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Renault Espace Major Fuel tank leak.

1999 Espace petrol developed slowly a petrol smell, particularly on tanking the car.

Local Renault dealer changed a small fuel pipe in the engine bay claiming to have solved the problem.

However next time the tank was filled litres of fuel cascading down from the tank under the car. On investigation I find, after removal of the tank, that the locking ring that retains the fuel pump in the tank had split, allowing the pump to move aroumd, and fuel to flow out once the tank is filled. From the look of the break in the ring it has been gone for a long time. Also where the fuel pipe goes on to the pump had obviously been cracked with a slow leak, the removal of the pipe breaking off the pipe from the pump. probably fatigued due to the pump moving around in the tank because the locking ring had failed.

This doesn't seem a good thing!

Has anyone else seen this mode of failure?

I see no recalls on this, but it seems a serious issue to me, especially as where the item is sited is on top of the tank against the floor, being completely inaccessable for inspection witout removing the tank. Could have been like it since manufacture, as no one else has been there.

Cheers, Eric,

(stuck with a large bill for a new fuel pump, and having driven a potential fire trap...)

Reply to
Eric Dockum
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Not a very old car, so that's not a good sign.

Not on that car, but I had a LandCruiser where the pickup pipe rusted away on the sender plate. However that car was 10 years older than yours. A nightmare job as it involved removing the tank for inspection; like yours, inaccessible under the floor. It's a position where many tanks are fitted, and a trap for all the road grot.

Reply to
Chris Bolus

Nearly all cars have an access plate under the rear seats, so you don't need to remove the tank to get to the pump.

Have you had the car from new? If not, it is possible at some point the wrong fuel has been put into the car, and the method of getting the fuel out is via the fuel pump hole. It is possible that it wasn't reassembled properly.

Reply to
SimonJ

Most have some form off access hole to the top off the tank. But very few are big enough to allow the pump to be removed.

Reply to
Moray Cuthill

Ok. I'll remember that next time I am doing a fuel drain at work (we do at least 10 a week). So far I haven't come across any car where the hole is too small to get the pump out through.

Go away and come back when you know what you are talking about.

Reply to
SimonJ

On the renault the tank is plastic with a big hole in the top that the pump/sender unit drops into. This has a o ring seal and the pump unit is fixed to the tank by a big knurled threaded ring. This is the ring that split, losing the ability to retain the pump unit. When filling the tank to the "click" there is a slight internal pressure in the tank, that popped up the pump unit and allows fuel to flow out at a high rate. Thereafter it will slosh out the top. Needless to say the exhaust is under there as well.

The whole deal, tank etc is held by straps to the middle of the underside of the car. No access hatch at all. On leaking the fuel flows out under the car and forms a pool where the passengers step out. Not so nice when lit by a stray spark. How many people tankthe car with the kids in?

Eric

Reply to
Eric Dockum

Toyota LandCruiser, Toyota Previa, to name but two.

Reply to
Chris Bolus

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