Fuel leak front of engine need help!! Got a road trip planned for Friday

[JFerg65]

I've got fuel leaking... to the point it is dripping on the driveway. Front of motor is really wet dripping down behind the dampener from above. I looked around the pump and it is also appears wet in that area but not dripping as it is more toward the front.

Any ideas?? I'm guessing it is pump / line related. I know... no crap!!!

I thought my starter was on it's way out as it has been turning slowly. I just finished up a cable change out and charging system and Batteries are all good. The starter has 159,000 on it. Not sure if the slow starting is fuel leak related or not. I'm thinking no, since the fuel leak just began to be noticeable during the last 24 hours.

I have noticed recently thought that it is taking time to start like an 8 count. Slow crank and then it fires strong. Before the fuel leak, I attributed it all to the failing starter. It runs down the road great, no missing or hiccuping at all. Idles nice and smooth as well.

I've had this rig for two years and have yet had to venture to 'the land of the pump". What is the best way to get to this in order to get a good look to see what is going on. Could someone just list in order the stuff that has to come off???

What makes me even more ticked, is that I'm supposed to make a 200 mile run this weekend. So time is of the essence for me.

Any help / suggestions would be appreciated.

[Burning Oil]

Check the return hard line on the front of the motor. It could be cracked or a hole.

[JFerg65]

That would make sense as the likely culprit. I don't think the truck would run as it does if the leak was pre-pump..... would it??

Thanks for the suggestion. Hopefully, I can swing a half a day at work today, track down another vehicle to borrow, and get home by noon to tear into this.

Here in lies the only downside of having a 1996 truck as your daily driver. I guess it does keep things interesting when things go awry.

[Robyn]

The hard line has two hoses that connect up top.
One is the return line from the IP to the hard line. The other hose connects the cross over hard line to the return hard line that runs the length of the engine to the rear.

I would bet that one of these hoses is leaking and or the hard line up front itself is leaking.

The crossover line also connects all the returns from the injectors too.

Not a hard job to sort out though.

The blast from the fan is likely blowing fuel back onto the IP.

Good luck

Robyn

[JFerg65]

Thanks Robin!! I'm home from work and headed out to tear down and see what I can see. Your timing is perfect. Thanks for the explanation. That is exactly what I needed.

[JFerg65]

Ok, Problem appears to have been resolved. Notice I say resolved and not fixed, since in the end there was nothing really to fix, but rather clean up.

I will get to "The rest of the story" in a minute. After all was said and done...... BOY DO I FEEL LIKE A JACK ASS!!! So feel free to pile on at any time.

I'm certain this has had to have happened to others in the past.... wished I would have thought of this before getting all freaked out. On the positive, I do now know my way around the "The valley of the pump now."

Here goes the story....

How many times is the dreaded factory fuel filter the culprit in these matters???? In my case yes and no.

I recently just a day or two before noticing the fuel leaking, I put in a new filter. Now it was not reinstalled incorrectly, that would have been too easy. When I went to bleed the thing my clear tubing came off as I was bleeding and I got a lot more fuel down in the valley than I thought. Filter was bled well though. After it was back together I figured instead of smelling the little bit (at least that is what I thought) of diesel for the next two weeks, I'd wash her down with some engine bay cleaner and take care of it.

I didn't realize that when people talk about the valley of the motor, they mean more of a canyon. Well, I proceeded to not only fill her up with diesel but the water from the wash down.

Now come the symptoms of the mysterious fuel leak.
I kept smelling what I thought was engine cleaner but also had some diesel odor to it. I figured, well I just washed it dowe and some must be hanging out in various nooks and crannies. Next day, dripping on the ground after I stop. This is when I thought I was in trouble.

Here is where my diagnosing got the best of me, or should I say I bit my self in the ass.

I noticed it was only showing signs of leaking once I was stoped and back from running at speed. So I figured it had to be caused by the return side and it was only leaking when it couldn't use all the fuel. WRONG

That is when I turned to you all, and by my description (leaving out the fuel filter and wash down details) you headed me in the correct direction. I thought this was going to be a relative easy find and fix. I tore into the valley and all the lines / hoses were dry and fine.

At that point I looked at the back of the motor and saw the fuel filter.... I said "No way it can have anything to do with that!!!) WRONG again.

I pull the two bolts and low and behold the valley is full of diesel. OH CRAP I've got a major leak. WRONG. I get out my oil extractor and suck the stuff out of the valley, and wipe her clean. While I was in there i looked over the other hoses, and fittings on the housing as well as the flexible ones on the top of the bell housing past the fire wall. Every thing checked out.

I said to my self there is no way this was all caused by changing the stupid fuel filter.... CORRECT!!!!!

