I have an '07 MCS hardtop that just starting spraying gasoline all over the engine bay. I really don't know how long I've been driving like that but I did notice a wet spots under the car this past Friday and today after work but I thought it was just the air conditioning. Everything seemed normal except that it was running a tiny bit rough for about a month. And when I say a tiny bit rough I mean it would drop 100-200 rpm's for about half a second every now and then in idle. I parked the car for about 2 hours and when I tried to start it again it wouldn't get going. I smelled gas and opened the hood and saw gas everywhere and a small hose by the high pressure fuel pump was loose and leaking pretty bad. (I think that is fuel line for the HPFP). I pushed it back in but I'm scared that it still could be loose or I can damage it more and blow up haha. I didn't get any error codes on my tach either so maybe that a good sign. So do y'all think it's safe to drive? And what would be the fix, if any, and is it expensive. I really hope not because I'm on a tight budget for the month. Thank you guys in advance! Here is a picture with the hose clipped back in.

 

Here I am trying to point at it. It's the bottom fuel line.

 

Was your HPFP replaced? The reason I ask is that I had some work done at MINI on my oil solenoid and a hose was left barely attached on my vacuum pump. It finally popped off and I got strange engine noises. I attached the hose properly myself and since then have had no issues. Perhaps things were put together poorly if you did have that pump replaced? If so you may be OK now.

 

You really don't want to drive the car that way. Gasoline spraying all around an engine bay that has hot components in it (especially the exhaust!!) is a recipe for fire. FIRE BAD!!!

If you aren't confident that you can fix it correctly so it doesn't happen again, have the car towed to a good independent mechanic or to the dealer. Or, as JR says, if the HPFP was replaced somewhat recently, talk to the place that did the work and let them know that it looks like they got something wrong, in a potentially very bad way.

 

So I was able to inspect the fuel line a little more with the proper light, and I saw that the connecter at the end of the fuel line by the HPFP had bits of plastic and was broken. I don't think any got inside the fuel pump itself so that's good. I'm not going to start it and looks like an easy fix. I haven't yet changed the HPFP and when I called the dealer they said it could be failing so they will replace it if it is indeed failing. The thing that worries me now is that when I checked the engine bay today I found that the coolant reservoir was empty, so I don't know what that could mean. I check it weakly if not every other day because I'm paranoid about the oil level. Well thank you all for the replies so far!

 

It's possible somebody pinched the connector too hard breaking the release mechanism, see that plastic on both sides of the fuel line attachment when proper force is applied to each side it releases from the HPFP. Only one side actually pushes in so if someone pushed in the the wrong end that would explain the broken plastic, I believe the side that pushes in is on the passenger side and not the drivers side. Now if somebody messed with it before and pushed too hard on the plastic release that could be why it's broken.

Look at picture number #6, Remove the fuel line. here

 

Just an update on my MINI. I took it to the dealer just so they can check if there were any other things that were related to the fuel line connection comings loose. So there's good news and of course bad news. Turns out it was just the fuel line quick release that was old and worn. They replaced that. They also found a coolant leak by the thermostats housing, which is the bad news. So the car runs a lot better and the RPM's are a lot smoother except I'm loosing about a quart of coolant every drive. I'm making sure I don't drive too much and am keeping an eye on the coolant level. I wish I didn't have to drive the car until I can get it fixed but it's my daily driver. I really didn't want to fork over $650 to get that changed so I've decided to tackle the job myself. I found a great thread and a YouTube video so hopefully everything turns out great! Wish me luck! It'll be my first major DIY. I will for sure label hoses and connections. The only thing that I'm not too sure about is the process for refilling the coolant but I'll look up more stuff. If y'all have any tips I would more than appreciate it! Thanks!

 

Just keep those bunch of wires (ECU wiring) dry while your changing out the thermostat housing. Good luck but I'm sure you'll tackle it with no problem.