Fuel Pump Gasket/Petrol Fumes

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Dancing Demon
480 Newbie
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2004 3:11 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Fuel Pump Gasket/Petrol Fumes

Post by Dancing Demon » Mon Oct 10, 2022 7:28 pm

I am 'asking for a friend' as his 480 has a petrol leak/smells of petrol and the garage has diagnosed the fault as the gasket between the fuel pump/sender and fuel tank - the original Volvo part number is 3412576 which of course is no longer available.

Any suggestions as to where to get a gasket or any other options.

Many thanks

Chris

Alan 480
480 Is my middle name
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Re: Fuel Pump Gasket/Petrol Fumes

Post by Alan 480 » Tue Oct 11, 2022 11:34 am

Dancing Demon wrote:
Mon Oct 10, 2022 7:28 pm
I am 'asking for a friend' as his 480 has a petrol leak/smells of petrol and the garage has diagnosed the fault as the gasket between the fuel pump/sender and fuel tank - the original Volvo part number is 3412576 which of course is no longer available.

Any suggestions as to where to get a gasket or any other options.

Many thanks

Chris
I think it is a very 'soft' gasket so unlikely that it is 'suddenly' leaking? maybe the fitting has snapped/cracked due to old age or has after they prodded it!!
Alan

480 ES 2litre 'Celebration' ? , C30 1.8ES, SS1

Dancing Demon
480 Newbie
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2004 3:11 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Fuel Pump Gasket/Petrol Fumes

Post by Dancing Demon » Thu Oct 13, 2022 11:11 pm

Many thanks - I will look into this further.

Kind regards

Chris

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jamescarruthers
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Location: Cambridge

Re: Fuel Pump Gasket/Petrol Fumes

Post by jamescarruthers » Fri Oct 14, 2022 5:48 am

The plastic is delicate as Alan says but should be okay if left alone. I had a fitting snap on the top of mine due to a ham fisted garage. Weirdly it didn’t really show up until I brimmed the tank and it poured out the top!

If nothing is cracked on the fuel lines to the sender and it really is the big gasket on the fuel tank sender, I would just take it loosen the big clamp but thing, clean and lubricate the seam with Vaseline and put it back together, as an alternative to replacement. Doing it this, cleaning in-situ, means less disruption to the sender and pump. The fuel unions are just set in plastic so can snap and are best left alone unless you really do need to disconnect them.

You can access this from inside the car, under the rear arm rest— you probably know this . Be careful when you are working on the sender not to damage the the big float arm if you do decide to be brave and remove the sender from the car fully. Also if the fuel pump pickup filter falls off when you are moving the sender about, don’t ignore it as your fuel pump will likely fail soon after without it.

Typing “Volvo fuel sender gasket” or “Renault fuel sender gasket” in to eBay shows some suspiciously similar looking seals if you really do need a new one.

Correct torque for the big retaining but is 50 Nm, but as you will likely be using a hammer and a drift, this is all guess work to get to “very tight”. In an ideal world, two people tapping it tight 180 degrees part would probably be best.

P.S. Most obvious place for an actual leak is the fuel filter as it gets butchered over the years with various “highly skilled” mechanics having a go at changing it.

P.P.S. What about the fuel tank breather? If it blocked, the fumes are going to try to get out somewhere! Just a guess though. Also, someone else had a snapped fuel tank breather here: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=33567&p=199090&hil ... er#p199090

There are theee different designs depending upon age
Image
1987 Volvo 480 ES, 507274, 217 - Red (Ness)
2006 Citroen C6 Exclusive 3.0 petrol/LPG
2008 Mini Cooper convertible (Mau)

Previous 480's:
J123 CFU -- ES
J449 MNL -- ES auto
D864 CPV -- ES
L691 JFC -- Turbo
F70 MNR -- ES
H858 FGV -- Turbo auto
E981 KHM -- ES (509849)

Alan 480
480 Is my middle name
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Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2011 9:03 am
Location: Aberdeen

Re: Fuel Pump Gasket/Petrol Fumes

Post by Alan 480 » Fri Oct 14, 2022 4:53 pm

jamescarruthers wrote:
Fri Oct 14, 2022 5:48 am
The plastic is delicate as Alan says but should be okay if left alone. I had a fitting snap on the top of mine due to a ham fisted garage. Weirdly it didn’t really show up until I brimmed the tank and it poured out the top!
I broke mine when trying to remove the pipes :cry:

at least there were two 480 in scrap-yard a few miles away, meant a careful drive with half a tank of fuel :D
Alan

480 ES 2litre 'Celebration' ? , C30 1.8ES, SS1

Dancing Demon
480 Newbie
Posts: 37
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2004 3:11 pm
Location: United Kingdom

Re: Fuel Pump Gasket/Petrol Fumes

Post by Dancing Demon » Sun Oct 16, 2022 12:56 pm

Thank you all very much for your help.

I have forwarded all the info.

Kind regards

Chris

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