What's under the drivers side area?

animatedsnail · Mar 7, 2008

Stupid newbie question I know, but what's under the driver that could be dripping diesel/oil? Is it really the fuel tank, cylindrical thing? (90TD 1990 with the newer old engine!)

Just noticed that its rather dark coloured at the back end and, in the morning after I had parked it on the hill noticed a nice rainbow affect on the pavement!

If so, what's the best option? Throw the car away and buy a new one?

Thanks,

Jon

Jammy123 · Mar 7, 2008

Yeah its the fuel tank. Give it a good clean to make it easier to see where its leaking. Could be the drain plug (the bolt head you can see at the bottom rear of the tank) or it could be leaking from the seams, or finally from the top - take the seat base and floor panel out and you can see the top of the sender unit, and other pipes etc. Check if its leaking out through there.

Probs as easy to replace it if it is damaged, only about £80 and peace of mind it SHOULDN'T leak again for years!

GRUNT · Mar 7, 2008

Is the cylindrical thing your on about the rear out rigger if so then the fuel could be leaking from your filler hose area onto the outrigger. It could also be leaking from the rear of the tank and blowing back onto the outrigger. If the tank is the original one then a pound to a pinch of ****e it'll have rotted away an it's the tank thats leaking. Wherever it's leaking from it wants sorting ASAP, diesel on wet roads is friggin lethal, it int so bonny on dry roads either.

animatedsnail · Mar 7, 2008

Just had a chat with the bloke that I got it from and he said that if the tank was full (it is) and I'm parked on a hill (I am) that fuel maybe coming from the overflow on top of the tank. Does this make sense? It sounds good to me!! When parked on the flat it doesn't leak.
Saying that, Grunt, you are right, it does look pretty rotten down there.

hughesy · Mar 7, 2008

Speaking as someone who rides a motorbike spilling diesel onto the road is about as bad as it gets. Sort it out straight away or if you can't take it to someone who can.

Oddie · Mar 7, 2008

Diesel eats tarmac - there is a big hole in the tarmac (on a very quiet unused bit of road for you bikers!) outside my house where i overfilled the tank and it leaked then i tried to wash the dark stain away!

muddythelandy · Mar 7, 2008

animatedsnail said:
Just had a chat with the bloke that I got it from and he said that if the tank was full (it is) and I'm parked on a hill (I am) that fuel maybe coming from the overflow on top of the tank. Does this make sense? It sounds good to me!! When parked on the flat it doesn't leak.
Saying that, Grunt, you are right, it does look pretty rotten down there.

I can park with a full tank on a 1:1 hill with no leak... It's the tank.

GRUNT · Mar 7, 2008

Unless yer breather tube come loose or perished but it's wishful thinking, do a search someone changed theirs recently think it was Pos.

Oddie · Mar 7, 2008

Pos just changed the whole tank i think.

Something in the top of mine leaks and i think it's the filler tube, if you fill to the lip it leaks about a litre then it's OK. If it leaks constantly it's probably one of the seams which is a new tank jobbie but if it's only at full it's probably either the take off pipe or the gauge sender seal which on a 90 td is really easy to get to to check.

slob · Mar 8, 2008

fuel tanks don't have overflows, he at it.

think about it fer a second

yer at the doosul pimp filling yer tank up, the filler neck is higher than the tank, yer man sez it has an over flow on top of the tank. now if yer stick the nozzle down teh neck it dunt reach as far as the tank.
when the fuel has filled the tank and the filler neck as far as the nozzle the back pressure cuts the pump off.
which mean that the fuel level is higher than this imaginary over flow.

unless either you misheard him or he got mixed up with the fuel return pipe, and it is the return that is leaking.

either way you need to check the fittings on the top of the tank and stop that leak.

animatedsnail · Mar 8, 2008

So, would I need to take the drivers seat out and the floor to have a look at the top of the tank?

Oddie · Mar 8, 2008

It's VERY easy! Seat up, (brute force), 4 or 5 screws on steel sheet then there's ya tank with 2 circles - one furthest back is the sender, other is fuel pipe

denis the menace · Mar 8, 2008

Yer it was pos done his a while back. Im doing mine at the moment. Its a 110 1985 i got the new tank finally trouble is i took the old tank off and the fuel return goes in the top, and the new tank aint got the hole in the top. Now it cant be a fuel pump in there cos there aint no wires just the pipe going in there (Broke it anyway)my question is can i put the new tank in and use the fsmall pipe on the side for the fuel return. Going to fix the break with a peice of fuel pipe and a couple of jublies. Ive got to do the same with the fuel feed as well cos that one broke as well.

denis the menace · Mar 8, 2008

Oh and whoever said a 110 fuel tank was easy unless the moters only a couple of years old i would disagree.

What's under the drivers side area?

animatedsnail

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Jammy123

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GRUNT

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animatedsnail

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hughesy

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Oddie

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muddythelandy

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GRUNT

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Oddie

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slob

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animatedsnail

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Oddie

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denis the menace

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denis the menace

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