Petrol leak! Help!

[Guest]

The question:the important bit (read the other bit if you have nothing better to do)
I have petrol leaking from somewhere above the exhaust heat shield. Any ideas of where this may be coming from, is this the fuel pump area etc.? Will only be able to put it on ramps on Wed. to have a look, so any help with any ideas of what/where to look for a leak would be gratefully accepted. Thanks in advance!

[FONT=Arial"]The tale of woe:
Fri. evening filled car right up ready for trip. Fifty quid of Ultimate.
6am Sat. morning went to the car to load up as we were off to Cornwall for three days, to find a small amount of fluid on the floor around my rear tyre. Smelt like petrol, but was oily in colour as I guess it was picking up all the crap on the way down.
Realising petrol and a hot exhaust are not a good mix looked like we weren't going. After a bag of sand and a hire car (Ford Feista!) we were off. After a full eight hours we finally arrived at St. Ives (as we set off much later there was a cue of traffic from London to Cornwall.)
When we arrived, the place we were going to stay had overbooked! But ended up staying at their lovely cottage instead after quite a few miles more drive.
Rained all day Sun. Eden Project so didn't matter too much.
Then my digital camera ceased to work!
Coming back Mon. evening twenty miles from home, received three points and sixty quid fine as I was pulled over on the M3. Recorded average speed 91.37mph So, I can now add to your list John!

The conclusion:
I was really looking forward to driving those great roads, so this took the shine off the whole weekend.
The Ford had air-con and was cheaper fuel wise.
The Ford driving position was like sitting on a bar stool.
The landlady and my wifes nationality being the same = great place, v. cheap.
Had a clean license since passing my test.
Speeding, yes! Lucky I wasn't in the 944.
Yes, I'm trying to see something positive from this.

Buy a Road Angel and never leave the front door!

 

[944Turbo]

Is that the exhaust heat shield at the rear? the pipe comes out the tank into a filter and then over the rear axle and under the car on the opposite side to the exhuast. could be a pressurised squirt from one of the rubber pipes?
Tony

 

[danmason]

Hi Darren; the fuel pipes are prone to rotting at the ends and once you take a look on the ramp you'll probably find they're disintegrating away - if so they all need replacing. Very pricey through the OPC IIRC, but around £150-£200 via an independent.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your replies Tony and Dan.
I managed to get myself under the car this evening (without ramps) to try and take a look. It has stopped leaking.
From what I understand the fuel pump etc is under a cover (drivers side) opposite side to the exhaust. My leak is not on this side.
It's high up above the exhaust. Hopefully you can make some sense of the photo. Imagine, lying on your back and pulling yourself between rear wheel passenger side and exhaust back box, and looking up. The leak seems to of originated from the top side of the tank.
In the trouble shooting bit of Haynes, one reason for leak is over filling tank.
Question 1: Can you 'over fill a tank'? What happens?
2:Surely tanks don't have an overflow pipe? This can't be right and wouldn't be over the exhaust??

Also, I did fill it right up as much as poss. so this could be a contributing factor. The other thing is, I don't think it is worth towing down to the workshop and sticking it on ramps, as from what I saw tonight that area is completely inaccessable.

 

[944Turbo]

There probably is a vent / overflow pipe of some description if you fill it right up and it then gets warm and expands it will need somewhere to go - not sure where it is not having lowered the tank. There is an access hole in the boot floor (which I have also never lifted) which might give further clues. Might be worth a look on the PET cd if you have access. Could the Haynes BOL actually be right for once?
Hope so!
Tony

 

[Guest]

Thanks Tony. Just had a look at PET. In the illustration there is something which could be an outlet in that area, it's very hard to tell but is in the right place. Also, there isn't any reference to it. Going out to the car now to pull up carpets etc. Give it a drive round the block for ten minutes and check before going further a field!
Cheers

 

[Guest]

Took my car round the block and didn't blow up!!
Rang Bert Gear, and yes there is a breather around that area and overfilling will result in petrol finding it's way out through that.
So, the lesson is.. not to keep pumping once the petrol pump clicks off. I feel so foolish now!![]
I'll go back to me twenty quids worth then[8|]

 

[wedgepilot]

Incidentally, petrol is quite difficult to ignite by heat alone. You can drip it onto a hot exhaust manifold and it just will not burn. [&:] I saw someone do this on telly recently - it was a feature about why cars rarely catch fire and explode like they do in the movies. Don't all go out and start chucking petrol around your engine bay though, will you? []

Regards,
Alan