As per the title I have a smell in the car and, after having a quick look, I suspect it maybe the hose running through the centre tunnel. Does anyone have experience of replacing this hose? is it possible to connect new with a double main connector and pull it through or is there another method.

Help appreciated. Ian

It should be a copper pipe running through the central tunnel Ian until somewhere near the front of the gear stick where it joins to a rubber pipe running up to the tank. As seen in the picture below.

Then it is copper pipe all the way through the tunnel until it enters the engine bay. It goes through a big elongated grommet on the right hand side if you are looking from the rear. Then after about 6 inches of copper pipe protruding though the grommet you have rubber pipe up to the fuel pump.

It's most likely the rubber pipe up to the tank has perished over the years. It goes quite crusty and dry and if you can smell it inside the car, that's your most likely culprit. Easy to change though with a bit of new pipe.

Tony

Mine had that clear Cavis pipe right through the tunnel to the tank. It was easy to replace but needed careful routing. Copper would be safer.
There seems to be a consensus about a slight petrol smel being normal because of the heater arrangement and the carb overflow. My car got gradually stinkier and it was slight leakage of the fuel tank.

Thank you Tony and Peter for your replies. I clearly need to do further investigation to see which, tubing or hose, runs through my car. Tools at the ready.

Ian

By the way, the only metal pipe that was there originally on mine and which I have replaced that way using a part available as a replacement, is from immediately the flexi exits the rear of the tunnel to the front of the engine bay where the flexu starts again.

Yes you are correct Peter my apologies I have just found an old photo. It was Cavis pipe all the way through the tunnel to the rear of the car! Where it then goes up to the elongated grommet and into the engine bay, then rubber pipe upto the fuel pump. I guess the theory behind the copper pipe being used under there is because it gives better protection against stones etc being thrown up by the rear wheels.

Mine had a piece of copper pipe in the cabin joining the pipe together as it had obviously had a leak in the past. It does get very brittle.

I wasn't happy with little bendy clips holding the pipe as they have a tendency to break off so I P clipped it under the rear seat.

Tony

Ian, I have had and still slightly do have the same smell. I have replaced all of my old plastic piping with good quality stainless steel braided pipe - bit of a nightmare lifting the carpet, but worth the effort in the long run I think. Before you remove the old pipe tie your new pipe firmly to the new and pull (gently) it through it can be a bit of a fiddle but just ease it through and then check that nothing in the tunnel is fouling. Must say that I believe fumes can gather from the tank and from the engine bay, but in my experience clear very quickly unless you have a more serious leak somewhere.

Ian.

Thanks to all for the additional comments. It seems then by consensus that it is a hose which makes more sense as copper would be less likely to leak although then maybe only a piece front or back would need replacement.

Bleeding Knuckles said:

Before you remove the old pipe tie your new pipe firmly to the new and pull (gently) it through it can be a bit of a fiddle but just ease it through and then check that nothing in the tunnel is fouling.
Ian.

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I have some double male ended plastic hose joiners that I hoped I might be able to push into both old and new hoses to enable me to pull the new hose through the tunnel. Does this sound feasible? My thought is that, in this manner, new will hopefully simply replace old through any clips, mounts, etc.

I'm not terribly flexible and, at 6' tall, there is quite a lot of me to fold into the area at the front but I'm thinking removing the seats would be a good first move?

Ian.

Ian, for peace of mind I wouldn't rely on a threading method. I am sure it has worked for others but there's a lot of things going on in that tunnel. Some of them are exposed cables, which move. There is also the main feed cable from the battery. The metal tabs that secure the various items are relatively fragile and yet have the potential to snag on the pipe.
Much better to bite the bullet and try to follow the exact route of the original.
I have read on other places that modern petrol can degrade older plastics and rubbers and I bet this is a contributing factor if your car has original pipes.

Thanks for the advice Peter. I will do as you say and be sure where safety is the concern.

There only appears fairly minor recommissioning to do on the car, although lots of bits will get a thorough inspection through tinkering, time is something I've plenty of. The condition of plastic and rubber parts is something I intend to pay particular attention to.

