• Hi Guest!
    If you appreciate British Car Forum and our 25 years of supporting British car enthusiasts with technical and anicdotal information, collected from our thousands of great members, please support us with a low-cost subscription. You can become a supporting member for less than the dues of most car clubs.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

TR6 Another newbie TR6 question

Share this page

JoeC

JoeC

Member
Country flag
Offline
Greetings again all:
I've been noticing a strong gas/fuel/petrol (you pick the appropriate term)odor while driving /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gifmy '76 TR6. I can especially smell it inside the trunk when I open the lid. I know the obvious would be a leak (since the tank is right there), however, I have no leak spots on my garage floor and no apparent evidence. At first I thought the carbs might be too rich (they probably need rebuilding), but that wouldn't explain the odor in the trunk!?
Any thoughts?
Joe C.
P.S. - should I start packing a fire extinguisher?
 
Pull the front trunk panel and look for the clean spot. If you can't find one, puff some baby powder in there then drive it, you will find the leak thet way. A little gas makes a lot of smell.
 
[ QUOTE ]
P.S. - should I start packing a fire extinguisher?

[/ QUOTE ]

YES!

Most of the guys in the local Triumph club carry an extinguisher on board. I bought one for the garage, I already had a small fire trying to start the car up. Our next tech session is on fire safety and the British Car. Too bad I am going away.....
 
Check for rotting /cracked lines to the vapor cannister system, this can be difficult to find and maybe eaiser to just replace the hoses all at once.....
MD(mad dog)
 
Speaking from experience, I had the same problem on a TR4A I once owned- a strong odor of gasoline with no visible sign of leaks anywhere. I finally removed the interior panel covering the gas tank and found that the gas was actually seeping through the metal, through some surface rust that had formed on the tank.
 
I too noticed a strong smell of gas shortly after I bought my TR7. No drips on the floor, no obvious leaks. However, when I was doing some work under it, I brushed the tank and it started leaking. Seems it was so rusted on the inside that if I touched it anywhere on the bottom, it would start leaking. I would suspect you may have a similar problem from what you describe.
 
The result of my search for the gas leak was finally found. I have a tiny "hairline" crack in the fuel tank. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif Its near the top, so I didn't notice it unless I had a full tank.

I'm planning on using some JB weld or equivalent. Anyone have experience with a sealer on a fuel tank?

I also found out that the vapor recovery is NOT hooked up. The line from the carbon cannister is only about 12" long, then it ends abruptly. Is it mandatory that this be connected?

Thanks,
Joe C
 
Joe:
There is no state inspections or certifications for cars older than a certain year...I think you are beyond the state requirements which can be checked with the internet; but the gas tank needs to vent. Find the vent line coming from your gas tank and insure that it vents to the ground and not your muffler or hot pipes! If all you are missing is the vent line from the tank to the canister, I would replace it.
 
Joe, you are indeed asking for trouble using JBWeld to fix a crack in the gas tank. Start you car and just sit back and watch how much it vibrates. Plugging a crack in a steel tank with epoxy is no fix. I would suggest you pull the tank (not a big deal) and either fix it properly or seek out a replacement. I vented mine to the atmosphere below and out of the way of the hot exhaust (as Vettedog said). My tank was cracked so badly that having it professionally welded was not even an option, fearing other cracks would pop up. Cracks are indeed rare in these tanks but they do occur. I opted for an aluminum replacement.

Bill
 
I had that gas/petrol smell from my TR6 as well when I got it first - so much so that I had to drive it with the hood open. Again like you it was strongest in the trunk/boot area.
The most likely culprit (on fuel injected cars) is the electric fuel pump (I am no sure are these fitted to US carb TR6's)Anyway when I put on a new Bosche fuel pump the smell vanished as well /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cheers.gif
 
Back
Top