Leaking fuel...... from breather hoses i think...

[vrcalais5ltr]

hey all
i was about to do the brakes today when i noticed a bit of fuel smell. anyway i looked at a line that runs from metal to rubber that goes up to the top of the filler tube and it was totally split. thought ok i have to replace that one.
pulled the black cover that sits in the back of the wheel arch.(would be easier if i had pics of it but hopefully someone knows what im talking about) and all of the rubber hoses are perished the 2 that come off the side of the filler tube as well and go onto the top of the fuel tank.
now to my understanding i need to drop the fuel tank to get to the spots where i need to reconnect the ones that come off the sides. now i have a few problems there. 1. i filled it up with fuel today 2. i don't know which one runs to which spot because they fell off in my hand thats how stuffed they were.
could someone point me in the right direction of how to go about fitting the hoses again and what other hoses i should be looking at.

I also noticed i had allot of fuel leaking onto the top of the fuel tank enough to make your fingers wet if you touch it. but i didnt notice that much before i removed the tubing that goes from metal to rubber that goes into the top of the filler pipe in the middle on the back. could that have been what caused the excessive fuel leakage?

this is what i have done so far. I have reconnected the metal to rubber line back up to the middle of the filler pipe.
and the two that come out of the sides of the filler pipe i reconnected to the back thing that is halfway down the filler pipe then put two small pieces of hose with screws in it to stop anything from going in or out of it onto the bottom of the black thing halfway down the filler pipe.

also should i be worried about the two pipes that are sitting on top of the fuel tank that go up to the two side bits on the top of the filler pipe because i cannot reach them and they are just sitting in there.

sorry about the super long post but i have tried to phrase it good enough so anyone reading knows exactly what i have done and i don't want to be driving it if theres a chance its pissing fuel out everywhere or is sucking in dust into the tank any help would greatly appreciated thanks.

[azzfox]

Funny you made this thread because I was about to start one sooner or later . Im pretty sure my hoses are stuffed too. Can smell fuel when working around the tank and theres sludge on top of the tank that smells of fuel. Been needing to have a look at it for a while. I swear I lose fuel when the cars parked, not sure how fast fuel can evaporate but I swear theres always a bit less in the tank the next day after parking overnight. And no there isnt anyone stealing it .

[vrcalais5ltr]

haha if you can smell fuel i'd pull that black cover off i was like F*** when i saw how bad the hoses were

[hako]

Here is a copy of a post by kartbro that covers it all....so credits to him:


Post VR Commodore Breather Hose How-to.
Breather hose How-to for VR:

Drive until the tank is near empty!
Undo the wiring from the front of the tank. Also undo the fuel hoses (Not 100% neccessary unless but you want to clean the tank while its out), otherwise bend open the metal straps holding the metal fuel lines to the car, to allow the hoses to move down with the tank.

Remove the panel at the back of the Drivers side rear wheelarch. (Need stubby phillips) It will reveal the filler neck assembly.

Next, loosen the filler neck at the rubber hose that joins it to the tank. (I left my filler neck in throughout the process but you could take it out for cleaning) Pull off the two breather lines that attach to the bottom of the junction box that lead to the tank.

Put two jacks under the fuel tank between the straps. Try to positon for best weight distribution. (on diagonal ends of the tank) Wind the jacks up until they contact the tank.

Undo the two straps at the rear with a 17mm ratchet or spanner. (No need to undo the front of the strap it just makes life harder!) They will peel from the tank. Start lowering the jacks until the tank is being stopped by the filler neck connection. A bit of brute downward force will dislodge the tank. Lower the jacks further until the whole tank is free. At this point i pulled the jacks out from underneath and slid the tank out on the straps.

I poured the remaining fuel in the tank into a jerry can, (with assistance) and used some to clean the exterior of the tank. Make sure the filler connection is very clean. (No dirt in tank on reassembly, this is why the tank was completely removed...). Pour some petrol back into the tank, and shake it around inside to dislodge any crap inside. (Assistant comes in handy here too) Pour it all out and repeat.

Clean the filler neck and replace the breathers on it. There are 3 connections at the top of the spout. Two of them go straight to the top of the junction box. The other goes to the Evaporative Emmisions Control System. (Sucks up petrol vapours and burns em...) This is one of the three metal pipes running the length of the car, two go to the fuel tank, the other should terminate somewhere near the filler neck.

By this stage the tank should be ready for installation... You will now also need 1 metre of thick hose. I couldnt get any of the stuff holden used so i used some heater hose. Apparently this will handle fuel. (Guy at Bursons told me so it has to be true!!)

Attach some more than long enough lengths of small and large breather hose to the tank. Slide the tank in on the straps. Feed hoses through the chassis rail. Put your lowered jacks in underneath the tank.

Raise the tank slowly and make sure the hoses are feeding through the chassis correctly. Make sure the filler neck is mating with the tank correctly (Lube helps here!) Everything should go up nicely. Make sure the hoses arent crushed by the pads on the top of the tank.

There is a slot in the seam of the tank at the rear on the drivers side. There is a small tab from the chassis that slides into it and guides the tank into place. Refit the straps loosely and remove the jacks. Check your filler neck is in place and tighten it to the tank. Check for correct fitting through the filler hole also. Tighten the tank straps.

Reattach hoses and wiring to the front of the tank. Cut the loose breather hoses to length, add a little extra to allow shrinkage over time. Attach to the bottom of the juncton box. Cut the thick hose to length and attach to the top of the filler neck. Replace the inspection panel in the wheelarch. Bend back the metal straps holding the fuel lines (if you loosened them) Put about 15 litres of fresh fuel into the tank and check the filler isn't leaking. Turn the key to ignition and back a few times to prime the fuel system. Job done Good luck.

Hope I remembered it all!

[vrcalais5ltr]

cheers mate will i have any issues if it isnt done straight away? i won't be able to do all that for a few days maybe a bit longer

[EvilOzzie]

Lucky, me.

My hoses are perished and held on with some cable ties

I supposed I should take the 30 mins to fix it.