Ian

I would agree yet again with Peter!!!!!! The pipe is held to the side of the tunnel like Peter says with some pretty weak bendy clips attached to inside of the tunnel it could turn into a nightmare trying to pull a new pipe through plus the new rubber pipe is likely to be much fatter and I wouldn't replace the original Cavis pipe like for like, much better to upgrade to some rubber pipe that is made for unleaded petrol. Pretty much repeating what Peter said.

Seat or seats out 2 x 13mm bolts per seat if I remember correctly? 10 minute job.

Carpet can be then pulled to one side once you have undone the door kick plate or removed completely.

Remove the part of the tunnel feeding the vents for the windscreen and knee area. I think there is 8 x 10mm bolts?

Remove the rear inspection panel at the rear of the tunnel and the rest will be pretty much self evident.

Ian, you will find that the removal of both seats will provide more slack in the carpet along with the door kick panels. Getting the carpet over the accelerator can be done , but again a fiddle. The area around the gear lever can be released to give slightly more slack, but there is not a lot extra. The heater feed tube on the front of the tunnel is an easy removal. Regarding the pulling the tube through method, the internal clips were missing on my car and after close inspection of the systems using the tunnel to check for chafing etc I decided that the only simple quick way to replace the tube was to pull it through, any other way will more difficult unless you can push it through. My pipe is quite stiff plastic fuel pipe may not be - your car your call.
Ian.

Many thanks once again for all the useful replies. I will proceed with all due caution starting with stripping out sometime next week and rebuild when I have the necessary hose to hand.

Ian

So, following the suggestions made in earlier postings I stripped out the seats and, after carefully lifting the rubber flooring, removed the various fittings which enabled me to follow the fuel hose through the centre tunnel. I had seen that the hose visible in the boot from the petrol tank had been replaced with a high grade modern rubber material and now could see that this was one piece from front to back so Im fairly sure there is no leakage from that. However, one thing I did discover is that where the hose goes out at the rear there is no grommet fitted. All the other control cables, brake pipe, etc have grommets but the largest, oval shaped one is missing and, after reading the postings about fuel leakage from the overflow on some carburettors, I wonder if this is the source of the fumes. I've searched the suppliers websites and found packs of grommets but haven't, so far, seen this grommet available separately. Has anyone any ideas of a supply I could try?

I'm thinking my next task should be to strip the carburettor down and try to ascertain why there is a little fuel coming out the overflow

Is it necessary, or advisable, to fit an overflow pipe and run this into a tee piece fitted in the supply line in a manner as discussed on the thread entitled "Blocking or re-routing the carburettor return line"?

All comments appreciated.

Ian

My car doesn't have a grommet there either Ian as the modern pipe is fatter than the original Cavis pipe that was used, so any of the replacement grommets for that hole won't fit.

You can get them individually from Van Der Laan who have nice little pictures to show which ones are which. But I didn't bother because of the replacement pipe size.

https://www.fiat500vdlaan.nl/en/webshop.php?CategoryID=26

Having said all that I don't get any smells in the cabin but that is probably because my carb doesn't have anything coming out of the overflow. It could be something as simple as the float height needing adjusting but it wouldn't hurt to buy a service kit and rebuild the carb at the same time it's a simple process.

As for adding the T piece I guess it depends on how well your return pipe is sealed? Is yours the car where someone has added a bit of pipe and jubilee clipped at the end of it? I can't remember if that was you or someone else? The tidiest and most logical solution is to add a T piece if there is any suggestion that any blocking of the return is leaking. The fuel will take the path of least resistance down the return to the T piece so less chance of any leaks.

Tony

Tony,

Thanks for your comments. In the first instance I will get a rebuild kit and make sure all is as it should be with the carburettor. It is interesting to read that you are running without a grommet as this proves it can be done, and so, this is what I will aim for.

The photo you're thinking of showing a car with a blocked off overflow is not of mine and, if I can achieve the result I want I will leave it as it was originally built.

Ian