shop-talk
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [Shop-talk] jack stands

To: shop-talk@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] jack stands
From: "Trevor Boicey" <trevor@boicey.com>
Date: Thu, 1 May 2008 09:48:14 -0400 (EDT)
> Oil's not TOO terrible. My MR2 decided to leak gasoline onto the Acura
> parked under it a couple of months ago, boy did that stink!... It was my
> own
> fault- I had undone the fuel lines and forgotten to loosen the gas cap. It
> got warm in the garage and physics took over...

  Only somewhat related story...

  In the winter, I have to double park at my place...

  So usually, with the current fleet, I put my wife's Miata over my
E-type, because they are both short, and usually the Miata doesn't leak.

  However, two years in a row it did leak on the E.

  First year was a rusted line in the power steering system. Fairly easy
fix and easy part to get, as a lot of Miata owners remove their power
steering system, but all the same, dirty oil all over the E.

  Second year was amusing...

  About half way through the winter, my wife complained the garage smelled
like gas. I have a lot of "toys" in there, so I sort of denied smelling
it.

  After another few weeks, it was getting worse, but I held off until spring.

  In the spring, I noticed the cloth cover on the E-type was *SOAKED* with
gasoline. Sure enough the Miata was leaking...

  Looking at the gas tank on the Miata, it was leaking from EVERYWHERE.
Gas was pouring from every area on the tank.

  Looking in the shop manual, I was floored by the amount of work required
to change the tank. Drop the exhaust, drop the sub frame, a full
weekends uninterrupted work at the very least, if not more.

  So the first thing I had to do was scrape away the undercoating and
remove the tank drain bolt. When I did, I noticed the washer on the plug
was half missing, electrolytically dissolved.

  Turns out that the plug was leaking, and because of the undercoating
making a good seal, it was "flooding" inside the undercoating and then
pouring out of every little nick, crack, and seam of the undercoating.

  Changed the washer and all is well. The guy at Canadian Tire didn't even
charge me for the washer, although I probably lost $50 in gas over the
winter.

  Moral? Use drip pans, even with "modern cars that don't leak".
_______________________________________________
Support Team.Net  http://www.team.net/donate.html


Shop-talk mailing list

http://autox.team.net/mailman/listinfo/shop-talk

http://www.team.net/archive

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>