In a message of comfort and VW Brotherhood, dated 7/28/98 4:28:53 PM Eastern
Daylight Time, Dave@OHLEMACHER.COM writes:

<< I have a stock 86 and it happens too, maybe the design of the fill pipe?

 Dave
 86 Vanagon GL

 Prior to that, seeking information on a perplexing problem, Gary Shea wrote:

 > Joe -- <<SNIP>>
 > My only problem, which I cannot begin to figure out, is that now I
 > tend to get a lot of overflows while filling the tank.  Where as the
 > old tank seemed to work well with gas pumps, and trigger their shutoffs
 > early enough, this one usually runs some gas down the side of the van.
 > A bit annoying.   >>

Prompting me, GMBulley@aol.com to write(preach):

Bummer about the spilling fuel. Does this happen to many of us??? I hope not.

Car companies and fuel-fixture companies have spent a fortune to eliminate
this problem, and the EPA is VERY rightly insisting that this occurance be
eliminated. Unburned hydrocarbons (like unburned, evapoating fuel) are a cheif
componant of smog, and cause all sorts of nasty problems in the air.

Perhaps one of the California (where gas pumps have little fume collector
nozzles) listeees will know the verbatim statistic on this one, but I recall a
stat that went something like: "allowing one cup of fuel to evaporate into the
air undoes the work your catalytic converter would in three months". Either
way, you should have someone check out your fuel tank set up if it is spilling
fuel when you fill up.

I'm not fuming about this, just slightly a-gassed.

gmbulley
cary, nc