9, 2000 Share Posted November 9, 2000 Just fixed a similar problem on my live axle car. The two vertical straps were rubbing on the front of the tank. This was a very small leak caused by the lack of a foam rubbing strip. Fixed the leak and used an old bike inner tube as a rubbing strip on both of the main tank supports and under the straps. Interestingly whilst the tank was out I was able to view areas of chassis that were rusting. Also gave me chance to powerhose the axle etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elie boone Posted November 9, 2000 Share Posted November 9, 2000 Is there not a exp. date on a rubber bag fuel tank? i think it is about five years but i am not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted November 10, 2000 Author Share Posted November 10, 2000 Thank you all for your very useful answers. I shall transmit them to Robert who is going to get the visit of the mechanic commissioned by the importer who has just moved to the south of France! Relative to the honeycomb protection kit, does it include more items than the horizontal honeycomb plate that comes with De Dion K since several years? I was also not able to find any information on the CD Rom in the race chapter. Cheers, Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bees Posted November 10, 2000 Share Posted November 10, 2000 Pierre - it includes honeycomb panels for the sides, rear and bottom of the tank. I can't remember if there is one for the front of the tank as well. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted November 10, 2000 Author Share Posted November 10, 2000 So it looks like the fuel tank would be well protected. I figure that to install these additional honeycomb panels I would have to remove the tank? By the way, while "waxoyling" the chassis, I applied a thick coat of waxoyl on the tank. I expect additional protection against stone chips. Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert OSELLO Posted November 12, 2000 Share Posted November 12, 2000 Hi all, I finally went through the registration process to get it completed after some small problems; Thanks to Barry (site manager) for his help. I can now share comments with you! I'm really impressed to see so much enthusiastic fans can S7 generate. Pierre, we are not alone!! Regarding the fuel tank leak, I'll keep you informed on what's going on after the check I'll have with the mechanic next saturday. By the way, it seems there is also a leak coming from the cooling system radiator. I'm still monitoring the coolant level to get confirmation. Thanks to all fo you, stay tuned, Robert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted November 12, 2000 Author Share Posted November 12, 2000 Welcome Robert teeth.gif "Novice" , eh ? I wish you a fast track promotion towards the Anapurna of the Forum , but hopefully not the "Anorak" position wink.gif. I am resisting very hard... Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHRIS CLARK Posted November 16, 2000 Share Posted November 16, 2000 Just get on with it Pierre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted November 17, 2000 Author Share Posted November 17, 2000 Will do Chris. Anoraks, but stamped "Caterham Motorsport", might be trendy here [(8] during winter if it rains as much as it did during fall!!! Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert OSELLO Posted November 21, 2000 Share Posted November 21, 2000 It seems that things will go better soon. After a quick check by the mechanic, fuel tank and radiator will be replaced (press problem on both components). Thanks to our french reseller and Caterham doing replacement under warranty conditions. Robert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chairman Roger Posted November 23, 2000 Share Posted November 23, 2000 It is always worthwhile when refitting a fuel tank to ensure that all gaps between the fixing straps and the tank are filled. Even though you use foam strip, because the straps do not exactly follow the profile of the tank it is still possible to get small gaps. These gaps then pick up grit from the road which wears a hole in the tank. A simple solution is to use silicone sealant (plenty of it) as well as foam to fill all gaps between straps and tank. Pre 91 (I think) fuel tanks were 18swg but gave problems and so were uprated to 16 swg thereafter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pierre Gillet Posted November 23, 2000 Author Share Posted November 23, 2000 Roger, would you suggest also adding silicon on already "fastened" tank straps? I noticed some foam being visible in some places, while it is not apparent on other spots. Pierre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert OSELLO Posted November 23, 2000 Share Posted November 23, 2000 Roger Thanks for your recommendation. I'll keep inform the mechanic and ask him to put this "feature". Robert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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