[T3] turn signals/brake lights and something new

[Daniel Nohejl]

Ok, got the new brake light switch in there with no problem, but I sure did find something weird. The brake switch I replaced was melted! 

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1610783.jpg <http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1610783.jpg>

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1610784.jpg <http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1610784.jpg>

It’s odd b/c a few minutes before the fuse blew when Jessica tried to signal a turn last Saturday, we smelled something awful in the car, like plastic melting. I thought it was a plastic bag I had accidentally placed in front of the heat vent so I moved it and opened the window. The smell went away. When I sniffed this switch, it was the exact same smell as last week. So what the heck could have happened? The wires weren’t burned at all. To recap, the presumed sequence of events last week was: a bad smell, (presumably) a melted switch, a blown fuse when signaling a turn, brake lights constantly on. Next day, no blown fuse when signaling a turn and the brake lights were fine once I disconnected the problematic switch. 

New issue:

For about two weeks I’ve been smelling gasoline after a fill up and when making turns during daily driving. None of the fuel lines are leaking and the gas cap seals fine. Today, we decided to check out the tank and discovered the culprit is the filler neck hose which is leaking slightly at both ends in the trunk where the blue shop towels are in the pic linked to below. If you look at the tank end of the hose it’s oddly peeling away from the tank nipple. I’m not sure “peeling away” is the right way to describe it, but it’s as if the hose doesn’t have enough elasticity any more to “grab” onto the tank at the end.  I tried tightening the clamp but it started peeling away even worse so I dialed it back and it still looks strange.

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1610785.jpg <http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1610785.jpg>

FWIW, the only time we ever touched any of the fuel filling system was when we installed Jim’s yellow overflow hose a few years ago. The main filler neck hose has never been touched, at least not by us so I don’t get why it suddenly looks the way it does and why it’s leaking. Maybe the hose is fine and there’s another issue.  Or maybe this is the original hose and it’s finally decided to quit?  

We had a similar problem in our Type 1 and bought a new set of hoses and a few of these seals and that cured our issue. I’m not sure how many of these are used on the Type 3 or if something else can be substituted for these as they’re $3.50 each. 

http://www.airheadparts.com/Fuel-Filler-Neck-Hose-Inner-Seal/item/113-201-215 <http://www.airheadparts.com/Fuel-Filler-Neck-Hose-Inner-Seal/item/113-201-215>

I know it’s hard to tell through pictures, but does this look like a quality hose? At $18 it seems kind of pricey, so maybe there’s an alternative at our FLAPS?

http://www.airheadparts.com/Fuel-Filler-Neck-Hose-Cloth-Wrap/item/311-201-219%20A <http://www.airheadparts.com/Fuel-Filler-Neck-Hose-Cloth-Wrap/item/311-201-219%20A>

ISP West might have better, but they’re sold out

http://www.vwispwest.com/311201219A.html <http://www.vwispwest.com/311201219A.html>





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