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

[81dmc]

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?

There's nothing between the plate and the tank. There really is no reason to drop the tank as there is nothing else that can leak from that location that isn't already accessible.

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. :-/

Do this first. Find the hose that's leaking. It's either in the pump area or the accumulator area. Worse comes to worse, a metal line could have broken, but that is highly unlikely.

[David T]

If the leak seems "active" while the motor is running, examine the hoses while it is running. To see the accumulator area you will have to lift the car. From the pictures it appears to be coming from the fuel tank. You can see everything you need to without removing the plate under the tank. The 2 hoses you want to see come out of the fuel pump boot and connect to the hard lines by the frame.

[bfloyd]

This sounds exactly what happened to me this summer. I was leaving a "cub scout camp" where I was hired to bring the car out for pictures and such, and the car just died on the side of the road as I was leaving camp. I could smell fuel, and checked the fuel distributor and all of it's connections. Bone dry.

I got down on the ground and looked under the car and I could see gasoline pouring out from under where the center console would be. Didn't have tools with me, so I ended up being towed back to the house. Turned out one of the rubber fuel lines on the fuel accumulator had come off the brass barbed fitting. I cut the hose about a 1/2 an inch shorter to get a tighter grip on the barb, and put it back on and put on a new clamp while I was at it. Didn't cost a cent to fix it except the tow back to the house.

On my car, I purchased the new fuel accumulator kit from DMCH back in December of 2014, and ot was one of the hoses that came with that kit that came off. If I remember correctly, someone else here on the forums had some issues this summer with the DMCH rubber fuel lines getting soft.

[DMCMW Dave]

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?/

To answer the question, nothing holds the tank in place other than that panel and a bunch of friction. It will never fall out, even full. In fact, it's is very difficult to get out when you want to.

To second the other comments, there is no reason to remove the panel or the tank. Everything is accessible from either the trunk or under the car under the accumulator. The only hidden parts are the fuel lines above the frame, and the ends are accessible from inside the car and inside the trunk. If one of those lines has failed in the middle, they are only accessible by lifting the body off. You have a broken hose or fitting.

[David T]

To answer the question, nothing holds the tank in place other than that panel and a bunch of friction. It will never fall out, even full. In fact, it's is very difficult to get out when you want to.

To second the other comments, there is no reason to remove the panel or the tank. Everything is accessible from either the trunk or under the car under the accumulator. The only hidden parts are the fuel lines above the frame, and the ends are accessible from inside the car and inside the trunk. If one of those lines has failed in the middle, they are only accessible by lifting the body off. You have a broken hose or fitting.

Actually we do have ONE documented case of a tank falling out. He left the plate off and drove the car a bit and ruined the tank when it came in contact with the road so never drive the car without that plate in place. Removing the tank and then getting it back in is a real PIA. Only necessary if you are painting the frame or repairing the frame.

[DMCMW Dave]

Actually we do have ONE documented case of a tank falling out. He left the plate off and drove the car a bit and ruined the tank when it came in contact with the road so never drive the car without that plate in place. Removing the tank and then getting it back in is a real PIA. Only necessary if you are painting the frame or repairing the frame.

I don't recall telling him to drive it that way, and I still insist in won't fall out if you simply take the cover off. Taking the cover off and then actually driving it would be dumb.

[David T]

No one told him to drive it like that. He thought since he couldn't budge it, it wouldn't fall out. I think it was the car in Norway. Happened more than a few years ago. He had to get a new tank. Lucky he didn't set the car on fire!

[ssdelorean]

No one told him to drive it like that. He thought since he couldn't budge it, it wouldn't fall out. I think it was the car in Norway. Happened more than a few years ago. He had to get a new tank. Lucky he didn't set the car on fire!

Documented Case #2
It happened to Marvin Stein up in London, Ontario, Canada some years back before his passing. He took it around the block and his neighbor was chasing him down the road because of the dragging. He had just done alot of work and simply forgot to put it back on!

[David T]

Documented Case #2
It happened to Marvin Stein up in London, Ontario, Canada some years back before his passing. He took it around the block and his neighbor was chasing him down the road because of the dragging. He had just done alot of work and simply forgot to put it back on!

Maybe this was #1, I don't remember. In any case the point is don't drive without that plate!

[spikeygg]

ok, I'm trying to get to the bottom of this gas leak. I've put the car up in the air and keyed on and see the fuel but it appears to be coming from the hose that comes down from the top toward the front of the car in that cubby hole. There's a hardline that stops there and a rubber hose with a hose clamp. I tried tightening the hose clamp but it did nothing for the leak. Maybe it's the fitting that the rubber is hooked up to? I felt all the rubber hoses and couldn't find any splitting, they feel pretty hard but other than that they seem intact.



So, I figured I'd take the fuel accumulator out and replace the hoses. Looking at the situation it appears as though I have to disconnect the hardline coming in from the driver's side. I loosened the nut and tried to pull the line out of the fitting but it won't come loose. I tried wiggling the accumulator down and up but the hardline won't slide out. Is there a trick to this? I'm afraid I might damage the hardline if I keep futzing with it. Any suggestions?



Thanks,
-Greg

Fuel Leak with Arrow.jpgDisconnect Hardline.jpg