Fuel Line Leak

[Richie G]

Some of you may have seen my other post about vapor hose replacement.  That was a great success, replaced all the vent hoses and both tank side and engine side fuel hoses, new filter, new tank sending unit, filled the tank everything works great and started on first key turn.  Now the horror story.  So that was a few days ago and my next task was to change the oil and filter.  So I peak under there today to start the process and see a nice drip spot rear side of engine.  I'm thinking its maybe a rear seal that dried out as the oil has been in the pan for quite some time (hasn't started since November).  Well It's way worse.  I found the PO had repaired the hard fuel line just where it turns into the tunnel and its dripping gas.

I have no real means to lift this car and with dripping fuel I'm scared to even start it again.  After all the hurdles I went through I'm really bummed and not sure what to do.  I can barely reach this through the engine bay to even attempt to tighten it.  Is there anything I can do other than maybe tow this to someone that can replace or repair the line?  I could probably get some type of putty around the whole thing as a temporary patch if that's even safe to drive?

 

[Patcon]

I don't really know.

Pretty much all of the heat is on the other side as long as its not pouring out when it's running. It might even be drawing air in when it's running. I would replace the whole line if I could.

Also liquid gasoline is really not that flammable. It's the fumes that are the problem

[Mark Maras]

Does it have carbs or injection? I'm curious about the fuel pressure?

[Richie G]

Thanks Patcon, that makes me feel better.  The leak is a drip a minute or so but I can see gravity emptied the fuel filter so it may have just slowed itself as it levels out.  This was one of my original problems so I guess i finally found the source.  I suspect it's sucking air as well because prior to my all new hoses and filter I would see air bubbles in the filter.  Funny though when i started it the other day all the bubbles were gone but maybe it's slight enough I can't see them.  I'll start it up again to see.

Its carbs, original SUs.

I gave it some thought last night and am going to attempt to get under and at least see if I can repair the fittings temporarily.  I would love to do a new line but I'm afraid at this stage in my learning dropping tranny and anything else in the way in the tunnel is beyond me without bringing it somewhere.  I have a floor jack at home and just ordered some stands from amazon.  I also have ramps but not sure they will give me enough height.  If i decide to jack and stand this is this the right spot on the cross member?  I assume the flat plate is the jack point and then I put the stands left / right of it?  The stands I thought would be best have flat tops rather than the curved ones.  I got them becasue they had a nice locking pin and much wider tripod base.  Looking at the cross member though with all those cutouts I'm wondering if I'll be ok?

 

[siteunseen]

Under my battery tray on my '72 acid had corroded those fuel lines beneath on the frame rail. Little pin holes but only short 4" or so sections. I cut the bad out with a small copper tube cutter then replaced with rubber fuel line and worm gear clamps. It's not permanent but that was in 2015.

 

[Patcon]

Actually, Cliffs suggestion might be a really good fix so you can get it to a shop. Cut a short section out and splice it back with fuel hose, preferably EFI rated hose. It will be harder to collapse.

It can be a struggle to find good places for jack stands under the car. The cross member is a good place to lift the car. If you put the stands there, put them out as wide as possible to try to make the car stable.

I like to throw chunks of 6x6 under a few points as an extra safety...

 

[Zed Head]

Something I've been able to do with brake lines is to detach the line from where it is fastened to the body.  Then just flex the whole section out to where you can work on it.  I did that in the front so that I could pull the MC without disconnecting it.

It looks possible in your case.  I see a screw head.

 

[Richie G]

I like the cut it out and fuel hose idea.  That's probably the best thing for my skill level at the moment.  I just have to safely get under there over the next few days, will report back.  Thanks all for good advice.  This community is great.

[Zed Head]

It might just be loose.  If you just had a pinhole in a line the metal repair tube that you have now would be what I would do.  The line that you have might have a bad flare and that's why it's leaking.  The correct way to use a hose would be to put a bubble on the end, like on the transitions from rubber to metal on the factory metal line.  Site's idea was good, I'm just saying that all solutions should be done correctly.

Kind of depends on your tools I guess,  I had flaring tools so I reflared when i was working on my fuel system.  I've also used compression fittings, which might actually be what you already have.  If so, you can just crank it down to make it tighter.  The PO probably couldn't get the leverage on it.  Good luck.

Here's a typical repair kit with a compression fitting.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/NOE7304932?impressionRank=11

 

 

[siteunseen]

I use ramps mostly for simple type stuff. They allow my not so skinny body to get under the car without worrying it could fall. They're Rhino ramps I think, heavy duty plastic that fit together for easy storage. I bought mine at Walmart or a chain auto parts store. Seems like they were $40? Another good thing about ramps is pulling your low Z up on them and getting an extra foot closer instead of bending over doing work on the top side. They help my back when I don't have to bend over as far.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/RhinoGear-11914MI-RhinoRamps-Vehicle-Ramp-Pair-12-000lb-GVW-Capacity/19526658

 

[Richie G]

Zed good point on the hose option, I'd love to be able to just crank this a bit but it's so odd that all this time it just all of a sudden dripped.  Its been idle in the garage without a start since November, I do all that tank and engine hose work and pow it leaks for the first time not on my first start up but on my second or third.  I doubt I put any real pressure on it when connecting new hose to the filter from fuel line but you never know.  Its pretty far down the line to think touching either the tank supply end or the filter end would loosen a compression fitting.

And Site yes I have the rhino ramps too, just got them a few months ago so this will be the first attempt at using them.  I'm thinking a quick start and roll up onto them and then shut off real quick.  How long you think I can leave the car on there without fear of compression to those ramps?

 

[Mark Maras]

 I had a 2000 Outback on Rhino Ramps for over two weeks. No distortion or damage.They looked the same as when they went under the car.