Fuel Tank Trouble, Fuel dumps on fill to brim.

Hi there,

Another Pink Stripe XM problem (May 92 2.1 TD Estate):

Filling (right)up for the first time, the fuel cut-off on the filling nosel cut off OK, but diesel just started to flood out from under the car . I couldn't see where it was coming from for sure, but it seemed to be from somewhere on the top of the tank upwards, as the underside of the tank seemed to be fine.

I moved the car to the other side of the the petrol station (getting hassled all the while from the teenage attendant - yes of course I was flooding the place with derv at my expense on purpose!), and it was still leaking but just a dribble by then.

It seemed to stop quickly so I moved off and there was no more problem.

Is there a relatively easy way for me to do a visual check on the neck of the filler pipe to the tank without having to drain and drop the tank? Or should I just wait until it's almost empty, drop the tank and have a look then? There's bugger all about the filler pipe/overflow setup in the Haynes.

Cheers,

Ade

If you tilt the rear seat base up, you'll find a big black plastic disc, remove and the pump can be accessed, which fits into the top of the tank. Likelihood is the outer ring is loose or the seal has failed or is misaligned.

Other than that, maybe the filler pipe is holed and fuel is flowing out and over the top of the tank when brimmed or maybe sharp LH cornering.

regards
Dave

Thanks Dave,

The previous owner has now filled me in about the tank problem. As you thought, it's the
big plastic disc not seating properly. He reckons it's a S*D to tighten up properly.

Does anyone have any handy hints on this one?

Cheers,

Ade

Update:

I finally got some time and had a look under the seat. Now of course, I understand that the black plastic cap Dave mentioned is only for sealing the cabin, and doesn't have anything to do with the pump assy.

Kitchen Towel
Once I'd got that off, looking at the pump and top of the tank( when I'd got rid of the wodge of colourful kitchen towel on one side - cheers Dave, you could have used a decent brand like Bounty! ), there was a nice layer of derv over everything. It looks as though the black outer rim of the cap moves independantly of the central area, so as to allow the thing to unscrew without disconnecting all the pipework(which is all completely sound as expected). Fair enough.

Gap
There feels like a gap of a cm or so all round under the lip of the outer rim. But I'm not sure if that means it should screw up more to make the seal, or if the gap is about right, but the thing is cross-threaded.
The other possibilities that crossed my mind where that it needs a new seal - this seal is only referred to in passing in Haynes - doesn't say if it must be replaced or not.

Outer lid
Maybe the outer lid/inner lid and tank hole might just be out of alignment. I had a look at the Haynes manual, and I can see what looks like alignment markings on the inner/outer lid.
I took a couple of pics that show the marks to be slightly out (see images below - hopefully not too huge) - would that be enough to prevent the lid assy tightning down?
Are there additional marks on the tank hidden under the lid assy - should I unscrew and remove the pump to make sure it's aligned with those markings (if any)?

Wacking
I could have a gentle wack with a bit of wood and a hammer on the outer knurled edge of the outer lid to tighten it further, but don't want to do that if I'm only going to worsen a cross-thread, or if it is already tight enough but just needs a new seal.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Ade