Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Fuel leak

Hi,

Car:
1995 Contour LX
V6 ATX
153k KM

Primary issue:

- passenger cabin began to smell of unburned gas while driving this evening
- no apparent performance issues while driving
- car drips gas
- dripping stops after the car has been turned off for roughly 20 mins -- maybe less than that
- gas drips from car on the passenger side behind the front wheel along side an exhaust pipe, possibly next to the catalytic converter (unsure as I'm a newbie)

I'm unable to look directly under the car, but I was able to reach under and feel where the gas was dropping from the car (which may not be the source of the leak). I'm unable to identify the area, but I believe it's next to the catalytic converter towards the passenger side.

I reached into this area with my hand and felt wet fabric of some sort doused in gas and surrounded loosely by thin metal, perhaps pan-like. It felt as if there was some loose/corroded metal, but I was unable to pull out any via gentle tugging.

As the leak appears to have stopped, I'm going to leave it for the night and take it into a garage tomorrow.

I'm hoping somebody can provide some ideas/thoughts on the issue before I bring it in tomorrow.

Other Issue:
- CEL comes on intermittently when driving 120+ km/h, always turns off before stopping
- CEL issue doesn't occur all the time, more likely to occur when the roads are wet
- CEL issue has occurred since I started driving this car in November. Ford Fastlane didn't seem concerned so it has gone unchecked

Thanks.

Could be coming from your exhaust Y pipe, I had mine off and it was soaked with a fuel/oil mixture. I had EGR related problems with mine.

Have a garage check your fuel line asap. If unburned gas drips on your exhaust line, it could start a fire. Hot pipe and combustable liquid do not mix well.

Get AutoZone to check the codes for free. Unless someone has disconnected the battery and cleared the codes they should still show up even if the CEL isn't on.

Actually, with your car being a 95, you can check the code yourself.. search on CEG for the way to check an OBD-I car with a jumper wire or paperclip, to get the CEL to flash to code to you. You can at least do that without driving the car anymore, which could prove to be VERY dangerous.

Have your car looked at, or look at it yourself, ASAP.



Ray

I took the car to the garage today. Issue is that the fuel lines are corroded. The material that I felt was the exhaust shielding which is drenched in gas. Upon further inspection, we found that the break lines are extremely corroded and need to be replaced.

To have the the break and fuel lines (fuel/pressure/return) replaced end to end will be $500cdn parts and labour. This also includs braces for the gas tank which are corroded.

To all those who have responded, thank you for your feedback.