Jinxed by John K ;)

[alexander72]

good skills quinten

[Tricky]

I had the same problem with mine when I first bought it. Mine doesn't have a breather on the tank so ended up putting two .5mm drill holes through filler cap underneath flap and facing slightly upwards to avoid water getting in. Since then it's not been a minutes trouble.

[Quinten]

So basically drilling the tiniest of holes in the cap itself? I was personally thinking of the top of the filler neck... Have also spotted some inline breathers, but they are relatively expensive when compared to drilling a tiny hole myself

[Lyonspride]

What sort of cap do you have?

 

The vent holes on mine got a bit bunged up, I took the cap off (required taking the pin out of the hinge VERY carefully so as not to lose it down the filler neck). I dismantled the seal and drilled two new vent holes in that.

[Quinten]

Not the best of pictures, but it's one of those aero caps. No tether to worry about. I did have a look at the cap to see if I could spot some kind of breather thingy, but didn't see anything obvious.

[Lyonspride]

Ahhhh different to mine unfortunately!

 

You say there's no existing breather coming off the tank?

 

There must be something, so something must be blocked up, there's probably a way of drilling some VERY small breather holes in that cap, but I think i'd try to figure out what has changed since 1998.

 

 

[Welly Jen]

I had the same problem on mine too. It had a carburettor tank with no built in vent. Factory Westfield's of that time had a vented fuel cap with a hinged lid that stuck out the back of the car. The builder of mine fitted a flush aero cap with no built in vent. This worked for years as there was a bit of a gap around the o-ring seal to let air in. Over time the o-ring swelled and closed the gap. This lead to me spluttering to a halt and a big hiss of air as the cap was opened and I could get going again. I solved it with an air vent t'd in to the 2" fuel filler hose with a revotec fitting, but part of this was preparation for the throttle body upgrade then being planned. A very small hole in the cap, 1mm or less should do the trick.

Jen

[Quinten]

I'll remove the cap and see if there is something blocked, but like Jen, it may have just been sheer luck than by design that I've been able to drive it in this way...

[Welly Jen]

I'd also found the aero cap becoming harder to latch over time. Something I also attributed to the o-ring swelling. It looked like nitrile rubber, which isn't the most chemical resistant of materials. On my cap there is a way of adjusting the latch tension to compensate.

Jen

[Tricky]

Yes mine is the same cap, lift the flap and put a tiny drill at an upwards angle, simples.

[Quinten]

Right, I shall arm myself with a drill and a vice and get the sucker perforated 

[Lyonspride]

Right, I shall arm myself with a drill and a vice and get the sucker perforated 

 

In such a way as to not allow water to get in!! (I know it goes without saying)

[Quinten]

Nah, I'll do it at the bottom of the fuel tank...  and see how far I can get

[alexander72]

Quinten if it's dark under your car use a cigarette lighter or match to help you see....

[John K]

Quinten if it's dark under your car use a cigarette lighter or match to help you see....

Are you a gas fitter by trade..?