Leaking diesel or gasoline is a very serious problem. How to behave in such a situation?
A fuel leak is usually very easy to identify because of the characteristic, intense smell. However, it should be remembered that the sense of smell becomes accustomed to odors very quickly, so the driver may simply not notice the problem. An additional clue should be the unusually fast depletion of fuel from the tank
A proven way to identify the liquid is to place the car on a sheet of paper. By laying out the stains, it will be very easy to locate the part where the failure occurred. The fluid does not necessarily have to flow directly onto the sheets. It may be that it is dripping down the fuel tanks, for example. Usually, this will be visible to the naked eye, because there will be characteristic traces in the form of a trickle
Fuel leaks are very dangerous, so attempts should be made to locate the fault until they are successful. Quickly identifying and informing your mechanic can significantly improve the work of the specialists, and thus reduce repair time.
Fuel can leak from various parts of the car, including through injector seals and fuel lines. It may be useful to know the structure of our car – certainly this will facilitate the search for the problem and its cause.
Fuel is an extremely flammable substance, so in case of even a small leak appropriate precautions should be taken. First and foremost, avoid fire, as the smallest spark or cigarette butt can cause a fire. Fuel vapors are also carcinogenic, so inhalation should be kept to a minimum.
One of the most common causes of fuel leaks is a damaged tank. If you are unsure about this, use the previously discussed method using white sheets of paper. It is important that the paper is properly weighted, as even the slightest gust of wind can impede the search. Bricks or stones, as well as other heavy objects, can be useful. If after a few hours we find characteristic greasy stains on sheets of paper with an unpleasant smell, we can be sure about the nature of the substance.
Damaged fuel tank should be removed from the car for repair. However, before that you need to drain the entire contents. You will need an open-ended wrench, which will unscrew the drain plug of the tank. Before the fuel is poured out, it is necessary to put a sufficiently capacious, preferably metal bucket. It is extremely important to carry out the entire operation with extreme caution
In this case, you need to find a suitable cable connecting the tank with the fuel pump. Typically, these lines are connected to the so-called outlet port, located in the lower part of the tank.
In both cases, the fuel, which will already be in the metal vessel, should be poured into a special, tightly sealed canister as soon as possible. When the whole process is successful, you can proceed to remove the tank from the car.
The cause of leakage from the injection pump are usually defective seals. Replacement set of o-rings is the cost of several to several dozen PLN, while the repair can pay up to several hundred PLN. The discrepancy is due to the fact that such operations can perform only the best specialists. Injection pump is a very important part of the car, so giving it in the hands of inexperienced people will bring more harm than good. This can result in ignition problems and improper engine operation.
Fuel leakage can also be caused by a damaged fuel filter, or more precisely, its housing. In this situation the only solution is to buy a new element. Various types of repairs will not guarantee proper operation due to very high fuel pressure.
In most cases, a fuel leak in the car is associated with the need for servicing. Admittedly, the cost of repairs can effectively deter, but the most important thing should be the safety of users. Improvisation and makeshift solutions will not solve the problem, and can only do harm. Responsible use of the car is a guarantee of smooth and trouble-free driving.
