I can't find the fuel leak.
Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2005 4:48 pm
My new Sport Sedan has a fuel leak. I've smelled it for a few days.
I lifted the car up and saw what looked almost like motor oil on the bottom of the driver side gas tank cover (#10 in the diagram below), and it was actually starting to drop onto the garage floor. I'm guessing that even though the fuel itself was evaporating pretty quickly, it was liquefying some of the undercoating grease and making it look like oil.
So I removed the cover and wiped away all the oily stuff. It looked like it was dripping down from above or something. I let it air out overnight, and in the morning there was barely any fuel smell at all. Then I ran the fuel pump (by going into test mode and leaving the ignition on) and the smell reappeared, right in that area.
I still can't tell where it's leaking from though. The hose connections that I can see (#14, #15, #16) all seem okay, and I don't see any liquid fuel there.
The hose connections at the fuel pump and jet pump are apparently okay. The return line connection at the pump (where it says "c") did seem a little wet -- maybe with fuel or maybe with something else, so I replaced the spring-type clamp with a fuel injection clamp, and it's stayed dry since. I don't think I can access the other ends of these hoses though.
I did loosen some of the nuts on the fuel pump assembly (#1) and when I did, I heard a hissing sound as the vacuum in the tank was released. From this, am I correct in inferring that the leak is unlikely to be in the return or evaporation lines, or in the body of the tank?
Any advice is appreciated... I hope I don't have to remove the tank; it looks like I'd have to remove the rear drivetrain to do that.
http://www.graphics.cornell.edu/~v/pics ... l_tank.png
I lifted the car up and saw what looked almost like motor oil on the bottom of the driver side gas tank cover (#10 in the diagram below), and it was actually starting to drop onto the garage floor. I'm guessing that even though the fuel itself was evaporating pretty quickly, it was liquefying some of the undercoating grease and making it look like oil.
So I removed the cover and wiped away all the oily stuff. It looked like it was dripping down from above or something. I let it air out overnight, and in the morning there was barely any fuel smell at all. Then I ran the fuel pump (by going into test mode and leaving the ignition on) and the smell reappeared, right in that area.
I still can't tell where it's leaking from though. The hose connections that I can see (#14, #15, #16) all seem okay, and I don't see any liquid fuel there.
The hose connections at the fuel pump and jet pump are apparently okay. The return line connection at the pump (where it says "c") did seem a little wet -- maybe with fuel or maybe with something else, so I replaced the spring-type clamp with a fuel injection clamp, and it's stayed dry since. I don't think I can access the other ends of these hoses though.
I did loosen some of the nuts on the fuel pump assembly (#1) and when I did, I heard a hissing sound as the vacuum in the tank was released. From this, am I correct in inferring that the leak is unlikely to be in the return or evaporation lines, or in the body of the tank?
Any advice is appreciated... I hope I don't have to remove the tank; it looks like I'd have to remove the rear drivetrain to do that.
http://www.graphics.cornell.edu/~v/pics ... l_tank.png