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little background - 1985 corvette - looked to be daily driver for someone drove it home after purchase with no problems (besides roof panel and headlight motor) ran fine and no puddles in the garage after the drive home - 40 miles approx.
yesterday I took it to the bmv and to get gas short drive and noticed a smell in the garage. I looked under the car to find a fairly large puddle of fluid - clear/yellowish and smelled like fuel. It appeared to be coming down the passenger side frame rail and dripping. The top of the side of the motor was dry - the drivers side did have moisture.
the reason I mention vac leak also is although I did not feel any brake pedal issue on the test drives or the ride home (soft but no real pedal drop) on yesterdays drive while in traffic, at the lights I started to notice the pedal falling. possible booster problem?
could vac leak could be causing both? or separate issues?
obviously with a gas leak I cannot go anywhere - any help would be greatly appreciated.
If like my '84, the fuel line comes up the passenger side frame rail. That is also where the fuel filter lives. My first guess would be a loose fuel filter clamp. Second guess would be a failed rubber fuel line.
Check the brake fluid in the master cylinder. From my experience, a spongy brake pedal is not a vacuum leak but a failure somewhere in the brake hydraulics or air in the system.
maybe a stupid question - but which brake fluid is ok - I know some of the older cars parts did not like synthetics are they ok for the vettes or is that not a good idea?
ok maybe not fuel leak - not sure what this is - large black box on passengers side (I have got to get a manual for this car) has metal lines that come out of the bottom and head to the front of the car - the metal lines have a crimped hose under condensor pump(?) the crimp on the top hose is weeping/leaking - but as it does it is carrying with it some other random sludge build up on the cross member - giving it some unique qualities - is this a heater line ? if so is it very difficult to change?
I did some more looking - the metal line comes out of the bottom of the box with the blue label travels along the inner fender, transitions to the rubber hose in the pic that is leaking, does a u turn back to the motor and then I lose track of it. definitely creates a unique smell and leaks a fair amount.
ok now that I have this conversation going in 10 different directions - I want back under the passengers wheel area - these 2 lines are fuel lines - one goes from the fuel filter and the other I am guessing is a return line. The $200 question - are these one long continuous piece or can I cut out the rubber and replace it?
Is the AC working? Those are AC lines shown in your photos.
thanks- yes it is ok - there are lines under that I was trying to get - the one with a split in it - I believe - the culprit. After I rev the motor a couple of times the flow of gas begins until 1-2 minutes after shut off
I was considering a temporary fix of just the hose portion - I thought I could splice in a new piece until the part arrives - I am looking at classic tube and zap - both about the same and include from tank to rail - has anyone used either before?
1. the rubber line with a crack on it that is crimp fit to the metal line is an ac line. is there leaking from the crack? fluid out the base of Black box with yellow R134a sticker is water. maybe contaminated mouldy water but water. its normal from a correctly functiong ac system.
2. the gas line, take a pic of where you think it is leaking.
3. brakes hard: eirther toasted booster or could also be pads/rotor. i had to clean rotors with brake clean and use sandpaper on pads to get fresh surface on pads. place paper on flat surface and grind away a thin pad layer. worked great.
spongy pedal, air in line. need to bleed. air could be getting in or maybe previous owner did a botched bleed and let air in. need to bleed to see what results are. if air comes back, u have hole somewhere.
i used dot4. no name brand. brakes are incredible now.
Last edited by VikingTrad3r; 07-26-2016 at 08:48 PM.
1. the rubber line with a crack on it that is crimp fit to the metal line is an ac line. is there leaking from the crack? fluid out the base of Black box with yellow R134a sticker is water. maybe contaminated mouldy water but water. its normal from a correctly functiong ac system.
2. the gas line, take a pic of where you think it is leaking.
3. brakes hard: eirther toasted booster or could also be pads/rotor. i had to clean rotors with brake clean and use sandpaper on pads to get fresh surface on pads. place paper on flat surface and grind away a thin pad layer. worked great.
spongy pedal, air in line. need to bleed. air could be getting in or maybe previous owner did a botched bleed and let air in. need to bleed to see what results are. if air comes back, u have hole somewhere.
i used dot4. no name brand. brakes are incredible now.
thanks
I am going to bleed them first - I looked at the fluid today and it looks black - I am not sure as it has been a few years since I have done work on any brakes, but I do not remember black fluid. dot 4 - does it matter synthetic or not?
I will look at the line again, but I was pretty sure that it traced back the the fuel filter - but all the back and forth I could have lost track the smell is very much like gas and everything I can see above looks very dry
brake fluid should be clear. mine was black too. no matter syn or not unless u r racing or autocrossing
if its gas its gas u would know. take a pic of the line where its leaking.
you can find fuel line rubber with basic hose clamps. my small engines all use these but the are not pressurized systems. you may wany to flair the metal ends so the rubber has grab with the clamps. if its small, might take to shop who can SAFELY deal with the fuel. bbbeeeeeeeee cccaaaarrrreeeeffffuuuulllll
around fuel. have extinguisher right beside u.
i swapped my fuel filter and got drenched in 2 cups of gas
I am going to bleed them first - I looked at the fluid today and it looks black - I am not sure as it has been a few years since I have done work on any brakes, but I do not remember black fluid. dot 4 - does it matter synthetic or not?
The main thing is not to use silicone fluid. It's incompatible with the ABS system (causes cavitation when ABS is active).
07-26-2016, 10:11 AM
fuel leak - vac leak?
