Vented fuel tank cap

Claim 1

A vented fuel tank cap for a motor vehicle, comprising a body occupying only part of the cross-sectional area of the cap and having a venting passage therethrough which is stepped to form a first abutment surface between a first portion of the passage and a second portion of the passage of enlarged cross-section, said first portion being positioned upstream of said second portion when fuel vapour is vented to atmosphere through the passage in use of the fuel tank cap, said second portion having a restricted opening at its end remoted from said first portion to form a second abutment surface, and a valve body having an annular sealing surface engaging said first abutment surface under the action of a first relatively strong helical spring extending co-axially of the valve body and extending between said second abutment surface and an annular third abutment on the valve body to resist pressure exerted from inside the fuel tank, the valve body having a substantially cylindrical axial bore restricted, at the end remote from said sealing surface, by a ball loosely accommodated in said bore, and a second helical spring weaker than said first helical spring and acting between the ball and an annular fourth abutment surface on the valve body at the end thereof adjacent said sealing surface to resist atmospheric pressure exerted by ambient air on said tank cap, the peripheral wall of said valve body being formed by two coaxial cylindrical portions of different diameters which produce said third abutment surface, of annular form, where they meet, said sealing surface being arranged at the end of the portion having the larger diameter and being formed of a rounded surface of an annular gasket of elastomeric material of non-circular cross-section, the end of the valve body adjacent said sealing surface having an enlarged opening which opens into said axial bore and into which is inserted an insert having a central opening defining in part the axial bore of the valve body, the said central opening being stepped to form said fourth abutment surface, a portion of the insert having a peripheral outer surface complementary to the inner surface of the said enlarged opening but of slightly greater diameter, the insert and/or the part of the valve body into which the insert is inserted, being made of resilient material so that the insert can be inserted into the said enlarged opening by spring action.