e36 loose fuel hose at Tank

[ccl68]

I was asked to share this also.A few weeks ago, upon leaving my hometown Penang to KL, I was travelling with my sister & we both could smell petrol, but couldn't find the source, even upon opening the bonnet.Anyway, we continued the journey, going over the bridge, passed the toll & I noticed that we have finished a quarter tank of petrol! Even after checking the fuel consumption estimation on the Onboard computer, I should be averaging 28 mpg. Then the smell got worse. We stopped at the first 'P' stop. The engine was still running,the fuel was gushing out under the fuel tank!I thought the worst, a cracked tank, it's a Sunday and I have my mum's frozen cooking on the rear seat!!!! Quickly, I exited to Kepala Batas, manage to find a mechanic at the left turn after the toll, who was working on a broken down truck.We removed the the rear seat & my precious cargo (U will understand if your mum's a great cook!) unscrew the cover over the tank & we found the pump/float assembly cover flooded. Upon switching on the ignition, petrol started spewing out from the hose, which had the original hose clamp, and it was loose. The hose had slided along the neck of the flanged pipe & manage to barely stay on. The mechanic pushed back the hose, tighten the hose clamp (which I replaced upon reaching KL) & all was OK.Manage to continue the journey without a fault, except for a massive jam, so the journey actually took 6 hours!!! :angry: I checked with my Mechanic, Ah Seng fr Chu Seng Motors Penang, & he said that this incident is not uncommon.Things like this doesn't happen to e30s, do they? :huh: What else could happen then?Then the fuel float wire problem came.....but that's another story.The saga continues with the 328ic.... :blink:

 

[wkwoo69]

Thanks for sharing the incident. Yep, the clamp becoming brittle over time is unfortunately pretty common. It happened to me as well. All E36s should have theirs checked and replaced ASAP!

What about sharing some of your mum's fierce Penang cooking too? Ha!hahah!

 

[zamtresco]

Yup... happened to me also last week... called my mech and he taught me to DIY....

 

[davistan]

Apart from this, the hose itself can be break and leak too - but leaking not so bad compared to the whole piece coming off.

Just changed my fuel pump which fails to work and therefore can't start the car at all becoz no fuel reaches to the engine.

 

[AnGeLiCdEmOn108]

Originally posted by wkwoo69@May 2 2005, 12:50 AM
Thanks for sharing the incident. Yep, the clamp becoming brittle over time is unfortunately pretty common. It happened to me as well. All E36s should have theirs checked and replaced ASAP!

What about sharing some of your mum's fierce Penang cooking too? Ha!hahah!

just wondering guys... if this issue is common, isn't there a guideline when a e36 owner should check the cars petrol tank? man driving around with your fuel leaking can just blow up with just a spark...

as for the mom's food, trust me i really do know how you feel. used to bringing mom's food all the way to bangkok.

anyway, care to share?

 

[jarance]

this is a common problem for most the e36. Just change the hose clip (cost about RM2.00) and problem is solve. Just cut a bit of the fuel hose if found worn out.

 

[ccl68]

Ok, OK....as for my mum's food...*burp*...

 

[Ghostrider-SG]

Sounds damn dangerous man....

I had this problem too...when I top up full tank, I always have this petrol smell that will come out...look high and low for it but can never find the leak...then one day the mech decided to open up the cover...to our horror...saw a pool of petrol right on top of the tank !!!

Suspecting that it was a leaking tank...replace it (lucky with a 2nd hand one) and then drove on...then realised that problem was still there...then later discover that it was the stupid float that was leaking and not the tank !!

Replace the float (at a discount cos the tank thingy) and all was well.

Cannot imagine what will happen if someone were to flick a lighted ciggy under my car when its full tank.

 

[jarance]

Originally posted by Ghostrider-SG@May 4 2005, 09:04 AM
Sounds damn dangerous man....

I had this problem too...when I top up full tank, I always have this petrol smell that will come out...look high and low for it but can never find the leak...then one day the mech decided to open up the cover...to our horror...saw a pool of petrol right on top of the tank !!!

Suspecting that it was a leaking tank...replace it (lucky with a 2nd hand one) and then drove on...then realised that problem was still there...then later discover that it was the stupid float that was leaking and not the tank !!

Replace the float (at a discount cos the tank thingy) and all was well.

Cannot imagine what will happen if someone were to flick a lighted ciggy under my car when its full tank.

Huh!!, the float is connected to the arm of the resistor of the level sensor. It is not connected to any part of the fuel pump etc. The only thing coming out of the float is the 2 wires for the level sensing.

 

[ccl68]

I am surprised that BMW didn't make a recall or even had it replaced discreetly..so much for customer care... :angry:

 

[Donald]

Thanks Bro, I better check my. :lol:

 

[affan66]

cl68,

the fuel hose clip will get loose after a number of years. Mine was after 10 years. I don't think BMW would do any recalls for this.

This is up to the owner to check in detail for wear and tear. If you get the Haynes or Bentley Service Manual, it has every detail on which parts tend to break and when to check.

 

[wkwoo69]

European car mag has a very good article on E36 pitfalls. Try the online version:
http://www.europeancarweb.com/features/index2.html

Think the hoseclip is bad? How about the weak part of the chassis, to which the rear subframe is mounted.....

 

[AnGeLiCdEmOn108]

Originally posted by ccl68@May 3 2005, 04:32 PM
Ok, OK....as for my mum's food...*burp*...

ello come on lah friend... sharing is caring you know... just had some screwed up thai food at the factory... can't wait to get back for some hokkien mee and murtabak... and the rest lah... :cry:

sorry to hi-jack... just miss the malaysian food... h34r:

 

[AnGeLiCdEmOn108]

Originally posted by affan66@May 4 2005, 06:01 AM
cl68,

the fuel hose clip will get loose after a number of years. Mine was after 10 years. I don't think BMW would do any recalls for this.

This is up to the owner to check in detail for wear and tear. If you get the Haynes or Bentley Service Manual, it has every detail on which parts tend to break and when to check.

i am not sure if this is a manufacturer defect because they would have re-called all the models if it had one...

maybe it is wear & tear...

cl68,

just wondering where did you get the Haynes or Bentley Service Manual? i saw a few manuals on the net but have to purchase via the net... any shops in KL selling it? or maybe at AB itself...

 

[c-square]

yups... its general wear and tear, particularly common to the e36s. The culprit usually is either the clip or the rubber hose (the rubber tends to degenerate after a good number of years, more so in our weather conditions).

 

[affan66]

haynes - MPH or Times have it. (even then, mine is still with a fellow forummer, never returned yet)

Bentley - very very hard to find. Usually can be bought from the Net.

 

[ccl68]

I don't have a manual for the e36 yet. i have one for my e30.....
I'll go to MPH or Times to look for it. Any suggestions to which branch?

wkwoo69,
you are scaring me......NOW I have to go thru all the pitfalls of owning an e36...aarrgghhhhh!!! :huh:

 

[affan66]

mid valley or klcc have them. last i checked.

what wkwoo gave you is a good list. You only go through it once in x number of years so don't worry. At least you are aware. I went through that list when I got my car. Gives you the peace of mind I would say.

 

[Juan Powerblow]

This is such a common problem. My ex-E36 had them twice, once with original owner and once with me as second owner!!