3.8 Litre Fuel Leak, Danger! Please Help!
 

My wife owns a 1996 Pontiac Bonneville that has sat for 2 months because the water pump was out. After it was fixed I had to charge Battery to get it to start because of it sitting for so long. Now I have a Fuel leak on the back of engine in the center of the fuel rail behind vavle cover and fuel is coming from a black looking vavle with a large vacum hose attached that's about a 3/8's OD in size and comes from the firewall along with another hose of same size.

Please! What is this (Vavle?) called and can I get it from my local parts store?
Oh! I did check the Fuel regulator and found no leaking fuel from vacum Hose to indicate bad regulator.

Please Help as I'm Disabled and definitely not a Mechanic and the wife needs her car ASAP!

Thank You!

Sounds like the fuel supply or return lines. Are they shiny plastic? They have a white plastic part right where it hooks to the metal?

Those are sealed with an o-ring. Disconnect the battery and squeeze the white part on both sides and pull the black part off the metal. Fuel is going to come out.

Hi! Damemorder

No the peice is a Flat Black with no white at all but it does connect straight onto a down pipe and into Fuel line!
When I push down on part it leaks fuel out all around the metal where conected!
I'll Try to get some pics in the daylight! :lol:

Your description sounds like a fuel supply or return hose where it attaches with quick-release fittings to the fuel rail itself. Black plastic, but with little white plastic tabs on the fuel rail side?

Thanks Guys

It's just about light enough out side to see what i'm doing!
If I can get the part off can I find the O-rings at my local auto parts Store?

Mike:
Take the part in with you so they can match up a correct o-ring.
Better yet, go to a GM parts dealer. Trying to match the o-ring by size only might be deceiving due to shrinkage.
A GM dealer should be able to look up and supply the correct one that will not be broken down by gasoline.
You don't want to have to go through this again!

Adam

If it's what I think it is, you can't take the part with you. It's one end of a fuel line that terminates at the fuel tank in the back of the car. Getting those 0-rings out of them is going to be tricky.

Doesn't the o-ring stay on the male side? mine did...

The O ring is manufactured inside the female side. If the o ring and plastic retainer insert stay on the male side.. they can be put back into the female side...

If not put together properly before putting the two ends back together it will fight. This is caused by the retainer insert not being clicked into the female side properly.

It's fixed! :D

I went to 2 dealers and 3 auto parts stores and they couldn't find the O-rings and one dealer said I'd have to buy a new Complete Fuel Line so I matched them up at an old Country Hardware Store.
It was a pain getting the new O-rings in place but I have NO More Leaks ! :bouncingsmiles:



Thanks Guys!

Mike:
Just a question: Did you tell the hardware store they were for fuel?
If they supplied EPDM type o-rings, the fuel will break down the material, and you will have leaks again.
I work for Bosch Rexroth (yes, sort of the same Bosch that makes parts our cars don't like, only I work for the hydraulics division) and I've seen first hand what catastrophies the wrong type of o-ring can cause.

Viton or Buna will be fine. You might want to call the hardware store and make sure they did NOT supply EPDM.

Sincerely,
"Lord of the O-Rings",
Adam

Hello! BillBoost37

I removed the O-Rings with a pick from the female side,the clip stayed on the male or tubing.
There were 2 o-rings, a Yellow one in the innermost part of the female part, and a Orange o-ring that was further to the outside,they were Hell to get in and it took three attempts but I Got It! :lol:

For future info the O-rings were RA#12 at the hardware store!

Thanks Again!

I'll stress something that has been mentioned here already...

MAKE SURE THE O-RINGS ARE RATED FOR FUEL. This is a SERIOUS FIRE HAZARD potential.

Hi! guys

I did get O-rings that are rated for fuel lines!
I live in the Country and the Hardware Store is also a Hugh old Style Auto Parts, Like we all used to have before the Discount Auto Zones and Hi-Low-OReilly's.
The guys their actually know what they're talking about and took the time to Match up the O-rings for me!
Oh! That # was BA 12 not RA, I think :? . Oh Well, it's fixed. ;)


Thank for all the info and Help!

Like mentioned and you've confirmed.. We can't stress enough to all that might read this thread about ensuring the o-rings used in the fuel lines are made for fuel.

Most o-rings would be slowly eaten away by the gasoline and then a pressure leak would occur, spraying fuel all over a hot engine and exhaust.

In this case, fuel o-rings were gotten at the Auto/Hardware store.

Glad to hear you were able to get it fixed up and back on the road.