2003 V70 gas tank leaking?

jjaV70T · Post by **jjaV70T** » 02 Feb 2010, 19:55

I have been smelling a fuel odor from the right rear, near the fuel filter . I jacked the rear and took a look..the black plastic has a film of gas+oil..Could this be a leak from the fuel tank? Thanks..

Post by **JDS60R** » 02 Feb 2010, 23:48

It could be and this is a safety issue.

Your tank may be covered under your emissions warranty that runs for at least 8 yrs 80K miles.

I am not sure if the lines that are connected to the tank are covered as well. Its best to take it in soon to someone who can diagnose it properly.

Post by **OEMVolvoParts** » 03 Feb 2010, 08:34

I would be willing to bed alot that your fuel pump is cracked and leaking. There is an extended warranty from Volvo on this part it is so common. Take it to the dealer and they should fix it at no cost.

rbodor3 · Post by **rbodor3** » 03 Feb 2010, 10:42

I'm pretty familiar with the fuel pump warranty and recall for the s60s, as mine was one of them affected. Fortunately, shortly after I bought the car I upgraded to a Walbro so this hasn't been an issue with me.

But I'm wondering why would a cracked fuel pump cause fuel to leak out? The fuel pump is in-tank in most of the S60/V70s, which would potentially just leak fuel back into the tank itself. I've been wondering about this for a while.

Post by **OEMVolvoParts** » 03 Feb 2010, 12:38

The fuel pump is in the tank yes, but at some point it must pump fuel out of the tank and to the front of the car and back again. These fuel pumps crack and leak at the pressure line coming out of the tank, which is all one unit. So imagine a blue whale and his blow hole just spouting water at the surface for air and you get the idea of what it might look like when it fails. It just shoots all over the place (I have to give credit to a tech who gave me that analogy). That is exactly why Volvo is doing the extended warranty, it is a serious issue.

Post by **E170_Driver** » 04 Feb 2010, 11:09

Here is the link from NHTSA...

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallsearch.cfm

Make: VOLVO Model: V70
Model Year: 2001
Manufacturer: VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC. Mfr's Report Date: DEC 17, 2009
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number: 09V483000 NHTSA Action Number: PE09039
Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Potential Number of Units Affected: 136100

Summary:
VOLVO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001-2005 S80, MODEL YEAR 2001-2004 V70, S60, XC70 AND MODEL YEAR 2003-2005 XC90 VEHICLES SOLD IN OR REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, ARIZONA, ARKANSAS, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, HAWAII, KENTUCKY, LOUISIANA, MISSISSIPPI, NEVADA, NEW MEXICO, NORTH CAROLINA, OKLAHOMA, SOUTH CAROLINA, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, UTAH, VIRGINIA AND THE U.S. TERRITORIES. WHEN EXPOSED TO CERTAIN ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS (HOT CLIMATE AND TEMPERATURE CYCLING) OVER TIME AND IN COMBINATION WITH VARYING FUEL QUALITY, THE FUEL PUMP CAN DEVELOP CRACKS IN THE FUEL PUMP FLANGE.

Consequence:
IF THE CONDITION OCCURS VEHICLE OWNERS MAY NOTICE FUEL SMELL AND/OR FUEL LEAK WHICH, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.

Remedy:
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL PUMP INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE, AND IF NECESSARY REPLACE THE FUEL PUMP WITH A PART OF A MODIFIED DESIGN. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 15, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.

Notes:
VOLVO SAFETY RECALL NO. R220. OWNERS MAY ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S VEHICLE SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), OR GO TO HTTP://WWW.SAFERCAR.GOV .

Jan

Post by **E170_Driver** » 04 Feb 2010, 11:46

Service rep at Quantrell Volvo in Lexington, KY told me that Volvo might be forced to change the fuel pumps as full recall (not necessary to smell fuel odors or seeing a leak) by March or April. Possible ruling will come out by then.

Jan

Post by **vegasjetskier** » 04 Feb 2010, 11:50

I just got my recall notice in the mail today. If you are smelling gas, definitely call your dealer immediately to schedule an appointment to have it repaired.

Post by **OEMVolvoParts** » 04 Feb 2010, 12:40

This is it...
----------------------------------------------------------------
Volvo Cars of North America, LLC. (Volvo) has decided that a defect related to motor vehicle safety exists in
the fuel pump of certain model year 2001-2005 S80, 2001-2004 S60, V70, V70XC/XC70 and 2003-2005
XC90 vehicles that were sold, or are registered in the states of Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, District of Columbia and U.S. Territories.
Volvo investigations has identified that a specific version of the fuel pump can when exposed to certain
environmental conditions (hot climate and temperature cycling) over time and in combination of varying fuel
quality, develop cracks in the fuel pump flange. If the condition occurs your customer may notice fuel smell
and/or fuel seepage.
Volvo will launch a fuel pump recall and mail eligible vehicle owners a Recall Notice letter beginning in
March 2010. Due to the number of vehicles involved in the fuel pump recall, customer Recall Notice letters
will be mailed in stages from March 2010 – June 2010.
Prior to the customer Recall Notice letter mailings, fuel pump recall eligible vehicle owners will be mailed a
Recall Advisory letter in January. The Recall Advisory letter will notify customers that their vehicle is eligible
for a fuel pump recall, and that unless they have a fuel smell or fuel seepage issue, no further action is
necessary until they receive the next notification (Recall Notice) when parts for their vehicle are available.
Vehicles will be marked with a temporary Recall Advisory Extended Warranty until the Recall Notice letters
are mailed. This temporary extended warranty will remain in effect to cover any customer that has a fuel pump
fuel smell or seepage issue and requires a fuel pump replacement prior to receiving the Recall Notice Letter.

gulfcoastie · Post by **gulfcoastie** » 05 Feb 2010, 15:33

THANKS for the posting. My 2001 V70 was smelling like gas for about a month. Very slight at first then got worse. It began having trouble starting after sitting and also got worse. Then one morning it wouldn't start. When I checked pressure at the fuel rail, it would drop off very quickly. The leaking fuel evaporated before hitting the ground so I never saw where I had a problem. I was given a good/used pump so I started replacement. When I removed the acess covers to the pump (under the back seat) I saw the problem. My pump has a crack on top of the pump at the return line fitting. I logged on to the Forum to see about finding the best way to remove the retainer rings when I spotted the posting. Thanks again, the car will be soon on its way to the dealer for the repair.