> From: lupienj@wal.hp.com (John Lupien)
> Date: Tue, 9 Nov 93 11:21:58 EST
> To: Roland Dudley <cobra@snakebyte.cdc.hp.com>, british-cars@autox.team.net
me:
> > those 5 gallon "GI" types and the other a plastic 2 1/2 gallon container
John:
> Does this plastic container have the flexible spout that reverses into the
> opening (and thence the fuel contained), with a plastic disk that blocks
> off the hole in the cap that the spout goes through when in use?
me again:
Yup.
> > Apparently the gasoline inside the container
> > was somehow creeping up the sides, past the cap and down the outside to
> > the floor.
John again:
> My theory, if the container has the layout I have just mentioned, is
>...
> day to night and from day to day. If the temperature drops in your
> garage by a significant amount, the pressure inside your fuel container
> would also drop - by an amount that might suffice to draw air in past
> the gasket, bringing the internal pressure closer to ambient. Then,
> when the ambient temperature rises again, overpressure inside the container
> could be causing the fuel to be forced up the spout to the cap, and thence
> past the gasket. I have such a container, and one warm day just after
Sounds plausible. Probably local temperature variations aren't as
extreme here as in your area but it has been chilly at night and warm
during the day. Still, in a garage these extremes would be somewhat
moderated. How about variations in barometric pressure?
When I noticed the leak I tightened the cap so I can't say for sure
there was higher pressure inside the container at the time. I don't
recall hearing any hiss when I removed the cap last weekend.
Regardless of the cause, I now use both hands to cinch down the cap and
I don't keep this container in the garage now, even though I haven't
noticed any more leaking.
Roland
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