engine and drivetrain Help With 5/16" Fuel/pcv/ Hose And Fuel Leak In Engine Bay

[golf73]

filled up my tank and drove about 30 miles home. fuel smell more pungent than usual. parked and came back to notice small puddle of fuel under the engine and under the hood, fuel on the battery and surrounding areas. noticed a loose 5/16 hose sticking up at the front between the battery and the radiator/alternator area. it has a white coating/film on the inside. can't figure out where the hose is suppose to go. connects to a hard line that runs under the car on the drivers side near the edge of the body underneath. not sure where it goes? return line to the tank? there is a fuel line that looks like it could be replaced but by the position of this stray hose i'm pretty sure it came from it. car runs fine otherwise! i need to hook this up where it;s supposed to go so i can get to work tomorrow. i have a stock engine with a weber 32/36. any ideas? some pics attached, some from underneath the battery to show where it meets the hard line.

[Rocan]

yes, fuel return line. I recommend replacing all of your fuel line and all of the hose clamps as well. use the proper beveled edge hose clamps, they are far less likely to cut into the fuel line and cause a leak. 

[dbmw2002]

Originaly your car came with a fuel return line valve mounted near the carberator, with a webber you dont really need one if all is good with carb, I use this line to vent the gas tank via the charcoal cannister under the hood, removing and plugging the vent in trunk, you need to vent your tank, one can be removed and plugged, your choice. Probably not a good idea to fill your tank all the way to the top until entire system is troubleshot and fixed.

Edited October 9, 2013 by dbmw2002

[FunkyLaneO]

That is your old fuel return line, since the return valve appears to have been removed go ahead and cap that line, you can stick a 3/8" bolt in there for the time being and put a hose clamp on it (use a longer bolt that has a smooth shoulder so you can get a good seal), it is not safe to drive with it open as gas will flow out of there when the tank is full (as you have already learned).  It would not make a very good vent line as it sits too low in the fuel system and would allow raw fuel to escape and potentially cause a fire hazard.  Your stock fuel venting system is actually a very good system and is not detrimental to how your car runs (unlike the rest of the emissions equipment) so I would leave that intact and cap off your return line. 

 

In the future if you want a project you can re-purpose that return line as the fuel supply line since it runs outside the car and is metal as opposed to the plastic one inside the car, some people feel that is safer since the original plastic lines are now 40 or so years old. I have never had any problems with my original line though.

 

Edit: after you cap it make sure it cannot bounce around and hit the positive terminal of your battery, sparks would be bad! you may want to cut the hose down so the bolt is below the battery, a cover for you battery terminal wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Edited October 9, 2013 by FunkyLaneO

[golf73]

Thanks guys, and FunkyLaneO, fellow Golfie, in particular, with the response I was hoping for! I'll replace one fuel line that looks a bit old and trim and plug up that return line. I had JP at A1 remove all my old loose, broken and rattling emissions crap a few weeks ago when the car was there for some tuning and guibo replacement. I'll bet that the line didn't go directly to the carb but to something he removed, and it's likely he forgot to plug the return line up.  I'll report back if I'm still having issues. In the meantime, I have a fire extinguisher handy in my center console in case an engine fire arises.

[FunkyLaneO]

No Problem, the line originally went to a vacuum actuated bypass valve that sat between your fuel pump and your carb. That is a pretty major oversight safetywise so I would make sure you let your mechanic know he messed up, your car could have very easily burst into flames with raw fuel splashing around the engine compartment.

[golf73]

I'm pretty pissed about it!

[peterschop]

Yes, that is the fuel return line. When I bought my car, it was driveable but had issues that needed attention. Issues I had to find one by one. The first couple of weeks I had the car, it was usually parked in my driveway uphill and I had yet to fill the gas tank all the way. So taking the car for a drive one day, I filled the tank then stopped at a friends house. When I came back to my car, I saw something pouring on the ground from the front of the car. I thought I must have a bad coolant hose. When I looked under the car, I realized it was gasoline! My full tank of gas was siphoning out into the ground. I was able to stuff a bolt into the rubber hose attached to the metal line to stop the flow. When I got home, I put a hose clamp around the bolt so it would not fall out.