--- munchkin48@webtv.net wrote: > I've got an 80 Vanagon that has a gas > leak. It appears the leak is in the overflow > tank n the drivers side. The leak seems to be > coming from where one of the lines fit into the > tank. Any ideas how to > fix this?

All too well. Search the vanagon.com site for this as everyone seems to do it occasionally. You probably have a rusted gas tank and are leaking out the top of the tank. Good news is that bus depot has them cheap. You may only have a broken vent line or vent line connector.

Bad news is you have to drop the tank. Not that bad of a job though, once you get the hang of it. I can drop it on the side of the road in the rain in twenty minutes or so. (Ask me how I know.) And I'm not particularly mechanical.

Check Bently for the instructions. But, from memory, the procedure is basically that you remove the gas cap and unscrew the three screws holding the filler neck. Then remove the filler neck.

Next you get under the van. Remove the two fuel lines. (One goes to the filter and the other is a return line.) You'll get gas all over you and your wife (or husband) will yell about the fumes. Obviously, try to keep it out of your eyes, mouth, etc.

You'll see three brackets that hold the tank in. Remove the rear bolt on a bracket and it can be removed. The front of the bracket is not bolted. It fits in a slot in the frame. Do the other bolts. Obviously, the last one should be done with care. If you remembered to run the gas out of the vanagon, your tank won't weigh that much.

Lower the back (back means back) of the tank just enough to remove the gas sender. Now you can slowly lower the tank. There's several vent hoses still attached. It should now all make sense. Be very careful with the plastic Y's and the hoses. The wise person replaces them all. Fools like me replace them piecemeal so I get plenty of practice dropping the tank.

The tank has a low spot on top (for the heat tube in an aircooled vanagon) that collects road salt and rusts.

Whilst you have the tank dropped, you should consider replacing the coolant pipes (or heater pipe in an aircooled?). If your tank is rusted, those pipes are ready to go also. (Ask me how I know.)

Do it all in reverse to put the tank back in. Put the grommets back into the tank and use a little silicone grease to get the vent lines to easily insert into the grommets.

Now I know that some guru will say they have the dexterity of a surgeon and small hands and can stick their hand over the wheel and over the frame and check the Y's and lines without dropping the tank. I did it for about three hours, skinned the crap out of my hands and arms, then dropped the tank. YMMV.

I'm cross-posting to vanagon.com in case the more knowledgeable types over there notice that I forgot something or I am smoking dope and really giving you the instructions for a MGB or whatever.

PS I just noticed you said overflow tank on the driver's side. The expansion tank is on the passenger side, but maybe you're not in the US. Don't really know what an overflow tank is.

PSS Ken Wilfy, a good Christian and supplier of VW parts has or had a kit to do this, assuming you need to replace grommets and Y's. www.vanagain.com.

===== Ray Nemo, the Bus Captain Huntington, West Virginia 74 Westy- yet to be named 84 Vanagon- yet to be sold (sunroof & zbed/cushion BEST OFFER) Pics at http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/mrnimmo/lst?&.dir=/84+vanagon+sunroof+weekender+camper&.src=bc&.view=t&.begin=1&.order=&.done=http%3a//briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/mrnimmo/lst%3f%26.dir=/84%2bvanagon%2bsunroof%2bweekender%2bcamper%26.src=bc%26.view=t (I'm now told you can only access these photo's if you have a yahoo account, but they are free.)

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