Tank filler lid/door won´t shut properly

[pmansson]

It won´t go flush with the rear fender.
At first I thought it was the stiff rubber in the seal, that prevents it from closing all the way, but now I am suspecing the spring (s?) that are too weak to shut it all the way.
Anybody else been through this?

 

[sfdon]

I have NEVER seen a filler door that fits right- didn't know they existed.

 

[Stevehose]

Mine fits so it is possible, there are a few threads on this if you do a search.

http://www.e9coupe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6769&highlight=fuel+door

 

[pmansson]

I had another rubber seal which I cleaned and used. As removed the old one, I could compare the two, and the existing one was very much stiffer at the forward end, thus preventing the springs from shutting the lid.

What a nightmare this job was. I think the trick is to unhook the pins of the 2 springs. I did this and made remounting much easier. Still very fiddly though, getting those 3 nuts back on the short threaded pins inside the rubber seal, accessible through the 2 small holes.

I noticed on another car that a PO had cut out a much bigger hole in the rubber to get better access. Then he had covered the hole with duct tape.

I wonder how long it took the workers in Munich to install the lid and seal, back in the early 70s. Hopefully less than the 2 hours I spent on this job.