Easy Carbon Canister check?

[ObiRichKanobi]

My recently purchased 1980 TR7 has a rather strong odor of gas coming from the front of the car after it's been shut in the garage for awhile. The maintenance manual says one cause (and probably the easiest one to fix) is a plugged carbon canister. Is there an easy way to test it? I'd hate to spend $175 for a new one if that's not what the problem is. Thanks!

 

[MDCanaday]

Obirich, I would look elsewhere first, You said"strong"odor,this would not be usual with a canister . Fuel leaks are a more likely source of the problem. If the canister was plugged up you would notice a lot of pressure when you open the gas cap(since this is its main function)
Keep us up to date on what you find(or dont find!!)
MD(mad dog)

 

[ObiRichKanobi]

Thanks for the info. I took the suggestion that it wasn't the carbon canister, and crawling around under the car, discovered a slow leak in the gas tank under the right strap

Looked over the manuals, and it would seem that it is beyond my expertise to remove and reinstall the tank. Will poke around and see if there's any alternatives to having to take it to a shop (finding one in Ogden UT that can even spell Triumph may be hard).

 

[Dale]

I'm pretty sure your right about the tank being difficult as the rear end has to come out first. Don't despair though. Being somewhat frugal(read cheap)myself I would consider an attempt at repair with the 2 part e-poxy gas tank repair putty. If the leak is not a crack, which tend to lengthen with vibration, I've had some luck with the stuff. Would have to get the RH strap loose on one end to facilitate the repair, but that's doable. Might have to shim the strap away from the patch some how as you wouldn't want the strap bearing on the patch, but I should think that there would be enough slack to facilitate that. That's my tuppence, hopefully others will have better suggestions. Good Luck

 

[78Z]

try this article on Chuck's site on how to rebuild. I'm going to do mine as soon as it stops snowing here.

https://www.shadetreemg.com/cannister.htm

 

[Dale]

Sounds like your on the right track. The putty that claims to be for fuel tanks is supposed to work even with gas leaking on it during the repair, but I too would feel better if the area was as dry as I could get it. Cleaning to bare metal is probably recommended as well. It's worth a try at any rate. Good Luck and let us know how you fare with it.

 

[ObiRichKanobi]

Thanks for the advice. I went out and got some of the epoxy putty today. Now I just need to drive it some

to get the gas out of the tank, as I had just filled it. Hopefully this will work. I cringe at the thought of taking it to a shop (or even finding one).

 

[ObiRichKanobi]

Well, tried to do the epoxy putty on the tank, and for every pinhole I patched, another one appeared. After patching 3, got a really bad one (a steady stream) from under the tank strap and right next to the tailpipe.

At this point, I gave up and took the car to the shop. Turns out that the tank had rusted badly, and they had to weld on two rather large patches. Anyway, now a happy camper (with a rather lighter, thinner wallet) as the Utah weather should be very agreeable with convertible driving for the next few days.

Thanks to all for the advice.

PS. Did verify the fuel gauge sending unit was bad, so a new one is on the way.