21 replies to this topic

[natho]

Hi all, Recently I've noticed that when the weather is cold, the car is cold, and the heater is on, I get a strong fuel smell. It disappears after the car has warmed up. A bit of searching has revealed that this is a common problem on 02-03 subarus, not just libertys, and is usually caused by loose clamps on the fuel lines! On my car, having a bit of a smell around the engine when its cold and idling, I discovered the smell is coming from around the location of the coolant header tank. Is it possible to get to the fuel hoses without removing the whole inlet manifold? It's a MY02 B4. Thanks.

[alexGT]

fuel hoses are bolted to the inlet manifold on most models... there are pretty easy to see. check the clamps on the fuel pressure regulator and fuel filter. if you dont know where they are take a photo of your engine bay and ill point them out.

[Chadza]

Fuel filter is in the tank, so its not from there! natho, I feel your pain mate. I had this exact same problem a bit under 12 months ago. (Twice) and I think it has returned in a different spot just recently too. First time- It was the rubber fuel lines that run directly underneath the centre part of the manifold. These are fuel return lines from the drivers side fuel rail. They had perished and were leaking around the clamps. Subaru were able to access these after taking off the alternator. Second time- Fuel leak coming from around the fuel regulator. To access that area the manifold has to be taken off. I got subaru to do this as it was above my competence level (A LOT has to be taken off to get the manifold off!) Turned out to be a busted regulator. Ended up fitting a second hand regulator as Subaru don't have access to new regulators for B4's. Also no other subaru regulator is compatible with the B4 TT engine. As I said before, I think i have another small fuel leak again. Its once again coming from around the regulator and annoyingly, it doesn't look like the subaru mechs replaced the fuel lines leading to and from the regulator as they look very perished. I know this doesn't paint a great picture for you, but if the fuel smell disappears when the engine is warm, then it is likely to be a minor leak as the amount of fuel escaping is being evaporated from the engine bay heat. As alexx said- can you take a picture of the location you think the leak is coming from and we may be able to give you an idea of which line/s it could be.

[alexGT]

Fuel filter is in the tank, so its not from there!

natho, I feel your pain mate. I had this exact same problem a bit under 12 months ago. (Twice) and I think it has returned in a different spot just recently too.

First time- It was the rubber fuel lines that run directly underneath the centre part of the manifold. These are fuel return lines from the drivers side fuel rail. They had perished and were leaking around the clamps. Subaru were able to access these after taking off the alternator.

Second time- Fuel leak coming from around the fuel regulator. To access that area the manifold has to be taken off. I got subaru to do this as it was above my competence level (A LOT has to be taken off to get the manifold off!) Turned out to be a busted regulator. Ended up fitting a second hand regulator as Subaru don't have access to new regulators for B4's. Also no other subaru regulator is compatible with the B4 TT engine.

As I said before, I think i have another small fuel leak again. Its once again coming from around the regulator and annoyingly, it doesn't look like the subaru mechs replaced the fuel lines leading to and from the regulator as they look very perished.

I know this doesn't paint a great picture for you, but if the fuel smell disappears when the engine is warm, then it is likely to be a minor leak as the amount of fuel escaping is being evaporated from the engine bay heat.

As alexx said- can you take a picture of the location you think the leak is coming from and we may be able to give you an idea of which line/s it could be.

sorry, i thought all models up until the 05 got the filter in the engine bay next to the strut tower!

[natho]

thanks for the replies. i can't remember the exact spot but i smelt it strongest in the highlighted section in the attached picture. has anyone had luck getting subaru to fix this for free? if not it looks like it's inlet manifold off. not above my competency thankfully, but the subaru setup looks a lot more complicated than the average car!

