Fuel leak from rear of car?

[Jim Bowen 1]

this is a strange one...but i'll try to explain without blabbering on..

 

months back my car was in my garage, when i started it up for the 1st time petrol was trickling out from near the fuel filter/pump area. i turned car off and local garage came and towed it away and inspected it all, found nothing, started it up, no fuel leaked. Came up with a few answers

 

Front was jacked up, had a full tank of fuel and they said it was just an overflow.

 

But yesterday i started corrado up and it was doing the same, petrol all over garage floor, 1metre circle, so i drove it out, it left a trial up the drive and started to form a pool again, so i turned car off. started it again a few mins later and the leak was much slower, just a few drips then stopped????

 

both times the car battery had ran flat before i charged it and started it (left interior light on, twice)

[redwoodkp 0]

Check the tank itself first tbh!! Maybe its cracked or got a hole in it but wouldn't have thought so as they seem pretty good quality and solid units. Then look at all the fuel lines especially the connections to the filter, these have dowty washers (copper washers with rubber internals) on either end and if the rubber in the middle is perished then they will leak believe me!! If had this trouble when I changed my fuel filter, I had to wait the whole weekend to get some washers from a motor factors.

 

If its a lot of petrol I can only imagine its from the tank itself as the fuel lines will only leak out whats stored in them, after that its up to the pump to prime the lines again so if the car's just parked and not being primed but still leaking then fuel tank is the only option iirc?? :?

 

Hope you find the leak :)

[Jim Bowen 1]

it only leaks when i start it up, but turning it off and back on again seemed to stop it, i had the garage check out all the lines etc and they didn't report anything need replacing

[Jim Bowen 1]

i've checked through Encarta 95 but alas it mentions nothing about corrado fuel pumps. :lol:

[redwoodkp 0]

what model you got?? If its a vr6 the pump may be inside the tank so then that couldnt be the problem. Try doing a search for fuel + leak and see if anyone else has had a similar problem

[Jim Bowen 1]

whoops, forgot to add its a VR6

[hodaz 0]

Fuel filter clogged? Lines going into fuel filter? Would be the two obvious ones to check.

Another possibility is the pump, if the wiring is dodgy, or the pump itself faulty, then maybees when you connected the battery charger it remained on, was pumping fuel still with nowhere to go and was lost through a weak point in the lines, that wouldnt normally be under much pressure?

[buttles 0]

Had this a while ago and a commonish problem with the fuel pipe as it comes up into the engine bay and joins onto the rubber pipes that go around the engine. (below the Brake master cylinder). Leave the car overnight and look there just after you start the engine. You will need a torch. Mine pi$$ed out petrol which ran back down under the car. Stop the engine, restart and no leak!! The pressure seems to seal the system. I just put a second clip on the leaky pipe and been fine for 6 years now.

[Jim Bowen 1]

nice one, ill check that out, am sure i get wafts of petrol sometimes

 

from looking underneath it was dripping off the fuel filter housing, but can't tell if it coming from that or if there's anything above that.

[buttles 0]

Fuel dripping off the Filter does seem a bit far back for my leak area. The pipes do run along a channel under the car. Perhaps petrol is running along that?

[redwoodkp 0]

nice one, ill check that out, am sure i get wafts of petrol sometimes

 

from looking underneath it was dripping off the fuel filter housing, but can't tell if it coming from that or if there's anything above that.

 

if its dripping off the filter or from the filter then its defo worth checking the dowty washers and connections around the filter itself. Also the pipes from the tank or to the engine bay for cracks or splits if the pressure of the fuel lines when running stops the leaking like buttles says then it could be before the filter or on its way to the engine bay

[Jim Bowen 1]

well i did book it into garage for them to check it, so i hope i don't find anything. If i do then it confirms how useless these people are :lol:

 

i think i might just change the filter anyway while i'm there

[swiftkid 1]

I've just had my car in for MOT and the fuel filter was leaking, sounded similar problem. Could see any leaks but was pretty rainbows in the rainwater, so checked it and the plastic cover that surrounds the fuel filter was catching the fuel then dripping with a little bit of vibration.

[Jim Bowen 1]

this is like a stream pouring out, like i say it formed a puddle over a 1 metre in diameter and that was in less than 20secs

[voo51 0]

I had a similar problem and it was my fuel pipe that had corroded. I replaced it, but then one of the bolts was slightly loose and that caused a large leak also when the car was turned on and stopped once turned off.

[VR6 South 0]

I have had the same problem for the last few years, whenever I get it checked out by a garage they cannot seem to find anything. It only seems to happen if the car has been stood for a while. The car has just passed it's MOT with one of the most thorough testers in the area and even he couldn't find any traces of a potential leak.

[Jim Bowen 1]

weird?

 

i've still not got round to checking mine out yet, but have been looking underneath each time i start it and no signs of anything now

 

my neighbour who has worked for audi/vw for years said something about an overflow feature, but i don't get why or how?

[timthetinyhorse 0]

if the lines are the same on a vr as on a valver i had a problem with the lines between pump filter and accumultor, the pipes are copper ends with plastic bonded midway (i presume this is to allow flex) i had a huge leek on mine and found it to be that the bond had broken on the pipe. fresh pipes fitted and probem solved, if it is the problem i would change both pipes as a precaution but be prpared for the two sections i paid £70 from the dealer

 

if it is the same im talking about parts 13 and 14

 

 

rob

[Riley 0]

Check the floor pan for a damp patch where the fuel line runs inside the chassis.

 

The g60 was loosing fuel years ago, and when i got it up in the air, the floor had a damp patch on the chassis as the actual fuel feed pipe had a split in it...Obviously any leak inside the chassis could run nearly full length of the car.

 

The line from vw was about £19 quid iirc.

 

Neil.

 

[VR6 South 0]

Check the floor pan for a damp patch where the fuel line runs inside the chassis.

 

The g60 was loosing fuel years ago, and when i got it up in the air, the floor had a damp patch on the chassis as the actual fuel feed pipe had a split in it...Obviously any leak inside the chassis could run nearly full length of the car.

 

The line from vw was about £19 quid iirc.

 

Neil.

 

 

That sounds exactly the same as my problem as the petrol comes from inside the chassis. The only confusing thing is that it only happers very rarely. Is it an easy enough job, and what type are the fittings?

 

Cheers

[Riley 0]

Hi mate, it was an easy enough job. :)

 

When you disconnect the pipe at each end, tie a piece of wire/string around it at the fuel filter end and attatch the other end of wire/string to the new pipe.

 

Then while pulling it through from the engine bay...guide the new pipe through the chassis. If i remember rightly its just a jubilee type clip at each end.

 

Neil.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

if its dripping off the filter or from the filter then its defo worth checking the dowty washers and connections around the filter itself.

 

VR6 filters don't have dowty seals.