Author Topic: Little fuel leaks  (Read 2053 times)

July 06, 2008, 11:07:32 pm

Infinitrium

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Little fuel leaks
« on: July 06, 2008, 11:07:32 pm »
I've got a few small fuel leaks I need to get sorted out. The first one is around the number #1 injector. It looks like the 2 parts of the injector body, or halfway down the injector itself, is a little wet with fuel. I can have the enginwe running and rev it up and I don't see any leaks, but there's always a bit of fuel on the injector. My other little leak is coming from the top and bottom lines on the rear of the injector pump, the top and bottom line closest to the head. There's a little wetness around the lines where they thread into the pump. Again, if I have the engine running and rev it I don't see any fuel leaking out, but there is fuel oozing out from those 2 lines, enough that it's running down onto one of the cooling system hoses. How do I fix those leaks? Would I be able to fix the leaky lines at the injector pump by tightening them up a bit?

Reply #1July 07, 2008, 12:00:55 am

Quantum TD

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Little fuel leaks
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2008, 12:00:55 am »
Replace all your fuel return lines (rubber hoses) with some GOOD quality hose (i.e. not the crap they sell at autozone, napa, advance). Then, blast the whole area with brake cleaner, then, compressed air.  You'll see quite clearly where the leak is coming from at that point, if it's still leaking at all.

As for the pump leaks: those distribution pipe rarely leak. Chances are, your pump needs a whole reseal/rebuil if it hasn't been done in the past year. You could always replace the copper washers on the dist. pipes. But I'm fairly confident your leak is from above (throttle shaft cover) or another one of the rubber seals. Fairly common on old IDI pump. Find red---rider on ebay. He reseals for CHEAP.

Reply #2July 07, 2008, 11:49:14 am

Infinitrium

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Little fuel leaks
« Reply #2 on: July 07, 2008, 11:49:14 am »
Ahh crap, that sounds expensive.

Reply #3July 07, 2008, 12:00:40 pm

Quantum TD

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Little fuel leaks
« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2008, 12:00:40 pm »
Well, the rubber hoses are pretty cheap (like $3 per foot, and you need 2 feet). The brake cleaner is also cheap.

I just worked on a truck that had pretty good-looking return hoses, but the tops of the injectors were all wet with fuel. It looked like the distribution pipes. I replaced the return hoses, washed it down. And: no more leaks.

But, these older pumps tend to start leaking with the use of the new ULSD fuel. If you find it's your pump that is leaking, then you can try to reseal it yourself (some good tips here and on vwdiesel.net), or send it out to red---rider on ebay (located in NC). He reseals them for $115 USD, and he's done about 5 for me: no problems. Shipping it from Canada might be a small issue.

If you do it yourself, get a Bosch DGK 26 kit at your local diesel shop, and buy the input shaft seal separtely (not included in the kit).