The Mitsubishi Pajero Owners Club®

[brownatron]

howdy all my 03 sport has developed a diesel leak around the fuel tank,the seam around it is damp but pretty awkward to see if any above.soooo i wondered if this was a common fult and best way to sort it.gonna ring round monday morning a few places for prices.i also wondered if an l200 has same tank?any help advice tips etc appreciatted
cheers phil


ps for time being gonna run it really low see if the drips stop

[Google]

[alan9362]

It's not unheard of for the filler pipe to rot through, take the plastics off in the rear wheel arch and you will be able to see the filler pipe there. It seems to be a collection point for allsorts of crud...

[towball]

Hi,

As Alan said the filler pipe can leak usually caused by a build up of mud/dirt under the cover which rusts it away. I changed mine a while ago and put wax oil all over it to keep it pristine. Leaks can come from other places and drip onto the seam. The usual suspects are the diesel supply return pipe on top of the tank. The rubber portion of the filler pipe and the tank level sensor gasket. I have never seen a tank fail unless damaged so for the tank to go is unusual. If it has it is quite easy to change though.

[brownatron]

cheers for the replies and ill defo check that,thing is ,its not been running for last 3 weeks whilst waiting for crankshaft pulley and belts(long long story about wrong ones being ordered....sigh) so only this last week i noticed a shiny patch underneath.so not filled up or drove for 3 weeks and now this appeared.yesterday i finished off replacing all the above bits and took to cousins garage and had up on ramps and on couldnt really see much dampness from above tank just slightly above seam and were it had dripped underneath
phil

[MDD]

Hi brownatron, I've got a 2004 shogun sport td & have had to have the fuel supply /return unit which fits in to the top of the fuel tank replaced due to a pin hole in the supply pipe, I was,nt getting any fuel spillage but was having starting problems if truck stood more than 20 minutes, I suppose if the return pipe rotted you would not get the starting problems that allerted me to something being wrong but would get fuel spillage, I think my experience shows that this fitting is a weak point,
   
On the subject of a crank pulley I had mega problems  when I got mine replaced, Following advice I got a new pulley, bolt & washer fitted & after two replacement pulleys due to crankshaft & key grinding out the centre bore of the pulleys I sought advice on this site & was informed by Muddy tractor that there where crankshaft bolts being sold that where slightly longer than Mitsi originals which when tightened bottomed out so when the torque was reached the pulley was not getting tightened sufficiently,    
                                                                                                                                                                                  This turned out to be my problem so the last pulley that was fitted had the correct length bolt fitted & truck has been running O/K for about a month now, I regard myself as being lucky because my cranshaft & keyway where not damaged, I think it is advisable to fit a new bolt as apparenly due to high torque applied when fitting the bolt they tend to stretch, Just check the new one is the correct length or use a Mitsi bolt. Hope you get it all sorted.

[brownatron]

ive not been able to get out and have a look yet cos of poo weather and nagging missus will do a thorough check of all you guys suggested ,i got a feeling the new tank if it is that will cost a bomb.i got pulley sorted and all belts back pretty sweet.i do suggest taking radiator out if doing cos the plastic cowl was cutting my arms to bloody bits
once again thanks for the replies gives me something to investigate
phil

[brownatron]

i finally got round to looking at problem again (poor lass been stood due to working away) and it looks like the return pipe is rotted thro.i thought was spring clip rotted holding rubber hose at first so jublieed that but looking a bit further round could see it getting moist on corner.so next a question for u experts is any tips on replacing what to do what not to do etc.its looks pretty straight forward dropping it down then replacing the rotted bits but i think we all know how things can turn out,a few hours and scraped knuckles and cat with foot print in its rear end  

[towball]

Brownatron,
I've done this on a 2001 recently. Take the normal precautions. Access is quite good from axle stands.Remove passenger side rear wheel. Remove fuel filler pipe plastic cover. Remove excess fuel from tank using the drain plug on the bottom.Release rubber pipes around the filler pipe base. Support tank and remove fixings x 3 nuts. The filler pipes can now be removed from the tank but be carefull the are small and easily sheared off if not careful.

Replace any suspect parts. Also the fuel filler pipe could be removed and inspected, if good condition coat with waxoyl or similar

[brownatron]

cheers towball ill have a look at weekend,the filler pipe is quite poo so i gonna have to be real careful with it

[towball]

Brownatron,

There are a couple of dealers on Fleabay selling the pipes. If not a trip to the dealers where you will be relieved of about 80 quid.

Towball

[micoa]

I've been told on Mot my petrol tank is leaking on my 2006 Pajero import LHD LWB and have to get a tank from Japan taking 4 months. On reading this topic there may be other causes, there is a smell of petrol after the tank has been filled but no drips. Is it an easy job to take off to have a look ?

[Simon_W]