Lucky escape yesterday - beastie was nearly just a memory...

[baconsarney]

Beastie had sat in the garage for about two weeks without use, so it was time for a blatt Fired her up, first turn of the key and she burst in to life Left her for a minute or so to settle, then reversed her out of the garage on to the drive... got out to close the garage door, overpowering smell of petrol and a wet trail from the garage across the car port floor out to the drive.... Switched off immediately, lifted bonnet, petrol all round the CF plenum flange... like LOTS...... mopped up immediately with paper kitchen towel, decided no imminent danger so went for a poo. Coz I needed one. So, stone cold this morning, no obvious damage or things out of place with the fueling pipework etc under the bonnet.... no perished hoses or things falling off.... fired her up with my eldest lad hand on ignition ready to switch off whilst I focused on the under-bonnet to identify what must surely be a massive squirt of under pressure fuel spray.... And.... Nothing.... no leaks..... no smell..... WTF? Only difference was bonnet was closed yesterday but not today... What to do? I can't risk driving her without establishing the cause of the massive leak I had yesterday..... Had the petrol yesterday reached the manifolds it would have been game over.....

Any thoughts fellas? Can injectors fail (intermittently) and spray petrol in to the engine bay? Will have to strip the fuel/injection system down I'm guessing but any thoughts welcome....... (Yes extinguisher on hand )

Properly strange, but fecking scary.....

[QBee]

Get it over to Downham Market and let the expert work it out.
Too expensive, financially and emotionally, to do otherwise.
I can bring my trailer over if you need help.
I need to see Mat anyway.

[baconsarney]

Thanks A, won’t be driving it that’s for sure... planning on having a word with Mat on Monday.... just thankful I stopped to close the garage door, if I’d driven straight off it probably would have been catastrophic thanks for offer I’ll let you know mate

Edited by baconsarney on Friday 17th August 19:22

[Tyre Tread]

By your description I'd guess its the fuel supply pipes behind the plenum have perished but quite why the fuel pissed out yesterday but not today can only be about circumstance - how the car was positioned or pressure on the pipes

[Loubaruch]

I used to have the same problem every Spring on first starting the car ( 96 Griffith 500). It turned out to be the copper/rubber hose junction by the side of the gearbox. Even with two fuel hose clamps the problem returned every Spring.

In the end I replaced all the fuel hoses:

http://www.bertram-hill.com/replacing-the-fuel-lin...

That was over 3 years ago and not a problem since.

[N7GTX]

As above, Bacon man. The car has been stood so fuel pressure has dropped away. The rubber pipes have 'relaxed' especially in the recent hot weather. Then all of a sudden there is 40 psi of pressure and this causes the rubber to swell up causing it to leak past the hose clamps. You panic and sh#t yourself (quite rightly imho and nothing to be ashamed of ) and switch off. The pressure drops a little over a short time and the rubber pipes now shrink back a little bit and make a seal once more.
Some new quality fuel pipe and proper fuel pipe clips (not Jubilee/worm drive type) should sort this.

Well, that's my take on it