Ever since replacing the fuel pump some weeks back, I’ve been troubled with a small but persistent fuel leak. The first pump I put on actually developed a crack in the housing. Removed, returned and replaced that one, only to have the next one drip, probably from one of the fittings.
Replacement pumps available from the national chains are pretty generic and come with no fittings installed. To get the right inlet and outlet, it seems inevitable that you’ll end up with a stack of adapters, each a potential leak point. Gasoline is pretty clear and it was impossible to see exactly where the leak originated.
Tightening the connections while the pump was in the car didn’t help much, though I did discover that if the car is parked nose up on an incline, the leak will stop. Apparently, it only needs the pressure of the gas in the tank to start dripping.
Yesterday, I took the pump down to Royal Brass (a local specialist in fittings and hydraulics in general. They have rescued me more than once in the past.) In this case, I explained the problem and they came up with a couple of fittings that eliminated the need for adapters. Total cost, $4.
Today, I’ll put the pump back together and reinstall it. Yep, getting pretty good with this task, too.
At the other end of the system, the engine has at least one exhaust leak. I ordered a couple of heat shields (gaskets), new bolts and lock washers for the exhaust manifolds, but this is a job I’m not going to attempt myself. Next week, the plan is to drop it at a local shop and let them seal up the manifold and inspect the rest of the exhaust tubing.