[mrmad]

I've had the Rex-O-Saurus for 2 years now which in CA means it had to pass smog - yikes. I had to get rid of the cheap Ebay intake the former owner had on there and found one on Ebay. The car passed HC and NOx, but failed the EVAP test, meaning there was an air leak somewhere in the gas tank/lines to the charcoal canister. This didn't surprise me alot, I knew if I over filled it I would smell a little gas in the car for about 10-20 miles.

I decided to replace the filler neck and all the rubber hoses on top of the gas tank which was quite a pain - had to run the car as low as I could in gas (ran it out in the driveway!) and drop the gas tank. I put it back together, robbed gas from my lawnmower and took it back to the smog station and it still failed EVAP. Being broke, I decided to hunt for the leak rather then take it somewhere. I took the tank off again and this time noticed a small screw coming through the body dead center in the top of the gas tank. The idiot former owner must have used it to try to hold the plastic "tray" that sits behind the seat and just decided to sink one right there not realizing it went right into the gas tank. This left about a 1/8" hole in the top of the tank. I found a short screw with a large head that fit the hole and JB welded the heck out of it and the tank will hold pressure. I realize this isn't a very good fix and I'll have to replace the tank eventually, but it should get the car to pass smog.

So I've been driving for two years with a hole in the top of my gas tank. Don't know how much it hurt mileage, it probably only spilled out a little when it was full and it would evaporate a little through the hole, but I'm not expecting any huge differences in mileage now that it is fixed. What irritates me is the chance the car could have caught on fire or if I got rear ended, would this screw split the gas tank open? I guess I can thank the state of CA for making me fix it, cause I wouldn't have bothered otherwise.