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Location:
Sydney NSW Australia
Registered:
July 2005
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Re: Fuel Tank problem
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Tue, 26 July 2005 14:03
 
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OK guys, I did an experiment today.
First, the full history of this problem.
When I bought the car, there was very little in the tank, and the gauge was almost on E and the little orange light was on. The guy who owned it told me that meant you had about 20km to fill up. As I drove off I decided to go into the first servo, which was a couple of k's and I filled up, put forty three litres in, I remember clearly. The manual says 50 litres, so I figured there was seven litres still in the tank. From then on, it was never an issue, since I always filled up when the gauge got down to about a quarter, usually putting in thirty odd litres, plus or minus a few.
A few weeks back, I got a bit slack, was pressed for time, fuel prices were up, I was looking for a cheap servo, and let it run down to the point where the light came on occasionally. Filled up and put forty odd litres in. Did a trip to Canberra and back, plus a few days of city driving knocking up nearly 450 klicks and again the little light was on. Another day or so and it was on all the time, gauge on zero, 485 klicks on the trip meter and I was getting paranoid, so filled up. I only got 42 point something litres in it. At this point I figured the 485 divided by 42 did not add up fuel economy wise. There had to be less than 8 litres in the tank, so I went home, got a jerry can and went back to the servo and filled it, then went home and parked nose down on the steep drive and put most of it in, about 8 litres. This meant that I must have been near absolute empty when I filled up in the first place, and 485 km for 50 litres seemed a dam site more realistic than 485km for 42 litre.
At this point, I decided to get to the bottom of this. I filled her to the absolute limit, and re-zeroed the trip meter.
Over the next week I carefully noted the trip meter at the full mark (80km) the three-quarter mark (180km) the half mark (240km) the quarter mark (360km) and when the light came on at about the one-eighth mark (430km). I then filled up, and could only get 43 litres in on flat ground. On the face of it, that is 10km/lire. I filled the jerry can and went home and did the driveway routine, and got another 6 litres in, so I did 460km for 49 lires, give or take. Given the nature of the driving, that seemed reasonable.
It bugged me though that I had to do the jerry can routine to fill her up all the way, so I started this thread.
Now, the first bit of advice came from Norbie who said check the charcoal canister.
Good point, so I checked it.
The first problem was to find the bloody thing. It turns out it is down behind the left strut tower under the air cleaner box. I removed the tube going to the air valve, no effect. Sucked and blowed down the line. All was clear. Put it back on. Then removed the other bigger hose going down the firewall, presumeably to the tank breather, and low and behold a sound of sucking air ! Place finger over tube and it stopped. Release finger and it sucks some more. After about 30 seconds, it stopped. I stop and think. When I release the filler cap at the servo, there is always a sudden inrush of air, as if the tank has a vacumn in it. Now the same thing has happened, except the air has rushed in throught the tube. Test theory. Remove fuel cap and see what happens. Answer, nothing, no vacumn now. Interesting.
Check trip meter. I have done 65 klicks since I did the jerry can last. So, she should take 6 or 7 litres. So, leaving tube OFF, drive up to servo (only a single klick) and see what I can get in, on the flat. Answer, six point four litres.
So, Norbie was correct. In any case, refitted tube to cannister as original.
Now the problem is to fid out what is wrong with the cannister and how to fix it.
Ideas ?
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