I’ve got a fuel leak in the engine bay of my R53. It looks like it’s coming from the fuel tank vent valve, is there anything else near there to check?

it only leaks when running.

I’ve ordered a replacement valve, I figure I’ll check the lines, I haven’t messed with it in a few months, but I do take that valve off some times when working on that side of the car.

if the leak is coming from the connection, does anyone know if there are o-rings that go in the lines?

 

well update for funsies, it's not the fuel vent valve leaking, I was going to try and limp it home, but I started it in the work parking garage and saw a significant amount of fuel from somewhere under the intercooler, might be the first fuel injector o-ring, or might be the fuel line that has been rubbed by the lines to my oil catch can.

I decided not to drive it given the risk of fire, especially given the proximity to the alternator. So I'm torn between getting it towed to a shop and trying to fix it in the parking garage. We'll see, I don't think ti's going to be a super complicated fix, but annoying and always has the risk of going badly with the whole fuel and fire thing.

 

Doesn’t take much time to pull the intercooler. Does it leak with just the key on or running? You will get a maf code if you start it with the intercooler off.

 

Maf? Gen1 does not have a MAF, only 2 MAP sensors.

But pulling the intercooler isnt hard work and perfectly doable. For instance check here around 2:17

 

Lol. I’ve been on turbo cars too much. Yes MAP.

 

only leaks with the car running, I turned the key and looked and didn't see a leak.

I'm thinking I will take some tools with me tomorrow and pull the intercooler and see what I can find. i'll probably remove the catch can I've been meaning to remove, but didn't want to pull the intercooler for. I'm hoping that I get lucky and it's just an injector O-ring that has dried up and finally cracked with our subzero temps lately, and not a hole in the fuel line. It looks like the subframe has to come down/off to replace the fuel line, and I just had a new clutch put in in june, so I'd really like to not have to drop the subframe again for a $40 fuel line


Other than the MAF code, are there any risks of damage with starting it without the intercooler on?

 

Starting it would be ok, as no boost is being build at that moment (as the BPV is open). Only risk I can see is sucking in dirt. As long as you are not driving without the intercooler, I don't see any big risks.

 

Well it turned out that the number 1 fuel injector was leaking through the weep hole and spraying fuel all over the engine bay. The mechanic honestly sounded a little scared when he called me to tell me. A new injector, and new orings for all of them and it's good as new. It's rare for me to have someone else work on my car, and towing it was a first, but I think it was the right call. I think my odds of breaking a plastic clip in the 5 degree parking garage was pretty high, and driving it would have been unwise given the possibility of fire. So more expensive than I would have liked, but it's water under the bridge now. Also I did crank it for just a second with the intercooler off, that noise was wild!

 

Good to hear that the culprit was something relatively small. And good judgement call, the chance of external combustion was pretty high