Thread: Fuel leak

Pulled my 92 out of long term storage and there was a big spot under the front where a considerable amount of gas must have been leaking. As I drove it out of the garage it left a trail. But now on the rack, not a drop, so I need to do some looking. All I've done so far is looked into the area of the leak from the top and bottom, but nothing popped out at me.

Anyone know of common leak sites that would drip gas from the engine compartment? It looks like it came from driver's side, perhaps even with the front of the tire, or maybe back a little closer to the axle. Maybe something rubber or with rubber seals that would be affected by all the ethanol in gas these days.

Fuel filter or the hoses going to it...

Was thinking the filter was too far aft for where the fuel was dripping. But it could be running down something in the compartment before falling. I'll make that the first thing I check, thanks. In fact I'll just order everything up and change it out. Have never done it on this car.

Wipe all the fuel hoses down so they are clean and dry. Also wipe the fuel filter and evap canister. Fire it up and look for any signs of liquid. Also check the hoses as they go underneath the car for any drips there.

Did you actually inspect the leak from where the car was parked to verify that it was gas? It couldn't have been there long, as it would have evaporated quickly. I'm curious where the puddle was in relation to where the front wheels were.

It's a rallycross car that sat out the season. Parked on big blue tarps understandably covered with dirt and dust. When the fuel (whatever liquid) leaked, yes it dried, but it left no doubt of it's presence from puddling on that dusty tarp. The bulk of the stain was actually forward of the tires -- you could argue it might have been coolant. But the car smelled strongly of gas when I fired it up and pulled it out. So I'm assuming gas...could be wrong. There's nothing leaking now, but the tarp stains are maybe 3-4 square feet in size, so it was something significant. Good excuse to change out all the hoses before next season too. Could be both fluids leaked. RX makes for a hard life.

Let it run for a bit then shut it off. The fuel system will be pressurized and not using fuel, so you may be better able to spot the issue after a few minutes of sitting and letting the leak develop as the pressure forces fuel out of wherever is cracked or worn. If you're checking indoors and its quiet, maybe you'll get lucky and hear some hiss or bubbling sound.

Forward of the tires seems odd for a gas leak, all of the hoses and fittings are above or behind the front axle, you said it was a 92 so I'm assuming B13? Possibly an injector or the fuel rail itself, and gas is leaking down the block?

Well I drove it from the garage to the lift and put it straight up. I would have seen even a single drip on the white concrete.

I like the odds of a rubber hose connected fuel filter going bad because I could see the rubber going bad just sitting there. But why it drips from way up front? Yeah, makes no sense.

But mostly I wanted to get an idea from you guys if there's some obvious known troublemaker that lives in the right location...and I think the answer I got was no. That's fine...I'll just chase after the usual suspects.