help needed on a growing fuel leak

[bigtallsam]

hi all hope your well

could do with some help

the last couple of fill ups i've noticed a smell of petrol/gas that seems to go away as the tank gets emptier

so today i crawled underneath the fuel tank as it the smell seemed to come from the back

i found a small damp patch that after looking closer stank of petrol

had me a look at the etk

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HD51&mospid=47375&btnr=16_0041&hg=16&fg=05

and it seems to be coming from part 3 - vent pipe

i'm quite prepared to drain the tank - depressurize and drop the tank but i could do with some advice on what to replace the olde metal hose with.

if i do go ahead with the job myself i'll do both hoses that vent the tank the one at the front which is leaking and the one at the back near the rear bumper coz its looking pretty bad as well

do i go to the local stealer for the piping or could you fine folk recommend an alternative

many thanks in advance

s

[blue540]

hi all hope your well

could do with some help

the last couple of fill ups i've noticed a smell of petrol/gas that seems to go away as the tank gets emptier

so today i crawled underneath the fuel tank as it the smell seemed to come from the back

i found a small damp patch that after looking closer stank of petrol

had me a look at the etk

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=HD51&mospid=47375&btnr=16_0041&hg=16&fg=05

and it seems to be coming from part 3 - vent pipe

i'm quite prepared to drain the tank - depressurize and drop the tank but i could do with some advice on what to replace the olde metal hose with.

if i do go ahead with the job myself i'll do both hoses that vent the tank the one at the front which is leaking and the one at the back near the rear bumper coz its looking pretty bad as well

do i go to the local stealer for the piping or could you fine folk recommend an alternative

many thanks in advance

s


I would go with the dealer parts. They are not that expensive and fit straight in with no fuss, just buy some small hose clips for reassembly as the clips on there are the pressed on type that kind of break or deform when you remove them. You will also need to remove some hose connections from around the expansion tank area behind/below the filler (behind the bumper).

And definatley replace part #2 at the same time, if #3 has gone #2 wont be far behind. I spent months not putting any more than 20 litres in my tank before I got round to doing this, I was not looking forward to it but it turned out to be really simple.

Get the back of the vehicle raised slightly to allow access to the front of the tank when its dropped.

Prise off plastic bumper insert, remove 4 nuts and remove bumper.

You need to disconnect the fuel feed and returns (under removable panel in the trunk (boot). Also see what needs to be disconnected at the expansion tank area to allow the tank to drop. (2 pipes i think)

Then remove the heatshield (steel panel, 4 nuts) in front of the tank and undo the straps holding the tank up and lower.

Try and do it with as little fuel in the tank as possible to reduce the weight.

[bigtallsam]

many, many thanks for the reply and great info/advice

i'll be off to the dealer on me next day off

regards

s