Date:         28 Mar 97 05:17:26 PST
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         CARVER_JEFFREY@aphub.aerojetpd.com (Jeff Carver)
Subject:      Re: Vanagon fuel leak

Sean -

It may not be just the hose.  On the '80's there were (2) styles of
connections between the plastic vent tanks and the hoses.  The earlier 
ones had a rubber grommet and an inline connector to the hose.  The 
inline connector protruded into the tank through the grommet.  If the 
grommet got dried out and leaked, it would appear as a leaky hose.
This version allowed a little liquid gas to sit on the bottom of the tank 
and eventually leak out through the grommet.

The other connection was molded into the plastic tank.  On these, the 
tank had a protrusion onto which the hose was fitted.

CAREFUL with either fitting, the plastic is getting old.

Check which style you have.  The seals are relatively cheap, or were 
a couple of years ago, but not usually stocked.  The problem is that 
you will have to assist the parts person in finding them on the 
microfiche, as it was a very limited usage, thus not boldly shown.

The other approach is to just smother the connection with a silicone 
sealer that is gas resistant.  It is still working well.  I had to 
make a quick fix, and it remains in place, waiting for the caved 
in tank to get replaced.

> That one hose was soaked with gas while the others were dry, and
> I didn't see any leaking on the passenger side.
>
> So, I have to replace one hose.  No big deal, it's in plain view and I'm
> happy.  The question is what size is the hose?  Looks like about 7mm.

- Jeff
'80 Westi with the older style tanks (Hmm, haven't checked my 
playhouse '80 Westi yet, but probably the same as it is older)