Tank breathers and fuel smells

[Ian Godfrey]

I was looking at a photo here in the Marcdeb thread and saw poorly plumbed tank breather and thought a thread could be useful about breathers and fuel smells. Various years are different particularly around 67 - 69 so if others have pictures or info it would be great to add it.
Mine is a 69 without a charcoal canister.
under the fender you can see the main tank vent going to the fill pipe

then a small hose going to a steel tube above the air vent

under the hood the little steel pipe goes to a hose that tucks up under the dash

it goes all the way across and down the left side of the tank and out here in the wheel well

my hoses are not original. If the car had a charcoal canister this vent hose would connect to the canister, but I don't know where the canister vented too

[Ian Godfrey]

I also had fuel smells with a full tank and going around some corners.
when I first did the car I used a silicone filler hose and it leaked all the time no matter how tight I did up the hose clamps.
Next i used generic fuel hose which was better but still did not seal properly.
Next I used an Empi kit which has the thin sleeves like the original and it was good for a year but both the sleeves and the hose perished.

This time I got a german hose kit from CIP1 with sleeves but it is not on the car yet.
CIP1 list 4 version of the 7" filler hose, 311 201 219A
https://www2.cip1.com/search-results-page?q=type+1+fuel+filler+hose

let us know what has worked for you.....
There is a lot to be said for an early tank with the filler under the hood and no hoses

[overboost]

I wonder if E-10 fuels have any effect on the deterioration of the rubber hoses in our cars? 1 year seems a little shy of performing as they should.

My '69 is plumbed exactly as yours is with the exception of a second vent hose on the left side of the tank that goes to a 3 way union in the middle of the dash crossover. Here is where the vent hose from the right side comes across, joins with the vent hose from the left and the vent hose heading back down the left side running through the body next to the steering box plate eventually dumping to atmosphere.

I'm not sure if mine is correct, I'm still learning about it everyday. I always get so disappointed when I look at your guys photos. Your cars are so clean everywhere, even under the fender wells. I look at mine and just SMDH.
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The older I get... The faster I was...

[Marcdeb]

[camfella04]

I have a '72 and had the fuel smell for a long time. I changed out the filler neck hoses and the ventilation hoses as well and still I would get gas smell, especially after taking corners.

I was still trying to figure out where the smell was coming from, when I read over this thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=674343 and got a better understanding as to what is under the gas filler in the wing over the passenger side wheel.

I reached up under and grabbed hold of the fuel filler overflow elbow (141-201-179) and sure enough, my hand came out smelling like gas. I wasn't able to get a replacement molded hose in Canada at the time and had to replace with a braided hose. There is a small crimp in the replacement hose and I will replace it with the appropriate part when I can get one - part is cheap, shipping is not so much.

Replacing the hose cured the gas smell, hopefully once and for all.

Airheads carry the hose https://airheadparts.com/vw-part/fuel-filler-overflow-elbow-141-201-179/[/url]

[Clatter]

Very few VW-specific rubber hoses are ethanol-compatible.
This might be the biggest challenge in the hobby today.
It's not just a smell problem but a safety issue as well.
Fuel lines, the gasket for the gas gauge sender, on and on.
Anything that touches fuel cracks and breaks in only a few months now.

What many have done is to buy the specific VW hose to get it in-hand,
Then go to your FLAPS or search online for a similar hose intended for a modern car.

Late Bus people have found that the filler hose from a Sprinter works, for example.

My latest iteration even includes access hatches fabricated for the annual inspection or replacement of rubber tank vent and fill hoses..
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Bus Motor Build

What’s That Noise?!?

[kiwighia68]

[kiwighia68]

These are the hoses inside the front trunk. The smaller one is the overflow pipe which redirects overflow gas (petrol) into the tank.

In my chase to find the cause of the gas smell in the wheel well below, I replaced the tube in the wheel well.

The small black pipe pointing to the left in the photo is the vent fro that gas tank and was the cause of the gas and fumes spill in the wheel well. I cured the problem by attaching a tube to that pipe and directing the spill behind the splash guard. This was at Swavananda's suggestion.

No more gas smell.
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Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015

[Ian Godfrey]

Kiwighia68, that shepherds crook is a neat solution, with out going back into the trunk. i suspect the return into the trunk was to use the charcoal canister part of the system.
I know non USA cars still didn't have it in '69. Not sure about later years.
Does anybody know what year was the first year (in the US) for the charcoal canister?

[Starbucket]

The solution for the Ethanol in todays gas is STA-BIL 360 keeps it from attacking rubber, just add the proper amount to your gas every fill up and kiss Ethanol woes goodby

[rbsurfguy]

Agree, I run that in my chainsaws, log splitter, and snow blower (rarely used). Never have problems with fuel. Thanks for the tip and reminder, will also put that in my Ghia when it finally runs!
Jeff
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1971 Ghia convertible (Body off rebuild)
2019 VW Atlas 4Motion
2012 Passat-Sold


See my build on The Samba at:
Jeff's 71 Vert Restoration/Reassembly http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight=

[Ian Godfrey]

I just saw VW heritage have a kit that has the L shaped breather tube and the T piece with the skinny outlet to go to a charcoal canister, plus the usual filler hoses and seals.
https://www.heritagepartscentre.com/uk/113298201-f...%3D.SqsVM4

If some one buys one it would be good to get a report on the quality.