bobjohnson

So i just got done replacing the fuel filter, it took forever since it was the STOCK fuel filter (cars got about 150k miles on it now, the fuel in there came out like muddy water) and all the bolts were rusted and tight as hell. I finally managed to get it done though, but when i went to prime the fuel pump to check for leaks, it leaked from the line coming from the tank! I followed the service manual exactly, replaced the washers, and tightened all the bolts to spec, so i went back, removed them, tightened them again and then the other side leaked instead...

So i was pretty frustrated, and couldnt figure out why it was leaking. Then i noticed the new washers that came with the new fuel filter were slightly bigger than the ones that came off, so even though you arent supposed to reuse the washers, i figured what the hell, it cant be any worse. And it wasnt, infact, it snugged up nicer, bolt went in easier, but it still was leaking a bit. So i said [freak] the torque specs and tightened the bolts as tight as they would go, both banjo bolts and the service bolt, and the leaking stopped. So i took it for a test drive, around the block a few times, revving it out to see if it fixed my jerking problem (it did).

When i got back, i popped the hood, and noticed that the line coming from the tank looked like it had a slight bit of fuel around it. I pressed my finger to it but there wasnt even enough to seep onto my finger. Its not leaking down around the part the bolt goes through, its just kind of sitting in the lip between the line and the washer under the banjo bolt.

Anyway, my question is why the [freak] did this happen? Should i be worried that it looks damp? I followed all the specs in the manual, did all the steps exactly, and it didnt work. I didnt notice any problems on the test drive so i assume its not leaking that bad to cause a loss of fuel pressure.

If anyone can help me out id really appreciate it. Id rather not be driving down the road and have my car catch fire because it started leaking fuel.

ef_hatchback

are u sure when u took it off, there wasn't a little bit of gas that came out and dripped down the line...

bobjohnson

There might have been, but wouldnt it have evaporated by the time i took the test drive? I was also thinking maybe that gas was sitting under the lip and then when i was driving it flowed down onto the steel fitting.

The only reason im really worried is because of the fact that it leaked a lot when i did everything by spec, and now ive done it the lazy way (reused the washers, tightened the bolts as tight as possible with hand tools), and it "seems" to be leaking a bit. Honestly you would think it would be the other way around....

Although, i read some other threads and apparently the type of washers that should be in there are crush washers, the ones that came out were definately not, so i guess the filter has been replaced at least once before. The washers that came off and the ones im currently using were solid steel, which is why i dont see any harm in using them again... The new ones that didnt work were copper crush washers though.

nihad

iTrader: (2)

make sure it tight and make sure you installed the crush washers in there shouldn't be a leak it shouldn't be hard to fix.

bobjohnson

I did use the crush washers and they didnt work. I tried to snug it up more, but it was spraying out fuel when i primed the pump no matter what i did. I put the other steel washers back in and it helped it a lot, but i realise now its still leaking a bit.

I think im going to give up and just take it to have it fixed tomorrow. If this was any problem other than fuel, id try to fix it myself, but i need the car for monday, and since theres a good possibility my car will catch on fire with fuel leaking into the bay, ill just have someone else who knows exactly what theyre doing fix it for me.

nihad

iTrader: (2)

well with gas at 4$ a gallon you dont want any leaking any ways i think if you just put all the crush washers back it shouldnt leak explain to me where it comming from the top of the filter did you tighten the 10mm bolt on top and did you put the washer under that.

pandarex

iTrader: (1)

same thing happened to me. it seems the washers they give you are way to thin for the bolt to tighten down on. after the fuel stream shooting from my filter i just put the old washers on and worked like a charm.

91greenbeast

make sure copper gaskets are in proper place.

bobjohnson

Ok im going to draw some pictures because its hard to explain.



The blue arrow points to where it was leaking when i used the new crush washers. It was spraying out all over the place. The other side didnt leak at all. I tried to tighten it up, but it couldnt be tightened any more.





In that picture the blue arrow points to where its leaking now, after i put the steel washers back in. Again i tried tightening it as hard as i can, but it still leaks a little bit. At an idle, it will eventually build up enough over 5 minutes to just drip down over the metal part of the fuel line, but when youre driving it the leak is so slow that the gas will evaporate from the heat of the engine before you can really see it.


I think the problem is the copper washers i got with the new fuel filter were the wrong size, using them, the bolts were pretty hard to even start threading, but they were also much wider than the steel washers. But the steel washers had a bit of corrosion on them, which is why i dont think theyre making a perfect seal.

But im not really comfortable tearing back into it at this point. If i didnt need this car to get to work tomorrow id probably go out and buy all new bolts and new washers from honda or autozone, but since i cant afford to have this car off the road, im going to take it in to have it fixed.

Plus that way if it catches on fire after that, i have someone else to blame

bobjohnson

Well, i took it in, only cost me 40 bucks to get fixed... the bolts and the lines were apparently too corroded to make a good seal. They threw new bolts in there and it doesnt leak at all now.

Knowing that, i would have done it, but before anyone is like "Why didnt you just do it!?" i wasnt sure what the problem was and i didnt want to [freak] around when it comes to fuel leaking into the engine bay.

whiteformula98

Did the same to me...I just switched the bolts around

88DXCRX

In my experiance,most aftermarket fuel filters come with
"cheesey washers".. The OEM ones are a lot thicker..

In most cases,aftermarket are copper and OEM are thick aluminum
like utilized for brake line connections.