[DeTomaso] gas tank question
Christopher Kimball
chrisvkimball at msn.com
Sun Sep 2 11:04:43 EDT 2007
Thanks. I have no cannister anymore, and the vent hose terminates with the
overflow protection ball-in-a-short-tube arrangement I mentioned. I'll
probably re-route it so I can position the end pointing up, as I mentioned.
That should allow two-way venting.
Chris
>From: "Art Stephens" <artstephens at charter.net>
>To: "Christopher Kimball" <chrisvkimball at msn.com>,<detomaso at realbig.com>
>Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] gas tank question
>Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 22:43:43 -0700
>
>Chris,
> I'm not sure what your roll over valve looks like but unless I am
>missing something, it is the vent for your tank. It allows air into and
>out of the tank. The only time it should close is when it is upside down.
>If your tank was not vented, you couldn't draw fuel from it. And
>theoretically, if the fuel was heated enough, it would probably burst the
>tank, if the tank was not vented. You are correct, fumes should be
>coming out of that vent. The car originally had a vapor recovery system
>that included a carbon filled canister mounted on the right side of the
>engine bay. The vent line for the tank ran to the canister. Some guys have
>done away with the canister and simply vent the fumes to the atmosphere
>thru a hose. Note that if you overfill the tank, fuel will come out of
>the rollover valve/vent, that is unless your car is upside down :-))
>That is why I recommend the vent line either run to the canister, if it
>still exists in your car, or make sure that vent line empties some where
>away from a possible ignition source. I don't fill my tank to the top any
>more to avoid the problem.
>
>Art
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Christopher Kimball"
><chrisvkimball at msn.com>
>To: <artstephens at charter.net>; <detomaso at realbig.com>
>Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2007 8:18 PM
>Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] gas tank question
>
>
>>Dear Art,
>>
>>Thanks for the info. As soon as I moved the car into the garage there was
>>no more gas leakage. The drips were running down the side of the tank on
>>the tank side of the heat shield, so unless it started squirting over the
>>top of the shield, which is very unlikely, I should be OK even if it does
>>it again. The amount escaping was very small.
>>
>>As far as blowing into the vent tube, I don't think that would work, since
>>the little ball would prevent any pressure from releasing--that's what
>>it's designed to do, anyway. I'd have to remove the little hose with the
>>pressure ball attachment to get any pressure coming back out the tube once
>>I blew into it.
>>
>>An idea I might try is to extend the tube so I can position the pressure
>>ball tube pointing upward. I think that would still allow the air to pass
>>into the tank as the fuel gets used, plus, since the ball wouldn't be in
>>the "seal" position, air should be able to pass both in and out of the
>>tank. If I flipped over, the ball tube would then be inverted, the ball
>>would roll to the other end of the tube and seal it, preventing gas from
>>running out.
>>
>>The only concern I have with that idea is that if the tube is pointing up,
>>that effectively means there is a little tube open to the outside world
>>from the gas tank. Wouldn't that cause the gas to slowly evaporate, or
>>cause dangerous, flammable fumes to be released into the atmosphere?
>>
>>I appreciate your help.
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>
>>
>>Chris
>>
>>
>>>From: "Art Stephens" <artstephens at charter.net>
>>>To: <detomaso at realbig.com>
>>>Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] gas tank question
>>>Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 17:48:13 -0700
>>>
>>>Chris,
>>> Make sure you blow on the vent line and not the fuel pick up line
>>>as
>>>that could start a siphon effect which could be very bad indeed!
>>>
>>>Art
>>>
>>>
>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>From: "Art Stephens To: List-Subscribe:"
>>><artstephens at charter.netdetomaso@realbig.comhttp://list.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso>;
>>>"Sender: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com"
>>><mailto:detomaso-request at list.realbig.com?subject=subscribe>
>>>Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2007 5:38 PM
>>>Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] gas tank question
>>>
>>>
>>> > Chris,
>>> > You might want to make sure you don't have a leak in the fuel pick
>>>up
>>> > line. If you have a leak in the line going to the fuel pump, while
>>>the
>>> > engine is running, that would be bad! I would keep a fire >
>>>extinguisher
>>> > handy whatever you do. I would check to see that the tank vent is
>>> > working.
