hey fellas

been a long time lurker on here but finally took the plunge last week and bought myself a nice TE magna advance V6 manual, in bright red with sports pack - although i didnt pay very much for it, it seemed to develop a problem that i did not notice when test driving/inspecting the car - when the tank is more than half full or so, there is a fuel leak that occurs relatively slowly but steadily in the general region under the car where the tank is.

smells like petrol when its been sitting there for a while (im guessing from the vapours of the leak, after leaving it there for a day theres a relatively large stain on the ground) and when im sitting stationary in traffic for more than a few minutes.

took it to a mechanic on wednesday in a panic as i was really worried, he took it for the day, charged $200 (!) to take the tank out, change a seal, put the tank back in, refill fluids only for me to see it still leaking while he was showing me various things as it was up on the hoist.

im booked in for a tank replacement tomorrow but having a chat to a few of my technically minded friends, they say the chance of it being a tank leak is one in a million, and that it is more likely a break in the fuel line somewhere. i remember the mechanic saying he didnt change the fuel lines but instead resealed them (???).

ive as such got serious reservations about this guy, who i feel is most likely trying to rort me for the cost of a new tank and hasnt really considered any other, more likely options. based on the limited information i have though, what do you AMC members think? fuel line or tank? im cancelling my appointment with the mechanic tomorrow morning and booking it into portside mitsubishi as i feel at least a dealer wont have the intention of ripping me off blind. some insight would be really valued though :)

Ah..sanjay from OCAU?

Never heard of a fuel tank leaking, unless it was mangled in an accident or something (even that is very unlikely). My bet would be somewhere along the fuel lines/system. Sounds like your mechanic is clueless/dodgy, he charged you to do a job withour even being able to tell you what is it, nor fix it.

As for mitsu dealers..well in my experience they take their sweet time (use to take half a day to do an oil and filters change/fluid check). They also charge more than most local mechs. But it seems at least they know your car well and won't stuff it up. A mitsu dealer is probably the way to go for your problem, as if it's a common problem specific to TEs or magnas in general know will know about it.

Keep us updated:)

yep, sanjay from OCAU :p

im glad im not the only one who seriously doubts the chances of a tank being cracked.

any ideas on how easy it is to get a prompt appointment set at the servicing department at mitsu?

Tell them the nature of the problem, and they should fit you in pretty quick I would imagine..fuel leaks aren't something you wanto take your time fixing.

call mitsubishi and give them your vin number and see if you car has been or needs to be recalled, there was an error with one of the 3rd gen series can't remember which that involved the fuel line possibly leaking due to its position.

call mitsubishi and give them your vin number and see if you car has been or needs to be recalled, there was an error with one of the 3rd gen series can't remember which that involved the fuel line possibly leaking due to its position.
checked this out already, was the TH - TJ series.

that said, when i take it to mitsu they should know things like that.

One in a million? Yeah right. My wifes 2001 exec has had two tank replacements because of crappy solder joins - it weeps out and drips under the car, most noticible when full, at 1/2 full or less it doesn't happen.

Tanks are exxy too - about $600, although they can be repaired.

Cheers
Heath Young

The only time i've had fuel leaking out of my TE was when i replaced the fuel filter and didnt do the new one up tight enough. Can you see where the fuel is dripping from?

It is not unknown for tanks to develop a leak. My 1st Gen (bought new) developed a major leak during a trip to Ayers Rock. I noticed that my fuel consumption had deteriorated. When I got to Alice Springs, I filled it up and next morning there was a pool of petrol under the car. I drove one side up onto a kerb, crawled underneath and found the hole. I used a self-tapper to plug it temporarily.

When I got back to Sydney, I took the tank off and found there were a number of rust spots inside, one of which had broken through, causing the leak. I soldered it (very carefully and with an electric iron) and fibreglassed the bottom of the tank as well. Never had a problem again. In retrospect I would never attempt soldering again, even with the best precautions. Too many people have blown themselves up that way. It would have been sufficient to just plug it and fibreglass over.

when i had my Nissan Exa (don't laugh), i could smell fuel etc, it was diagnosed with a leeking fuel tank due to corroison..
cost me $360, to take the tank you, cut out the rust etc and fix and re-install...
damn!!!. I thought that was expensive!!

my tank was almost 20 years old though (could not get the part new).. i could not imagine your tank would be subject to corrosion etc... unless you've sustained a very heavy hit and the crack is very small!..
sounds like another issue

The only time i've had fuel leaking out of my TE was when i replaced the fuel filter and didnt do the new one up tight enough. Can you see where the fuel is dripping from?
the fuel is leaking from the gap between the tank and the rest of the car, closest to the left hand door side of the car.

the fuel is leaking from the gap between the tank and the rest of the car, closest to the left hand door side of the car.

I have a similar leak on my TF, only happens at above 3/4 of a tank. So I no longer fill a full tank up..lol

I'll get around to it one day.

Yeah - it seems to occur around the filler neck - same place it first happened on my wifes car.

Cheers
Heath Young

I have a similar leak on my TF, only happens at above 3/4 of a tank. So I no longer fill a full tank up..lol

I'll get around to it one day.

yeah seems to have stopped now, curiously...fuel gauge sitting at 3/4 tank too :p

still gotta get it fixed, top priority. i guess the previous owner was just ignorant and stingy, never filled up the car to full. :(

Yeah - it seems to occur around the filler neck - same place it first happened on my wifes car.

Cheers
Heath Young

Thats what I was thinking but was unsure, I traced the leak to that area, but was unable to see the exact spot. I'll drop the tank one of these days.

I have an '04 TL sedan which also has a bit of a petrol smell which is only noticeable when you open the left hand rear door. The smell seems to come from that area. Fuel economy seems OK, and no drips on the garage floor.
Any ideas?

Check your fuel caps, my 2 yo AWD was smelling of fuel a few weeks ago because the fuel cap's rubber gasket got aged. Maybe it's a bad rubber batch or something, a friend gave me a new cap and the problem went away.

Check your fuel caps, my 2 yo AWD was smelling of fuel a few weeks ago because the fuel cap's rubber gasket got aged. Maybe it's a bad rubber batch or something, a friend gave me a new cap and the problem went away.
had the rubber ring changed by the first mech, didnt solve the issue. :(

sigh, portside mitsubishi called today

needs a new tank, looks like the first mechanic was right. just with the first mechanic didnt sound and look like such a clueless dolt. $530 for a new tank + installation (and $70 to get the handbrake tightened! :rant: )

You can get them fixed sometimes, Mitsubish should have checked this though.

Tanks have come down in price since I last replaced one (err... two :rant:)

Cheers
Heath Young

well it was $300 for new tank, $200 for installation (same as what the dodgy guy was gonna charge me for a tank replacement, even though he charged $200 to take the tank out, say there was nothing wrong with it, put it back in only for me to see it dripping :confused: )

moral of the story - next time i'll just be goign to mitsubishi. no more expensive than the dodgy backyarders and they gave me much better service - book the car in the morning, tank ordered, installed and handbrake fixed by the afternoon. :) dodgy guy was gonna take like 3 days to do it.

Ok so $300 for a new tank form Mitsubishi. I'll probablly try do the swap over myself, even if it takes all weekend..lol