My car is a 88GT with a V8 (LT1)

Please bear with me as I have a couple of questions concerning the "brass ball" and the vent line.
Last month I had to replace my fuel pump as it was only putting out 10psi instead of the usual 45psi.

When I looked inside the tank I found the brass ball just rolling around inside. Not knowing what it was or how it got inside
I went ahead and proceeded with the installation of the new pump. That fixed my psi problem.
And yes I removed the ball.

Since then I kept on smelling fuel almost from the moment I start the car.
The smell was very noticeable on hard acceleration.

Now for the questions.
EXACTLY where does the brass ball go?
What is the purpose of the brass ball?
How did it get inside the tank?

The vent line.
In the 20 years that I have had this car, I always pumped in as much gas as I could WITHOUT any problem including overflow.
With the brass ball not being installed in its proper place, could I be overflowing fuel as i did today out of the vent line?

The expansion tank.
Could I be having a problem with the tank in some way causing today's overflow at the gas station?

Last question.
On the aft end of the tank is the large diameter inlet fuel line.
Just to the left is a smaller 3/4(?) line. Is this the vent line?
If the vent line gets filled with fuel, where would the fuel go if I kept on pumping in the gas? On the ground? As stated above, never happened before.
The three lines on top of the tank coming off the sender/pump unit, what are they for beside the one for fuel pressure?

Tomorrow I plan on replacing as many hoses that I can ( to be on the safe side ).

The brass ball is mentioned in Woody's 18 gal tank thread which I read.

Thanking you in advance for a possible resolution to my problem.

My e-mail addy is in my profile if you want to respond to that.

[This message has been edited by LT188GT (edited 03-04-2014).]

Im guessing that the brass ball is from a fuel sending unit float (who knows how long its been in there).
As for the fuel lines,from what I remember one is the feed, one is the return and one is the vapor recovery Evap canister.
I would run a diagnostic scann to see what going on. Might be a bad O2 sensor. Make sure no fuel is leaking on the motor.

After turning the tank upside down to remove ALL the leftover fuel, fuel leaked past the NEW "O" ring under the pump/sender unit.
After replacing the ring, I went to my friends auto repair shop in Broward County and he did a smoke test to check for any leaks. NONE found.

James Bond 007 you are correct about the three lines.

I would still like to know about the "Brass Ball"

The remaining fuel lines will be replaced tomorrow morning.

The brass ball sounds like the check ball for the roll over valve that keeps fuel from leaking out should you happen to put it on it's roof.

It might be time to replace the gas cap, they do wear out and I was having a similar issue big time fuel smell, turned out to be the cap.

I just looked at my gas cap and it is obvious the ball does not go in the cap.
So where is this roll over valve located?


It looks like you are saying the ball belongs inside the gas cap?? Or am I reading this wrong?
I do believe the cap is the original cap or at least since I owned the car which is 21 years.
The car had 66,000 miles on it when I bought it so it's probably the factory one.

quote Originally posted by BrittB: The brass ball sounds like the check ball for the roll over valve that keeps fuel from leaking out should you happen to put it on it's roof. It might be time to replace the gas cap, they do wear out and I was having a similar issue big time fuel smell, turned out to be the cap.

[This message has been edited by LT188GT (edited 03-04-2014).]

I sent a PM. I forgot the gas cap. I was side tracked by the fuel pump replacement and that having something to do with the leak. I think the cap may be a likely candidate seeing as you tested the tank for leaks. That leaves the tank hose hook ups. Is your car pretty rust free? I have seen the metal fill lines rusted enough to leak. Still, the cap is the most likely! It is the easiest to replace and see what happens.

Woody

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woodys 427

As mentioned above, I replaced the new "O" ring on the sender/pump unit and that fixed the problem.
Prior to installing the tank, I replaced and lengthened the fuel hoses.
I can drop the tank with the lines still connected except for the fuel inlet and vent line.

I refilled the tank with the gas I removed (to the top) and started the car to look for leaks and NONE were found.

Thanks to all that responded.

Happy Fieroing.