Strong Gas Smell

[Slider]

Hi guys,

I've had the Coyote running in my MarkIV for about a year and a half. Runs like a champ and never had an issue. A couple of days ago I went an filled it up (well, to about 3/4 of a tank) with gas, and the next morning my garage was horribly full of a gas smell. This has never happened before. I checked all the fittings, and while I didn't pull the tank to look, i did get a camera up into the area so I could see it, and saw no evidence of a leak. There is no evidence anywhere where I can see fuel leaking, but the smell is very strong after being shut into the garage for a night. I did replace the gas cap yesterday as it didn't seem to be fitting very well, and the new one fits quite nicely,but I could still smell the fuel this morning. I'm just not sure how to best find where this leak might be. I pulled the cover on the coyote (plastic cover) to check the fuel rail, but that is fine as well...

Any thoughts? I'm getting ready to put this into storage for the winter and hate to put it away in this shape...

[68GT500MAN]

Since it is not the cap, check your tank vent. Is it open to atmosphere? Did the hose come off? I would look at this since you have found no leaks anywhere else.
Doug

[Slider]

Doug, that actually makes a bunch of sense, but at the moment, I'm having difficulty visualizing where the vent hose comes off of the tank. I can dig back thru my build photos,and will when i can get back to those pictures, but in the meantime I'm but if you know off hand and are able to describe it? As we can all appreciate, I'd rather not drop the tank, or pull the aluminum out of the trunk if I don't have to.

[68GT500MAN]

The vent is located on the same side of the tank as the filler neck towards the front of the tank. It will not be easy to get to but if you reach up with your hand you may be able to tell if it is still attached.

Does anyone have a photo that they can post to help Slider out?
Doug

[Jeff Kleiner]

Does anyone have a photo that they can post to help Slider out?


http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/Mk4%207276/100_1856.jpg

See that round white fitting with the hose attached a few inches forward of the fuel pickup? That's the vent.

Cheers,
Jeff

[Slider]

Jeff, that is perfect, and once I started thinking about it, that is what I remembered. Your picture is the perfect validation, so thanks. I'd also found your string on making the charcoal canister that I now see attached to the filler pipe, so I think that I will replicate your set up on that as well.

[143point9]

Jeff, is that a MK 4 in the picture you posted? I noticed the V brace tubes are missing, different than my Mk 4. I want to do something similar to my trunk area to increase the usable space there. Did you add back in any tubes to make up for the ones removed? Can't really tell from the photo.

Jim

[Ray]

You don't to make a charcoal filter, unless you really want to. I just went to a pet store/Wal-Mart etc. that sells tropical fish and picked up a filter for an aquarium. Get one as large as you need and buy a couple of hose clamps (in case you don't have any laying about.) You don't have to install it at the end of the vent hose, but put it where you can get to it easy. Extend the hose up to the top of the fill pipe and make sure that the end of the hose point to the ground.

Ray

[Jeff Kleiner]

Jeff, is that a MK 4 in the picture you posted? I noticed the V brace tubes are missing, different than my Mk 4. I want to do something similar to my trunk area to increase the usable space there. Did you add back in any tubes to make up for the ones removed? Can't really tell from the photo.

Jim

Jim,
Yes it is a Mk4 however it is an early one. Here it is with the panels installed and carpeted:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj43/jkleiner/Mk4%207276/100_2129-1-1.jpg

FFR introduced the Mk4 with this trunk configuration but shortly into the production run they changed back to the high flat floor like yours, more like they were in the Mk1, 2 and 3. This is strictly my own opinion but I believe they had second thoughts about having removed so much of the tubular structure.

Jeff

[143point9]

Thanks, Jeff. If I do make some modifications to the trunk tubes, I guess it would be a good idea to add some support back in at the lower level.

Slider, I apologize for the detour to your thread.

Jim

[Slider]

Jim, no apologies required. What I've always found so helpful is that the guys on this forum come up with great ideas, and share the so openly. Ideas are often the result of seeing something and thinking of something else, so the evolution of this post is natural and expected!