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On 9 Nov 99, at 10:41, John Kaminski wrote:
> From previous posts, I understand that the usual culprit is a rotted-out
> fuel overflow line. Could someone explain how it works, where it is, and
> once again post the part number (JIM??). Thanks! I can't seem to find
> anything other than passing references to it in our manuals.
Turn the wheels to the left and look under the RF fender, above and
behind the wheel. You will see the filler pipe which is steel, but
there is also a rubber hose to the rear of that pipe, about 3/4"
diameter. That is called the overflow hose and is almost always
cracked. If so, it will leak gas out there whenever you fill the tank
and you should be able to see where the undercoating has been
washed away.
It is VERY important to fix the overflow hose because wheel spray
from the RF wheel will pump a LOT of water and dirt into the gas
tank when you drive in the rain. This can ruin a lot of stuff.
The part # of the overflow hose is 311 201 179 A or C. The early
version fits cars with quarter turn gas caps while the late one fits
cars with the screw type caps. The changover was in mid-72. I
have the early ones; late ones are NLA.
The overflow hose connects to a small branch off the filler pipe and
then runs into the trunk space where it connects some other
plumbing. All of this needs to be in good shape, but the only
problems with the other parts is with steel lines which have rusted
up inside and are now blocked.
In an old car, since the steel lines are now blocked, the cracked
overflow hose has been serving as the vent for the tank (to admit air
as gas is used up), so once you fix the overflow hose you need to
fix the vent system too. Late cars changed to plastic hoses in
some places instead of metal, and these are much better.
> Could it be something else? One thing I noticed is right after a fill-up,
> the smell of gas was very strong even standing 3-4 feet away from the car as
> it idled!
You should just look under that fender after filling up to see if
everything is wet and if there is a puddle of gas on the ground. You
should also look in the trunk and make sure that everything in there
is tight. I once bought a 73 where the gas tank had been removed
and replaced carelessly. They had left some parts off and I could
never get the tank to seal until I replaced those parts.
Jim
-
Jim Adney jadney@vwtype3.org
Madison WI USA
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