fuel leak?

[jmauld]

Last night I noticed that there was a slight fuel smell coming from under the car by the rear passenger tire. It's been a few days since we filled up with gas, so I know it's not overspill from filling up.

Are there any common leak points that I should know of before I start poking around?

[N1ceDrgn]

If you ever bottom out, you should check the tank seal, that's one. Another one may be the lines running up to the top of the tank/ fuel pump. Short of anything puncturing the tank, the only other problems that could come up would be the tank's seal, the metal and rubber lines as well as the seal for the fuel pump. That's really about it. I would just raise the back of the car up, crawl under and look for wet spots.

[formeRiceR]

I had the same problem, my hard lines rusted thur. I was ****ing gas for a while. First it was a slight smell then it was drips then it was a stream.

east coast sux ***....if it's a fuel leak you should get it fix ASAP.

[jmauld]

I peaked under the car this morning and noticed that one of the lines is wet looking. I guess I'll end up replacing that line. What's the best way to depressurize the fuel system?

[N1ceDrgn]

1) Pull the fuse for the fuel pump and try starting the car a few times. Once it won't even sputter anymore. It should be good.
2) You can slowly loosen the bolts for the fuel pump. This one's tricky. You want to loosen it enough to vent it a little but not enough so that the gasket expands and it turns into a pain to get it back together.
I'd stick with the first one. That should do it for you. I hope this helps out.

[orion::S14]

Pull the fuel pump fuse (in the fusebox by the pedals), pull off the gas cap, and attempt to crank for a few seconds...

That should do it.

Later - Brian

[jmauld]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I'm going to take a better look at it before taking it apart and hopefully order all of the pieces I need.

[N1ceDrgn]

The most you should need is around 20" of fuel line and then 4 new hose clamps. I say that because while you're under there, it's a good idea to replace both lines. Remember to replace each line, one at a time. The tools you'll need are a couple of screw drivers, needle nose pliers and a regular pair of pliers. All in all, including some problems, it should only take around an hour or so. Hope it helps.

[jmauld]

The hardest part looks to be getting your hands into the area to do the work.

Do you know the size of the fuel line?

[N1ceDrgn]

It may be around 3/8 or so. I can't remember off hand right now. The parts store you go to should be able to look it up. If you want easy access, you can pull the rear tire there but it's not necessary.