77 Westy--gas cap replacement time?

Moderators: Sluggo, Amskeptic

Post Reply
User avatar
thesamwise4
Getting Hooked!
Location: Honolulu, HI
Status: Offline

77 Westy--gas cap replacement time?

Post by thesamwise4 » Fri Nov 11, 2011 2:35 pm

Gents/ladies,

Happy Veteran's Day to you all. If you are military, thanks for your service.

After filling up with gas yesterday, I took a nice big left turn and was hit by the overpowering smell of gas. Pulled over, placed fire extinguisher in hand, opened engine bay, nothing. No visible gas, but strong odor. Calmed down slightly. Looked under and all around--saw no gas dripping. Gave it a few and then came home. Anxiety was high.

Did some reading and found out about the common problem with the fuel filler neck. Checked mine and sure enough, it's in bad shape. Ordered a new one yesterday.

While giving the bus a little cleaning today, I noticed a not-inconsequential streak going down the panel below the gas tank. It seems that some gas had slipped out.

My question is:
Does this mean that my gas cap needs to be replaced, or could this also be a symptom of the cracked/rotting fuel filler neck? Sorry if this is a dumb question; I just want to be sure.
-Dave

1977 Westy Deluxe--The Green Lantern

User avatar
Amskeptic
IAC "Help Desk"
IAC "Help Desk"
Status: Offline

Re: 77 Westy--gas cap replacement time?

Post by Amskeptic » Fri Nov 11, 2011 4:17 pm

thesamwise4 wrote:streak going down the panel below the gas tank.
Does this mean that my gas cap needs to be replaced, or could this also be a symptom of the cracked/rotting fuel filler neck?
Gas that makes it to the outside of the car is usually the cap. BUT, in rare cases, the rubber of the neck cracks through the hole that it is inserted through, and it can bring gasoline to the outside surface. Test the cap by painting the rubber seal with a thin layer of anti-seize all the way to the outside edge of the rubber. Take your hard left full tank test drive and look to see if the anti-seize has been washed off. Please also enjoy your new EZ on/off gas cap (I use anti-seize to make the cap glide on and off).
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

User avatar
thesamwise4
Getting Hooked!
Location: Honolulu, HI
Status: Offline

Re: 77 Westy--gas cap replacement time?

Post by thesamwise4 » Fri Nov 11, 2011 5:12 pm

Thanks for the quick answer.

Will give this a try.

Have a good weekend.
-Dave

1977 Westy Deluxe--The Green Lantern

Post Reply