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:
58367

Fuel pump area:
58368

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. :-/

[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.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=58441&d=1540657970

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?

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=58442&d=1540658269

Thanks,
-Greg

5844158442

[spikeygg]

I got it out after finding this article (http://delorean.bnebel.com/tiki-index.php?page=Fuel+Accumulator+Removal+And+Replac ement) and saw that the little nub stays on the hardline. I "popped" it with the 17mm wrench as the article says and it let loose from the fitting. Anyway, I pulled everything down and disconnected the hoses. Upon inspection I don't see anything in the rubber that would have caused the leak. I'm wondering if it could be the barbed fitting sticking down from the top. Any suggestions on if (or how) I should replace it?

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=58443&d=1540663508

58443

[jackb]

First of all- Those are *excellent* pictures. They really help show the accumulator well for someone who has not worked on it yet.

Second- Start easier, then go harder. Replace the hoses before messing with the lines. That line is between the frame and body, but there is supposed to be a small access panel under the center console you can see it from. (I have never messed with it, but I've seen other posts about it) The metal line is just a barb, so there is no reason for it to "break".

Third, you have worm gear clamps on those lines. Not fuel line clamps. I'd get a box of the correct style of clamps from the auto parts store to go along with the new hose.
This is a picture of a fuel line clamp: https://www.delcity.net/images/photos/450px/210602_primary_450px.jpg
This is a picture of a worm gear clamp: https://www.etrailer.com/static/images/pics/h/0/h03-0006_3_100.jpg

[spikeygg]

First of all- Those are *excellent* pictures. They really help show the accumulator well for someone who has not worked on it yet.

Second- Start easier, then go harder. Replace the hoses before messing with the lines. That line is between the frame and body, but there is supposed to be a small access panel under the center console you can see it from. (I have never messed with it, but I've seen other posts about it) The metal line is just a barb, so there is no reason for it to "break".

Third, you have worm gear clamps on those lines. Not fuel line clamps. I'd get a box of the correct style of clamps from the auto parts store to go along with the new hose.
This is a picture of a fuel line clamp: https://www.delcity.net/images/photos/450px/210602_primary_450px.jpg
This is a picture of a worm gear clamp: https://www.etrailer.com/static/images/pics/h/0/h03-0006_3_100.jpg

Thanks jackb, I appreciate the feedback on the photos -- when I make a post I try to get a good shot that explains what I'm talking about :). I replaced all the lines with EFI hoses (5/16" for the high pressure one, and 1/4" for the low pressure one) as well as EFI hose clamps, as per your suggestion and ... VOILA, no leaks!

Thanks everyone for your help with this.
-Greg

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=58445&d=1540677606http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=58446&d=1540677614http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=58447&d=1540677620

584455844658447

[SS Spoiler]

What pressure are the hoses rated at?

[DMC-81]

What pressure are the hoses rated at?

+1 I was wondering the same thing. I searched the SAE 30R14T2 code on the hose and it seems to be rated for 100 psi. If so, I believe these hoses should be rated higher. For example I chose Gates Barricade 4219BF,which are rated for a max working pressure of 225 psi.

Also, if not done already, I recommend that you research the torque spec for the clamps ( it will be in inch pounds) and ensure they are tightened properly.

[DMC5180]

What pressure are the hoses rated at?

If he used Gates Barricade greenshield hose SAE J13R14T2. It has a working pressure rating of 225 psi. About 4X more than the most it would ever see in the Delorean.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DMC-81]

If he used Gates Barricade greenshield hose SAE J13R14T2. It has a working pressure rating of 225 psi. About 4X more than the most it would ever see in the Delorean.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sure, and I guess the SAE 30R14T2 part number visible in the picture is the low pressure return end of the accumulator. So the other hose is what's important. I bought 225 psi for both hoses and 4 fuel injection clamps. I figured this was another area on the car to get higher rated parts.