fellow brickboard members,

a few days ago i posted a question regarding a gas leak from my 1990 240 DL wagon. my garage has been smelling of gas and i have observed small drips running over the seam around the back side of the tank.

thanks to everyone for their input.

i accessed the tank bung through the panel behind my rear set. after unbolting my 3rd seat's seat belt bolts i realized that all i had to do was tip the back seat forward and lift up. i digress.

the top of the tanks on these cards are susceptable to corrosion, especially in rochester, ny. that was the case with mine. the whole area around the bung including the fuel tubes was badly corroded.

anyhow, after i removed the access panel, i scraped most of the scale off and blew the whole area out with compressed air. then i coverd the area with kitty litter and left it to dry out over night, hoping not attract any cats.

the next day, i started the car up and looked for a leak. sure enough, one of the metal tubes coming out of the bung was peeing a very small stream of fuel. the leak was about 2 inches up the tube from the bung. bung is a funny word, isn't it?

being lazy and cheap, i decided to try to fix it. first, i coated the whole area with por15 paint; tubes, bung and all. then i went to bed.

the next day i started the car up again and ... no leak. the por15 must have covered it up. my guess is that the pressure is only a few pounds max.

not being completely stupid, i then took a peice of 1/4 inch fuel line about 1 inch long. i cut a slit in it and slipped it over where the leak used to be. then i secured it with a 69 cent hoze clamp. of course the slit was on the other side of the leak area.

its been 3 days and i have no more leak.

i supose i could have tried to remove the bung and replace the whole thing or remove the bung and replace the tubes but with my luck, the car would still be in my garage, i would have dirt in my fuel lines, i would have broken something else, and ... you know the story.

hey it wasnt a pretty fix, but it worked and it was cheap. the car is no spring chicken anyway. any time i get from her now is a bonus.

2OldVolvos