fuel leak from under centre of car

[marcel]

I brought my car out from its Canadian winter hibernation yesterday. After charging the battery, the car started up right away. I let it run for half an hour then drove it back into the garage. Then I noticed a 2-3 foot diameter fuel puddle on the ground. It was coming from the middle of the car. Today I jacked it up safely and crawled underneath, with the car running. Looking up through the frame, there is a hose, maybe 6 inches long hanging there. At the end there is a hose clamp holding what looks like a bolt in the hose. The rubber hose is deteriorated, but has an inner core. What is this for. the other end has no hose clamp on it, so i'm not sure if it is under lots of pressure or not. Will any piece of new hose do the job?

[jawn101]

Not a good idea to run the car with a fuel leak that big, I'd say, especially with you trapped underneath it... You are describing the location of your accumulator. A picture would really help. Be very careful.

[DMCMW Dave]

What is this for. the other end has no hose clamp on it, so i'm not sure if it is under lots of pressure or not. Will any piece of new hose do the job?

High pressure fuel line. Whatever you use needs to be rated at least 100PSI. Generic low pressure hose won't do that.

http://store.delorean.com/c-274-2-1-0-tankhosespumpaccumulatoretc.aspx part ID #4, replacement hose uses hose clamps. DO NOT take the fittings apart, just carefully cut the hose off the barbs.

Check the hoses on the pump too, same stuff, same age, same problem.

[marcel]

I didn't go under the car while it was running. I waited for it to leak then shut it off. there is a very strong fuel smell in the cabin also now.

[marcel]

Dave, I looked on your link at part #4, but that's not it. This is only about 6 inches long and doesn't attach to anything. I 'll try to figure out how to post photos. It does look like high pressure hose though.

[jawn101]

There shouldn't be any hoses in that area that don't go anywhere. Fuel hoses with nothing at the other end lead to puddles of gas on the ground :)

You may have a ruptured/broken hose or perhaps a PO got creative? Pics will definitely help.

[marcel]

The hose clamp seems to be holding a bolt or something in it. I don't want to loosen the clamp yet, in case it sprays fuel out.
Pics tomorrow.

[jawn101]

Hmm, does it look like it could be the end of a barbed fitting? Maybe one of the fittings snapped off and the barb is still in the hose.

[marcel]

It is not a barb in the hose. It is something solid, about an inch and half long. The fuel seeps through the inner lining of the hose.

[Bitsyncmaster]

My guess (but we need some photos) would be the PO found he had a bad accumulator and plugged the bypass return hose rather than replace the accumulator.

[jmettee]

My guess (but we need some photos) would be the PO found he had a bad accumulator and plugged the bypass return hose rather than replace the accumulator.

Agree, that is what it sounds like to me. And if so, I wonder how good/bad the car runs without the low side of the accumulator functioning against the high side.

[DMCMW Dave]

I suspect the low side is capped off. It will run fine. Just the works worst hot start problem. BTW there are 3 #4 hoses on that drawing.

[David T]

I suspect the low side is capped off. It will run fine. Just the works worst hot start problem. BTW there are 3 #4 hoses on that drawing.

Without actually being able to see what you have it sounds like the black hose is disconnected from the accumulator and there is a bolt stuck and clamped into the loose end. It also sounds like your accumulator is now leaking. Do not drive the car until you can fix that leak. If you are getting fuel out that hose barb on the accumulator it means the accumulator is bad and should be replaced. Probably that short black hose too.
David Teitelbaum

[Rich]

I suspect the low side is capped off. It will run fine. Just the works worst hot start problem. BTW there are 3 #4 hoses on that drawing.

+1

Drafted before seeing David T's post
The symptom and the written descriptions all line up the way the previous posts suggest. The hose that was probably plugged by a PO is probably the "return" line. More aptly named The-Leaky-Accumulator-Drain-Hose.

That hose from the back side of the accumulator is (normally) an atmospheric pressure hose. Its function is to route any fuel that gets past the accumulator diaphragm/seal back to the fuel tank. When the accumulator isn't leaking the original hose does nothing but connect the fuel tank to the dry side of the diaphragm. Little or no pressure there.

When the accumulator develops an internal leak, as they all will sooner or later, then the leaking fuel returns safely to the tank through that hose. But when the accumulator leaks AND that return hose is plugged then it becomes part of the high pressure circuit, communicating directly via the failed accumulator diaphragm to the fuel pump pressure.

That "return" hose is the hose that keeps us from seeing the first sign that an accumulator is leaking. With that hose in place the first sign of an accumulator diaphragm leak is a hot-start problem.

[marcel]

Here is a pic. Does this help? I appreciate all the replies and theories so far. The car doesn't have any hot start issue.
I'll crawl back under if anyone needs another photo or two.19808

[David T]

Here is a pic. Does this help? I appreciate all the replies and theories so far. The car doesn't have any hot start issue.
I'll crawl back under if anyone needs another photo or two.19808

The picture isn't great but it appears that the hose was removed from the accumulator and plugged. I can't see if there is any cap on the accumulator. If you are not having a hard hot restart problem it is possible other modifications were done to the CSV circuit to make it run. Is there anything in the white plug over by the fuseblock? You could try reconnecting the hose to the barb on the accumulator.
David Teitelbaum