[Zincubus]

Help I'm panicking again !

Went out to the Rav ( W 2000) a few minutes ago and I got a strong scent of petrol !!

We had been running on the orange light until last night when we filled up to the top ....

Anyways , I looked underneath and could see no drips but there is an oily patch under the back n/ s wheel arch under the fuel cap . There doesn't seem to have been any change in the fuel level on the dial .

Please tell me the worst ...... I'm already thinking of taking into the local garage on Thursday - presuming we need a new petrol tank ..... Any ideas what it's likely to cost parts and labour ??

Thanks !!

 

[fildigger]

If you have filled it up to the brim, then it could well be leaking from the filler neck or one of clips that hold the flexi' hoses on down to the tank!
Not uncommon for the 4.1 filler neck to show signs of corrosion as well!!

You may find it stops leaking when you have used a bit!

Get underneath and see if you can see the source of the leak.

Good luck.

 

[mozz78]

Would be worth taking the cover off in the arch to see if anything obvious stands out on the joints.

 

[Zincubus]

Thanks guys.

Is there any emergency or danger to us whilst we are driving around - do you think ?

 

[hd72m]

Do what fildigger and mozz78 says and NEVER fill past 1st click!!! Never.

Operation: The charcoal canister holds the fuel vapors collected by the evaporative emissions system until the engine is started and the purge valve opens allowing the vapors to flow back into the intake manifold to be burned. The canister filter is responsible for removing dirt and foreign objects from the air before entering the bottom of the charcoal canister. Advice: Not all charcoal canisters have serviceable filters
The filler neck has a check valve in it with a hose hooked to it that goes to the charcoal canister,it puts gas vapor back into motor instead of getting into the air.
When you over fill raw gas gets in it and saturates the charcoal and ruins it then you get a check engine light and they cost $150-$200 or so.
This is why we say do not fill past first click off of pump.
With your trouble I would listen,normally you can hear when it is getting close to full.

 

[Zincubus]

Thanks guys , I'll pop it into the local garage on Thursday .

 

[Zincubus]

Good news and very BAD news ..

The local guys took a good look around and under the car and found there to be nothing obviously wrong with the petrol tank or connecting tubes / pipes and no sign of any petrol smells - so no idea what happened exactly with the terrible petrol smell and oily patch.

The BAD news .... they discovered that the front passenger side wishbone / suspension thingy needs replacing as it is dangerously corroded ! Anyways Its booked in for Monday , price quoted and agreed £250

I guess it was good that they found the fault as that could have ended badly ?!

PS the driver- side wishbone was replaced for the same reason about 18 months ago ...

 

[Ken Allistone]

Please get this attended to, it is dangerous!

You still have a fuel leak...... This is dangerous and must be attended to.
I'll try to explain so you can tell the garage who may not have previous RAV experience. There is a metal pipe that runs from the filler neck to the fuel tank, the pipe runs inside the rear wheel arch and therefore to protect it from the water and junk that the wheel throws up there is a plastic cover. If you tell the garage to remove the rear wheel, brush away all the mud etc., they will see the cover, this must be removed, you will then see a metal pipe encased in dirt, this dirt gets trapped behind the cover, it gets wet and rusts the metal pipe until holes appear.
When you filled up with gas/petrol you filled above the capacity of the tank and filled the filler pipe, because you have holes in it, the fuel leaked out. As soon as you drove the car and burned the excess fuel in the pipe the leak stopped. That's why in your situation you must not fill the tank and 'brim' it.
This is a common problem with our RAV's, you can buy new filler pipes, from Toyota.
The filler pipe is joined to the tank and to the fuel filler door by flexible rubber pipes and pipe clips but it is extremely unlikely that these have failed, having said that, you ought to renew these at the same time.
Good luck.

 

[Zincubus]

You still have a fuel leak...... This is dangerous and must be attended to.
I'll try to explain so you can tell the garage who may not have previous RAV experience. There is a metal pipe that runs from the filler neck to the fuel tank, the pipe runs inside the rear wheel arch and therefore to protect it from the water and junk that the wheel throws up there is a plastic cover. If you tell the garage to remove the rear wheel, brush away all the mud etc., they will see the cover, this must be removed, you will then see a metal pipe encased in dirt, this dirt gets trapped behind the cover, it gets wet and rusts the metal pipe until holes appear.
When you filled up with gas/petrol you filled above the capacity of the tank and filled the filler pipe, because you have holes in it, the fuel leaked out. As soon as you drove the car and burned the excess fuel in the pipe the leak stopped. That's why in your situation you must not fill the tank and 'brim' it.
This is a common problem with our RAV's, you can buy new filler pipes, from Toyota.
The filler pipe is joined to the tank and to the fuel filler door by flexible rubber pipes and pipe clips but it is extremely unlikely that these have failed, having said that, you ought to renew these at the same time.
Good luck.

Thanks I'll mention it . Presumably they can do both jobs when it's in there .

 

[Zincubus]

Well a little more good news .

I spoke with the garage this morning and the price of £250 already includes a new ball joint as well and all the parts have arrived and ready for Monday .

He also said he'd replace the petrol feeder pipe of he needs to ...

 

[Ken Allistone]

Show the garage my reply, I am certain your filler pipe is rotten and must be replaced, if you search this forum you will find you are not the first.

 

[Zincubus]

All sorted , phew !

£258 paid .

The garage checked the fuel pipe and said it a little rusty but nothing to worry about ...

 

[Ken Allistone]

So where did the fuel leak come from then?
Look under the wheel arch next time you fill up!

 

[Heavychevy]

I have much the same problem, but mine leaks when the temp is above about 70 degrees. I have changed the filler neck, and the hose from the pressure regulator valve. Also I get an intermittent code of P0304. it will run rough for about 10-15 seconds then it is fine. Could the charcol canister need replaced? 2009 Rav4 2.3 lt. 120,00 miles.