>>> > you could probably do this by hooking up some clear tubing to the roll
>>> > over
>>> > check valve. You could blow on the tubing and see if air will flow >
>>>into
>>> > the
>>> > tank. If you blow on it enough, you should be able to feel air
>>>pressure
>>> > come back thru the tube which would let you know that the vent is
>>>working.
>>> > So, you could blow on the tube then cover with your finger, then blow
>>> > again
>>> > and continue till you feel pressure come out the tube. The gas cap
>>>should
>>> > be on when you do this. It doesn't sound like you have done anything
>>> > wrong.
>>> > The fuel probably expanded due to the heat, and reached the level >
>>>where
>>> > it
>>> > started coming out the vent? You may also want to check and see that
>>>the
>>> > screws are snug that hold vent and fuel line assemblies at the top of
>>>the
>>> > tank. I would blow on the tubing with my lips and not compressed air,
>>> > you
>>> > don't want to blow the tank up! I would imagine it will stop leaking
>>>when
>>> > it cool off this evening or when you run the fuel level down. You
>>>should
>>> > have tubing on the vent line, running some where safe, in case you
>>>ever
>>> > overfill again. You don't want that fuel dumping onto something hot!
>>>Let
>>> > me
>>> > know if you have any questions and be careful! I wouldn't start the >
>>>car
>>> > until the leaking has stopped and it has passed these tests.
>>> >
>>> > Art
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > ----- Original Message -----
>>> > From: "Christopher Kimball To: detomaso at realbig.com List-Subscribe:"
>>> >
>>><chrisvkimball at msn.comhttp://list.realbig.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso>;
>>> > "Sender: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com"
>>> > <mailto:detomaso-request at list.realbig.com?subject=subscribe>
>>> > Sent: Saturday, September 01, 2007 3:41 PM
>>> > Subject: [DeTomaso] gas tank question
>>> >
>>> >
>>> >>I have a recently coated and refurbished gas tank in my '72 which was
>>> >> installed in January. Today I filled the tank (probably more full >>
>>>than
>>>I
>>> >> should have) and as I was dusting off my car in the warm sunshine, I
>>> >> noticed
>>> >> gas dripping onto the driveway.
>>> >>
>>> >> I checked, and I saw that gas was seeping out of the top of the tank
>>>both
>>> >> where the fuel line comes out and where the air-vent is located. On
>>>the
>>> >> air
>>> >> vent I have just a short tube with one of those "ball in tube" safety
>>> >> deals
>>> >> so air can go into the tank, but gas can't come out of it if I ever
>>>flip
>>> >> over.
>>> >>
>>> >> It occurred to me the heat was obviously causing the gas to expand
>>>and
>>> >> since
>>> >> the fuel cap is sealed, there would be nowhere for the gas to go, >>
>>>other
>>> >> than
>>> >> force its way out via the path of least resistance.
>>> >>
>>> >> I put the car in the garage where it is much cooler, wiped the gas >>
>>>from
>>> >> the
>>> >> top of the tank, waited to be sure there would be no more seepage and
>>>ran
>>> >> a
>>> >> bead of gas-resistant silicone rubber around both the fuel line
>>>connector
>>> >> and the air vent connector where they attach to the tank, to seal >>
>>>them.
>>> >>
>>> >> I then realized that if the same situation happens again, gas will,
>>>once
>>> >> again want to go somewhere, and perhaps the new path of least
>>>resistance
>>> >> will be something worse!
>>> >>
>>> >> Did I do the right thing by sealing the seepage, or have I done
>>>something
>>> >> really dumb? Is there some sort of gas cap that would help this
>>> >> situation?
>>> >>
>>> >> I'm hoping to drive to Seattle tomorrow for a car show, about an hour
>>> >> each
>>> >> way, and I don't want to go up in flames!!!
>>> >>
>>> >> Thanks,
>>> >>
>>> >> Chris
>>> >>
>>> >> PS: I also noticed the fuel line runs down the engine bay to the
>>>bottom
>>> >> of
>>> >> the engine, passing within inches of the headers, which get HOT, so I
>>> >> covered the hose with that silver-on-one-side,
>>> >> sticky-black-goo-on-the-other
>>> >> side heat shield stuff. It may not help, but I figure it couldn't
>>>hurt!
>>> >>
>>> >>
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>>> >>
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