Soft Clutch

The atmo's clutch is really soft .It will change good enough but when fast
shifting its very notchy .The previous owner mentioned something about the slave cylinder but I've been to bed since that conversation and can't remember what he said ,something spring related
Also, totally different subject ,the turbo has started to whiff at the front ,petrol .There's a rubber pipe ,underbody ,middle,slightly back below the fuel tank ,some sort of breather ,not the overfill . It's oily and is fuelly but only a dribble

Lee did you ever sort the prob with the fuel smell in the boot i have the same prob with the boot liner removed.

---- i must be well bored tonight with all these posts

Ive never understood why so many people are suprised by a fuel smell in the car...???

The fuel tank is in the front, it has a breather, the interior fan is constantly running at a low speed, and does not draw air from outside, but from in the front boot area...

Mine too, so they said at the last MOT.
Perhaps the breater would be well suited to a small low pressure vlave or some sort, or extended past the passenger cabin to the hot end of the car?

A paragraph from the road test write up on my car from 1986:

Before the light got too bad, we decided to do some car to car photography. I briefly swapped back into the GTA and after a few runs noticed a distinct smell of petrol. We had noticed this before, after fill ups, when it appears to be caused by the heavy petrol vapour settling in the luggage well alongside the large, under 'bonnet' filler and then finding its way into the vents as you drive off. But this was more worrying. When we removed the filler cap there was a strong blast of warm petrol vapour from the tank! A later check revealed nothing, and it never happened again. We can only assume that the constant low speed work involved in car-to-car pictures meant that heat was not being dissipated fast enough from behind the front mounted radiator and was warming the petrol. Enclosed, it is probably not dangerous, but there was a hell of a lot of vapour coming out of that warm tank when we took the filler off, and it only takes a spark!

[BIG_MVS]

Mine pen and inks of fuel as well

My mate thought he was "high as a kite" after I had taken him for a spin last year

Surely there should be not that bad a smell coming from the front?

On mine it only smells now and then ,which is why I posted the query .

Mine tends to smell when restarting after a stop.

as the fuel level gets lower the smell gets worse as there is more vapour in the tank!

I'd suggest a "U" bend at the foot of the fuel tank vent pipe, like on a sink, to trap the vapour in the tank. Of course the end of any vent needs to be pointing downward to prevent any dirt from getting in, so a top bend is also required.

Once the bottom of the U bend is primed, water does not sound ideal, but petrol may evaporate away, the vapours will be trapped in the tank. As the tank level lowers under normal driving conditions, a small vacuum will be formed air air bubbles should slowly creep in. On a hot day when the fuel and vapours expand, the small pressure should be enough to bubble out through the U bend. So long as the height difference between the 2 Us is small, the pressure required to vent will also be small.

HOWEVER, I have no idea if this idea contravenes any manditory venting requirements and I accept no liability whatso ever if you were to try this "idea".


sorry about the crudeness of this diagram.

OR, just put a loop into the existing vent pipe and prime it with a little oil???

I'd suggest a "U" bend at the foot of the fuel tank vent pipe, like on a sink, to trap the vapour in the tank. Of course the end of any vent needs to be pointing downward to prevent any dirt from getting in, so a top bend is also required.

Once the bottom of the U bend is primed, water does not sound ideal, but petrol may evaporate away, the vapours will be trapped in the tank. As the tank level lowers under normal driving conditions, a small vacuum will be formed air air bubbles should slowly creep in. On a hot day when the fuel and vapours expand, the small pressure should be enough to bubble out through the U bend. So long as the height difference between the 2 Us is small, the pressure required to vent will also be small.

HOWEVER, I have no idea if this idea contravenes any manditory venting requirements and I accept no liability whatso ever if you were to try this "idea".


sorry about the crudeness of this diagram.

Simon ,haven't they rebuilt your offices yet

You not working either ???

I thought it was a pretty reasonable idea/improvement.

Any way....I'm snowed in today. We had about an inch yesterday evening and it is icy today and I live on a hill.

You not working either ???

I thought it was a pretty reasonable idea/improvement.

Any way....I'm snowed in today. We had about an inch yesterday evening and it is icy today and I live on a hill.

You can't use that excuse haven't you just been Ice Karting
Anyway surely the all-mighty Lex laughs at 1" of snow and ice

Ice Karting was an "experience", but Lex has 260bhp and no engine over the rear wheels. There is just enough snow and ice to justify working from home today (again). Not ventured out yet to see what the main roads are like.