I dont want to blow the in-laws house up !

[w powers]

I got my car sitting nicely in their garage but they're a little concerned about the smell of petrol in the garage especially since they're boiler is in their also 😳

 

anyway I've had a little look around and hey presto the petrol tank is leaking! from the around the seal for the sender unit! it looks a little akward to get at. how do I tighten the screws without removing the tank or cutting a nice access panel through the ali skin?

[caterhamnut]

I think you can get in there with a screwdriver fitting into a spanner (if you see what I mean!) You know - one of those screwdriver fittings for cordless drivers, fitted into a 6mm socket or something similar.

Can you get the boot floor out easily? Ours was just a couple of self-tappers through the ali honeycomb panel, then we could lift it enough to access the tank.

If so, you can take the strap that holds the fuel tank in position off, and then tilt/lift the tank just a little bit - enough to make access easier - I know because we did exactly the same a few days ago!

 

www.mycaterham.com

here

88,500 miles -1st 1.6k Supersport, '95 Motor Show car

[caterhamnut]

Tip from Mark 355 - don't overtight the screws - just nip then up. Apparently if you overtighten them it can distort the tank and the gasket never seals again! I suspect this was a lesson learnt through experience!

 

www.mycaterham.com

here

88,500 miles -1st 1.6k Supersport, '95 Motor Show car

[w powers]

I didn't doubt it for a second.

Another superb response from BC.

 

 

thanks

 

ps. Angus/Tessa I hope married life is going well.

[Jason Plato]

you realy onlt tighten these bolts up by hand to a very low torque - they are almost just nipped up .

 

I now use loctite on the bolts as they have a habit of coming loose .

 

C7 TOP Powered by Hellier Performance 😬

South Wales AO

[w powers]

once again.

 

thanks, I'll try the loctite.

[Graham Perry]

I sealed mine with oil/solvent resistant silicone sealer and its now much better

[Mike Bees]

Do you mean the pump (lower right hand end of tank) rather than the sender unit (which is in the top of the tank under the boot floor)? For the sender unit to be leaking you'd need to totally brim the tank and then slop it about or pressurise it. Same rules apply re. nipping up the bolts though.

 

Mike

 

Edited by - Mike Bees on 24 Jan 2006 08:42:20

[w powers]

I guess you must be right cause it is at the side not the top

[Graham Perry]

You would be surprised Mike, they do leak round the sender. Mine had a perminant stain down the tank from a slight weep and I doubt I have brimmed it more than two or three times from new. Fuel sloshing round seemed to be the main cause.

[Mike Bees]

I've seen that too, but I doubt it would leak whilst sitting in the garage, unless the tank was brimmed from a can and not driven, IYSWIM.

 

Mike

[Colin Heseltine]

I built my 1600 K series car in 1997 and after a week or too noticed smell of petrol, which I had not noticed earlier. The only thing I had done was to fill the car brimfull. It turned out to be leaking from round the sender 7 unit. Took boot floor out to check seal and screws and after undoing about 3 of the 8? screw the unit lifted away in my handsl. As built from new 50% of the rivnuts had pulled through the ally

 

Give them their due Classic Carriage replaced it under warranty and fitted it for me.

 

Colin.