Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 12:58:24 -0500
Reply-To: "John H. Rodgers" <inua@QUICKLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "John H. Rodgers" <inua@QUICKLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Fuel tank suction...
-- [ From: John H. Rodgers * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
-------- REPLY, Original message follows --------
I had this happen on a jeep Grand Wagoneer I owned. Collapsed the fuel tank.
Turns out that at a garage where I had it worked on, someone connected a
vent hose from the fuel tank to vacumn side of the carburetor/manifold
sysetm. The vent hose was part of the environmental controls installed
reduce smog, fuel fumes etc fromescapin into the atmosphere. Fumes from the
fuel tank were supposed to go throgh a charcoal filter then ot the manifold
where they would be burned in a supposedly more efficient manner. HA!
Whoever did this to me really messed up my Jeep. Gas milage fell off to
nothing, fuel gage went berserk, couldn't fill the gas tank. What a mess.
Couldn't figure out what was going on until..........I tried to take the gas
tank cap off immediately aftere shutting down the engine. it fought back and
wouldn't let go. I went back to the shop and told them what was happening
and they went to work and found the problem.
Look for a line from your gas tank back to engine somewhere where the tank
vents to the smog control system. There is a vacumn source somewhere that is
not doing its thing properly. That is the only thing I can think of that
would pull that much vacuum.
Good luck.
John Rodgers
'85 GL Driver in Alabama
Date: Friday, 10-Apr-98 11:47 AM
From: John Gladu \ Internet: (jgladu@bcm.tmc.edu)
To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM \ Internet: (vanagon@vanagon.com)
Subject: Fuel tank suction...
A few months ago I had my '90 Vanagon's fuel tank replaced ($650) because it
had sucked itself into a crumpled and leaky shape. Some part of the system
was malfunctioning in a way that put a powerful vacuum on the tank.
It just started doing it again this week - I can hear the tank going "poing"
as it deforms inward, and there's a "whoosh" when I open the gas cap.
Any clues as to where the failure might be?
Is the cap supposed to be vented? (and it's plugged now?)
Where else is there pressure-equalization in the system?
I'd prefer not to have to replace the tank again...
bcnu - Grungy (John Gladu) (Houston, TX) grungy@mindless.com
'60 dddPanel walk-thru / '90 Vanagon / '68 & '69 Bugs / '93 Eurovan
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