Attached Files

•  fuelleak.jpg   61.04KB   27 downloads

[Chadza]

In that area the only thing it could be is a fuel line leak around a join/clamp (likely) or a fuel injector (unlikely). Have you got a factory service manual? I think there is on on this site in pdf format. Get a hold of that and take a look at the fuel line setup, go in with a torch and see if you can see exactly which line is seeping fuel. It helps having a mental picture of the lines from the service manual exploded diagrams. IMHO you will have buckleys chance of getting subaru to do any work on it for free. They have acknowledged its a common problem yes, but its out of warranty so you'll be up for the whole cost. They charged me 6 hours labour for the whole job. Its my one gripe with the boxer design, they shove everything under the manifold where its hard to get to!

[natho]

Yep I've gotthe factory service manual, and gone out with a torch to look around. So far can't see anything. I might take the alternator off and have a look in there at some point. Taking the inlet manifold off doesn't scare me but I'd hate to have to do that "just" for replacing a hose!! Only reason I asked about it being fixed for free is that that's how Subaru do it in th US as it's a voluntary recall. Maybe now is a good time for a single turbo conversion!!

[CodeBurn3r]

Charcoal canister! just a thought but im pretty sure its meant to filter excess fuel from after the car is turned off and when turning it on the pressure might be pushing out the excess fuel thats sitting in the filter. my gen1 was having a fuel smell on startup and it turned out to be the hose was loose on the canister. it should be on the drivers side just next to the timing belt cover mounted to the side of the engine bay.

[B4TT]

Light a match to it and watch were the flame is burning from ....... you may not have a car afterwards but at least you'll know where the leak is coming from haha. Oh I find it extremely hard to believe Subaru don't have access to a new Fuel pressure regulator for the B4's, I have been able to source nearly anything for mine, long as you have the funds and patience you'll get it.

[natho]

Charcoal canister!

just a thought but im pretty sure its meant to filter excess fuel from after the car is turned off and when turning it on the pressure might be pushing out the excess fuel thats sitting in the filter.

my gen1 was having a fuel smell on startup and it turned out to be the hose was loose on the canister.

it should be on the drivers side just next to the timing belt cover mounted to the side of the engine bay.

charcoal canister has the vapours from the fuel tank going through it, not fuel itself. i'm pretty sure there's a fuel leak as my fuel economy is "worse" now than it used to be, so fuel leaking is likely.

[natho]

i wonder if these hoses are the ones that are leaking. crazy that there's two small fuel hoses right in the middle of the manifold!

Attached Files

•  hoses.gif   50.29KB   23 downloads

[Chadza]

Yep they were the ones that were the problem the first time for me. As you say, weird spot to put 2 5cm long rubber fuel hoses!

[natho]

looks like i've got a fun day ahead pic below shows what it looks like after removing alternator an turning ignition on to let the fuel pump prime. hoses were dry to start with. thankfully my alarm isn't being difficult - after disconnecting and reconnecting the battery it went into valet mode, and after 10 starts it just accepted the normal code.

Attached Files

•  fuelleak.jpg   130.87KB   21 downloads

[RX25SE]

Manifold off? Looking at the pics, I'd have a go just as they are.

[natho]

hoping to do it as is. if the manifold comes off then i'll convert to parallel rails and put on some silicon hoses for the intercooler, which means waiting a week or so for parts to arrive.

[Chadza]

How considerate for the last person (probably mr subaru assembly worker) to put the heads of the clamp screws FACING DOWN. Its always the way. Im removing the A/C compressor to get to my leaking hoses on monday. Hopefully replacing them will stop the leak and its not the fuel reg.

[natho]

have fun removing the a/c compressor. it's a tight fit. looks like the distance between the two lines is about 4mm. i know this now that i've cut off the front hose. as for the screws facing down... they were loose enough that this didn't matter, i turned the end of the screw with pliers for a turn or so then could rotate them around and use a screwdriver. looks like i'm going to have to remove the drivers side fuel rail to get the movement i need.

[natho]

its done! was a total pain, and had to unbolt the drivers side fuel rail to get enough movement to get the hoses in. no visible leaks or fuel smell any more. hope thats it sorted!

[RX25SE]

WIN

[B4TT]

good stuff bro!. always good when shit works