[T3] fuel tank leak

crash 69 dhbadeer at gmail.com
Tue Jul 5 15:38:49 PDT 2011


Yeah, so far no leaks and it's been a day and a half.  I drove it several
times today just for good measure; lots of fun.

Later

On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 5:13 PM, Dave Hall <dave at hallvw.clara.co.uk> wrote:

> Looks hopeful for a cure anyway.
>
> The parts book seems to show the washer in that position.
>
> Dave.
> UK VW Type 3&4 Club
> ===================
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org
> [mailto:type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org] On Behalf Of crash 69
> Sent: 05 July 2011 15:29
> To: type3 at vwtype3.org
> Subject: Re: [T3] fuel tank leak
>
> I hadn't thought of using that fiber washer inside the big nut.
>
> Here's the latest report:
>
> I decided to apply a "take no prisoners" approach to this problem, so
> here's
> what I did.
>
> 1.  applied QuickSteel Epoxy (Wal-mart, 5 bucks) around the base of the
> threaded outlet on the tank and waited for it to fully cure overnight.
>  This
> is to seal any leaks coming from the welded area (I didn't see any leaks,
> but figured it can't hurt)
>
> 2.  installed the tap with the red fiber washer between the filter flange
> and tube flange
>
> 3.  found a thick, fibrous washer in my stash that fit perfectly inside the
> big nut
>
> So far, it's been 23 hours and no leaks!!  I'm going to keep an eye on it
> for the next few days, in case that thick washer takes a while to absorb
> fuel then leak.
>
> FYI:
> The rubber gasket that companies sell to seal the sending unit to the tank
> is junk (my .02).  Mine started to delaminate in 2 weeks and was dropping
> small pieces of rubber into the fuel!  I found an excellent alternative at
> a
> Diesel truck parts dealer.  They carry a similar seal, but thicker and much
> better material.  As a bonus, the bolt holes line up exactly!  I only had
> to
> trim the outer perimeter a little, since it's a little "big".  The regular
> VW one costs under $3, this good one is about $8.  Well worth the
> difference
> in my opinion.  Because of the added thickness, the fuel gauge reads a
> little "conservative" (ie less than what's in there).
>
> Thanks to all.  Future report will be sent.
> Dan
>
> On Tue, Jul 5, 2011 at 4:45 AM, Dave Hall <dave at hallvw.clara.co.uk> wrote:
>
> >
> > It sounds as if that red fibre washer is what you should be using
> > between the nut and the outer side of the flange.  I would guess the
> > sock crush washer sghould be sealing the tank outlet to the outlet
> > pipe flange, and the fibre washer spreads to stop any seepage from
> > going out along the outlet pipe or up the threads of the nut.
> >
> > I've heard that pin-holes in a tank can be sealed by rubbing bar soap
> > on them - maybe you can try something like that here - it probably
> > won't have your engine blowing bubbles like Herbie did!
> >
> >
> > Dave.
> > UK VW Type 3&4 Club
> > ===================
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org
> > [mailto:type3-vwtype3.org-bounces at lists.vwtype3.org] On Behalf Of
> > crash 69
> > Sent: 04 July 2011 15:36
> > To: type3 at vwtype3.org
> > Subject: Re: [T3] fuel tank leak
> >
> > I see.
> >
> > The filter flange is crushed VERY tightly on the tank nipple (good).
> > So much so that it would take a tool used with some force to get it off.
> >  (This
> > is the new, german filter I installed a few days ago.)  I have not
> > wanted to do this, fearing I will ruin the smooth outer surface of the
> > filter flange (it looks very good).  Therefore, I think the metal to
> > metal seal is good.
> >  It certainly looks like they've "mated" together well.  Then, I've
> > been assembling it with the "red" o ring seal that came with the
> > filter.  I'm locating the o ring between the aluminum filter flange
> > and the steel outlet pipe flange.  The red seal is flat and fairly
> > hard, not like a rubber o ring.  There is definitely fuel getting past
> > this (why?), since it's coming out the bottom of the hole in the big nut.
> >
> > The outlet pipe flange is smooth, straight and there are absolutely no
> > imperfections in the factory attachment to the pipe. You're right
> > about the tight threads.  I did put some oil on there several days ago
> > and it's been working much better.  I've had it off and on now several
> > times, after each leaking "event".
> >
> > Happy 4th!!
> >
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Jul 4, 2011 at 8:57 AM, Jim Adney <jadney at vwtype3.org> wrote:
> >
> > > On 3 Jul 2011 at 18:49, crash 69 wrote:
> > >
> > > > So you're saying the tube flange should be tight to the big nut,
> > > > with nothing in between.  The reason I'm asking this again is
> > > > because of the parts diagram that we saw earlier showing the
> > > > gasket between these two surfaces.
> > >
> > > Okay, looks like I've been wrong about this from the beginning. That
> > > "gasket" sits between the outlet tube flange and the nut, so it
> > > can't have anything to do with sealing. It must just be an
> > > anti-friction washer to allow the nut to turn without turning the
> > > outlet pipe. That means that the filter flange must be able to
> > > deform enough to create a leak-tite metal-to-metal seal.
> > >
> > > You should check the filter flange to make sure it's been crushed
> > > smooth enough to seal, and check the faces of the tank nipple and
> > > outlet pipe flange to make sure they are clean and smooth. I also
> > > remember that those nuts tend to be VERY tight. Oiling the threads
> > > might help.
> > >
> > > --
> > > *******************************
> > > Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
> > > Madison, Wisconsin, USA
> > > *******************************
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
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