I'll take a stab at the fuel leak problem, Will.
When you filled your tank, you couldn't get it quite full. The fuel
filler isn't the highest point in the tank, so there is a small air
bubble trapped at the top of the tank. Good thing, too, as the
problem would have been worse if it had been totally full.
When it gets cold, liquids contract. The gas in your tank got lower,
getting down to the point where air could flow from the filler to the
trapped air bubble. As it gets warmer, the liquid expands. However,
once it gets to the point where the air bubble doesn't have a path to
the filler, you end up with a pressurized air bubble. As it continues
to get warmer, the air in the tank continues to expand. Further, more
fuel from the tank vaporizes, adding to the air bubble. Since the
vent is blocked by overfilling, the only thing that can get pushed up
the vent is gasoline. Happily, it percolates up (yup, just like a
coffee percolator) and makes garage do an impression of failing
restaurant (how do you start a flood?).
Solution: siphon out a quart of gas.
Jay Nemeth-Johannes 87 Merkur XR4ti
Hewlett-Packard 83 VW GTI
VXI Systems Division 71 Saab Sonett
Loveland, Colorado 58 MG ZB Magnette
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