Triumph Repair: Leaking Fuel, vent system, activated charcoal

Question

two canister  

two canister 2   Got car running and then after a few minutes gas starts coming out the top of the round canister with 3 knobs on the top... there are TWO identical canister with 3 knobs.. one has tubing connecting to it and then the one goes and connects to the other one with hoses on the bottom  but there are no hoses on the top of that.. We have a parts book and see the parts they don't list what it is.. Could it be blocked....

1978 Triumph Spitfire Convertible

Answer
Hi Debra,

If you had fuel running out of the canisters they are destroyed and can not be used. Some of the early first canisters could be reused by getting new Activated Charcoal and replace the saturated charcoal in it. But I have not seen those kits for many years now.

There are two sources for the fuel. The carburetor float chamber vent will pump fuel into the canisters if the carburetor is flooding. Or you could have a fuel tank vent problem especially if the tank were over filled. Some times if you fill it up the fuel is cool from the station tanks and if you don't use much and the car sits in the sun the fuel expands and is forced up the vent system into the canisters thus destroying them. You need to check both the carburetor for flooding and the venting of the tank.

Some canisters can collect so much fuel vapor over years that they can get saturated with condensed fuel just from the vapor they trap and they get stopped up. That will not usually be enough fuel to run out though.

Howard