I buttoned her back up, started her and watched...... no leak, then went and ran her a few miles and then ..... no leak.....

Issue resolved! DUMB ASS!


Hindsight being what its worth.... It only leaked AKA (showed itself) after coming to a stop. That is because the fluid in the valley was forced forward up and over the front of the motor and down behind the dampener. It was also running down the back of the engine and running down by the trans pan. It never leaked while idling from a cold start..... I wonder why.... Now I know.

I really hope this helps someone some day. Now I'm going to replace the door handle I broke off two weeks ago. No point going back to work today!!!

Thanks again everybody for the assistance. In the end it really helped me get this straightened out.

LOOKS LIKE THE ROAD TRIP IS BACK ON!!

[JFerg65]

Well... the fuel in the valley is back. After poking around some more, I just replaced the 6 - 8 inch line on the fuel filter that goes to the hard line on top of the bell housing. It was swollen, and it appeared to be pretty soft and cracked where it comes off the fuel filter housing. Replaced it and the clamps, cleaned it up and went for a 20 mile run. No fuel in the valley yet.

Where do the two lines coming off the front of the filter housing end up? I'm assuming they go into the pump. Are they rubber lines all the way to the pump?

If I dig into replace those... which I have to do I think, I'm going to bite the bullet and replace it with a racor unit. I'm done crawling and burning myself on a hot motor.

Had to postpone my departure today for our weekend trip. We are going to give her another shot tomorrow. I'm going to go run her hard on the free way for awhile.

[DaveBr]

I just finished going thru this situation. The IP had just been replaced and fuel was leaking down the valley off the bell housing and onto the ground. Dealer checked it out and said it was left over fuel from the IP change. They washed it out - all better now.

3 days later it was back. Took the top cover off, removed the 2 bolts that hold the fuel filter in place. Looked up the valley from the back of the engine with a mirror and flashlight and found an injector line leaking at the 4:00 position on the IP.

This takes a lot of patience to get the mirror and light positioned so you can see. Have someone stand by to start the rig when you have a clear view up the valley. If anything is leaking in there you should be able to spot it.

[JFerg65]

Thanks for the reply. I think I saw your post as I was searching previous posts on the topic. After I took a 20 mile run after I got the one line on the filter replaced, I went out for another 15 - 20 miles on the freeway at speed. Came home checked her out and all seemed well. (Been here before). I'm headed out for a 200 mile (round trip) run to go work on my boat today. So we will see what a run across the north coast of Ohio does.

Dealing with a 13 year old rig (in really good shape) does take some patience at times and I guess this crap is to be expected. I have tried to act in a preventative
sort of way with replacing items on the truck. Just really ticks you off though, when one of these jumps out from behind the corner at you.

I've got to get the rest of those other lines replaced on the filter housing. I think while I have all this crap torn apart, it would be a good time just to relocate the fuel filter and be done with it.

I'll let you know if I make it home.

[Robyn]

As mentioned
The hard lines from the IP can leak

The two soft lines off the front of the filter are as follows.

One goes to the water drain up top front.
The other hose feeds the fuel to the top of the IP.

Also these filter asssemblies can and do "ROT" out down low in the setup.

The heater coil is in the bottom of the unit and water will collect down in that area and will rust out the assembly and then fuel runs out around the wiring harness and into the valley

If you get a stuborn and hard to find leak you need to remove the in take manifold.

The engine can be run with this removed. Just blow off any dirt before removing it.

Keep all loose rags or other stuff that can be sucked into the engine away, FAR AWAY.

This will give you a grand view of how things are in the real world down under the manifold.

The fuel feed line to the IP is a molded hose (Factory) and the drain line is just plain fuel hose.

If your fuel filter is found to be the issue I would toss the thing and install a Racor filter up front on a bracket and be done with the mess.

Hope this helps some

Missy Robyn

[JFerg65]

Thanks Robin

Without taking the intake off I wasn't sure what and how the second line hooked to the IP. As I was replacing the front flexible line on the filter housing yesterday, I took a long look at the intake manifold and figured that was the next item to come out in order to address my leak if the front hose replacement didn't do the trick. Doesn't look difficult, just time consuming. Less time than breaking down on the side of the road however.

Well I am back from a 200 plus mile run, and all seems well. I do see the hose going the water drain is damp at the spring clamp where it comes out of the filter housing.

I'm only taking that intake manifold apart once.... hopefully, so I'll be getting a parts list together and get ready for a fuel filter relocation project.

Thanks for the help everybody.

I do have to admit, it was a bit unnerving running down the freeway further and further from the safety of my driveway today. This time all ended well.