Fuel leak from the bottom of the car! Please help!

[spikeygg]

So I filled up my tank, when I did, I filled it to the top and fuel sprayed all over the ground (oops). Note to self: don't do that anymore. It took 13.2 gallons.

Anyway, I drove it around that whole day and parked it and there was a fuel smell that lasted a few days in the garage. The next time I took it out I drove it for a while and when I came back home there was a spot on the ground where I held the car while waiting for the garage to open in my driveway. It was fuel. I looked under the car in the garage and there was a growing puddle. I just tried starting it up again to take it for a spin and fuel was spilling out from the center of the bottom of the car.

I pulled the fuel pump cover off and it's dry. Any of you DeLorean gurus know where this is likely leaking from and what I need to do to get it to stop? Also, any way to tell if filling it all the way up caused this issue?

Under the car:
UnderCarLeak.jpg

Fuel pump area:
FuelPumpArea.jpg

Thanks,
-Greg

[David T]

It could be leaking from the top, it just dried up so all you see is the stain, no wetness. It could also be leaking under the filler. There is a cover with a lot of screws that you can remove and examine it. A quick test, leave the covers off go for a drive and slam on the brakes. jump out and see what is leaking. Pull the cover boot off the fuel pump and see if it is dry inside. make sure the sender unit is tight (that big ring). Don't top off, stop at 12 gallons.

[spikeygg]

It could be leaking from the top, it just dried up so all you see is the stain, no wetness. It could also be leaking under the filler. There is a cover with a lot of screws that you can remove and examine it. A quick test, leave the covers off go for a drive and slam on the brakes. jump out and see what is leaking. Pull the cover boot off the fuel pump and see if it is dry inside. make sure the sender unit is tight (that big ring). Don't top off, stop at 12 gallons.

Thanks for the quick response David but I don't think I described it quite right based on your response.

When the car was running the gasoline was running out the bottom of the car -- like a lot of it. Almost like a hose split or something. It slowed and stopped once I killed the engine. I took the picture of the fuel pump area immediately after this episode to see if it was wet and it was not.

[SS Spoiler]

Sounds like split fuel accumulator hose....

[81dmc]

Sounds like split fuel accumulator hose....

^This.

Many cars have the notorious orange hose. They always split.

[spikeygg]

Sounds like split fuel accumulator hose....

^This.

Many cars have the notorious orange hose. They always split.

Thanks guys!

What's the best way to attack this? I'm guessing lift the car in the air and crawl underneath but do I need to drop the big triangle pan? The fuel seems to be coming from around that pan but it's difficult to see since it's gushing out from all over.

[81dmc]

Thanks guys!

What's the best way to attack this? I'm guessing lift the car in the air and crawl underneath but do I need to drop the big triangle pan? The fuel seems to be coming from around that pan but it's difficult to see since it's gushing out from all over.

Well, if its coming from the pan, it's probably not the orange hose.

I would remove the fuel pump access cover and start the car. Look for leaks around the hoses. It could very well be broken where the rubber hose meets the hard lines. Make sure the car is running when you look. Gasoline is a royal pain to find since it evaporates so quickly.

If all else fails, it could be possible that the fuel is simply running forward from the accumulator hose, but I find this very unlikely.

[DMC5180]

Your puddle looked like It was concentrated under the fuel tank closing panel, yet your fuel pump area appears dry. You should start the engine or jumper the RPM relay then take a quick look underneath to see where the fuel is dripping is coming from.

If it is the center area, it is most likely the 1/4” low pressure Accumulator vent hose connected to the end of the Accumulator. If fuel is spraying out It would be High pressure hose. The outer jacket disintegrates and falls off but the inner nylon core usually doesn’t fail, it just looks bad.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jackb]

Is it coming out of the triangle panel? Or the center of the car?

The triangle panel is the fuel tank closing plate.
The center of the car is where the accumulator is. You can see the accumulator by crawling directly under the center of the car and looking in the access hole in the center of the frame.

[spikeygg]

Is the fuel tank supported by something other than this fuel tank closing panel? I mean, can I remove the panel with a bunch of fuel in the tank or do I have to drain it first?

I think I'm going to put it up on blocks, jumper the relay and see if I can determine where the leaks are coming from. :-/