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MG MGF Technical - Petrol Smell

I have an August '97 VVC. When I get in the car there is always a smell of petrol - not really strong but strong enough to notice. I think I have read somewhere that it could be a problem with the fuel tank - clamps or something similar. If so can anyone tell me how I check for this problem ie how do I gain access to the tank etc.
Mick

My '97 VVC needed a replacement tank to cure the problem (unfortunately for you - mine was changed whilst still under warranty)

Access is through the plates behind the seats (you'll need to disconnect the battery for 20 minutes BEFORE removing seats so as to ensure that the pyrotechnics in the seat belt mechanism are safe).

Freqently the tank has to be cut up to remove it as they tend to swell...

Brighter note: it could be a disconnected breather hose, or split one....

Lots of other stories in BBS archive about the smell of petrol - lots of us have had it!

Neil.
Neil

Mine does the same, makes those drives that bit more pleasurable :0))
Nick Walters

It's most probably the tank itself. I've had 2 F's (99VVC and 2000VVC) and they have both required new tanks because the material that it's made of is porous, not enough to leak but lets the fumes out.

It's a known problem.

Keith

keith

Dare I ask? How much for a new tank?
mick

Mick, we discovered the same problem on a '98 car we bought last year. It was of course out of guarantee but having learnt that this was clearly an inherent design fault (with the tank) I moaned bitterly at my local MG Rover garage. I had recently spent around £1000 with them due to a HGF. In the end they paid for a new tank and I paid the labour to fit.
Nic Kent

Cut and paste from my webside at
http://www.mgfcar.de/fueltank/index.htm

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rework the rubber hose under the brown gaiter between tank and filler pipe if it's kinked
- change the cheap clamps at that rubberhose to jubilee clamps
- change the green coloured cheap clamp at the fueltank sender unit hose to a jubilee clamp
- check the large sealing of the sender unit (tank to sender body)
- check also whether there is a non return 'flap' installed inside the filler pipes lower end.
- check the screws of the fuel tank cover plate behind the seats on the right torque. screws should be tightened starting from the centre to the outer screws.
- remove the tank cover plate behind the seats and re-align the white coloured shredder between the tank and the cover plate.
- add a self adhesive foam tape if the existing sealing material is not placed right.

I was told that the screws from that cover were loose at my car. So this would have been the reason why fuel damp got into the car. In the case of loose screws the cover doesn't press the sealing material on the shredder tight to the body shell flange.

I found myself such a crap sealed shredder wrong attached when I disassembled my MGF wreck from 1997 the other year. This shredder wasn't seal to the body shell far down on the LH and RH side. Unfortunately I have no picture of the position, but only an overview to the parts and how they look.
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HTH
Dieter
Dieter Koennecke

This thread was discussed between 23/04/2002 and 24/04/2002

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