td5 disco fuel leak from on top of tank

[hankdusty]

Merry christmas guys , what great timing to have this issue pop up, wondering if i could get some advice

So couple days ago i filled up my tank, 2003 d2a td5, 220kms on the clock. as soon as i hung up the nozzle diesel started pouring down either side of the fuel tank in the gas station forecourt. expecting it to keep pouring out i drove a couple blocks up the road and parked up with fish bins under either side of the tank to catch what i could. rather be stuck at home then in a gas station

Have gone through multiple threads on this forum as well as others, and trying to get my head around what it could be and my next steps.

Seems the green tagged high pressure line is the most common of culprits , from reading a few of the following (but not limited to) threads:
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/general-chat/85669-stuck-snowys.html
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery-2-a/132659-disco2-fuel-leak.html

Thats fine and seems a common problem and a bit of an inconvenience at this time of year but is somewhat "easily" enough remedied. only thing i found weird about this is that it started happening just as i had filled up the tank and engine was not running. I would understand if it ****ed out diesel when running as thats when the fuel is under pressure ? but if not running not sure why it would do this with such gusto..

Next up in my sleuthing through threads was it could be more expensive than replacing the high pressure line, as it could be the pump and the connections that have let go such as happened in this thread https://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery-2-a/234810-fuel-leak-top-tank-2.html

Then again it could be the seal they speak of in here https://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery-2-a/244005-frustrating-td5-fuel-leak.html

Haven't had the time to get to the bottom of it because of the time of the year which is annoying, especially so as i was planning to take the wagon away camping and fishing.

Wondering what next steps would be which is where i would appreciate some advice. I feel i need to cut the carpet and check under the fuel pump panel to see if i can ascertain if its the connections there. Would be keen to siphon the tank (although full tank of diesel minus whatever it dumped still sounds like a lot of jerry cans! ) and drop the tank for a better look at the pipes themselves.

Just kinda scratching my head as to why diesel would spew out when the tank was filled, with the engine off obviously. maybe thats a clue that would favor the deteriation of the pump over the fuel line itself?

Thanks in advance fellers - have done my best to use the old search function to full extent to find a matching scenario + resolution but would still love some thought of yours? if anyones at their computer and not out enjoying their summer break that is!! happy holidays, Henry

[discorevy]

Leaking from both sides of the tank usually means the fuel pump seal isn't doing its job, I wouldn't be surprised if the pump had been replaced probably before your ownership and the seal had been incorrectly fitted, causing the pump retainer cap to come off.

If you get to it, 1 lip of the seal goes to the inside and the other lip to the outside of the tank

[Slunnie]

The green line tends to be more of a weep as it will chaffe through very slowly.

Given the way yours has suddenly come on, and with that amount of flow, I would bet that it is one of the following:

Pump locking ring on top of the tank has come loose
Pump top has cracked
One of the fuel lines has somehow unplugged or broken off.
Maybe the pump seal, but I doubt it is this as those seals dont get outragously old and it probably wouldn't fail as suddenly or spectacularly as that.

Also, keep in mind that when you fill the tank, the full level is about door handle high, its not top of the fuel tank high.

For all of these, you will need to access the top of the fuel tank via the floor.

To do this, the boot upper trim gets removed, then the boot lower trim gets removed, then the carpet gets lifted, then the pump cover plate gets lifted for inspection.

For mine, the carpet has been cut, but the cut is just underneath the side bins so when the carpet is reinstalled you cant see the cut.

Less likely, the filler or breather line has seperated or broken, but that would be one side only.

[Graeme]

The early recall to re-route the lines to prevent chafing would most likely have been done by cutting the carpet, so it should be quite easy to get to the fuel pump.
One of mines's hoses popped off at home a few days after the recall work was done, which I easily fixed after a quick call to the dealer.

[hankdusty]

cheers for the replys fellers!

discorevy - i know the previous owner of the wagon and the pump has been replaced ,with a vdo unit - i stressed that this was the way to go over aftermarket, but that was 4 years ago or something. if it the seal had been incorrectly fitted would you not expect this too have happened way earlier on in the piece? will investigate though. i think i read you say something about the seal going half in inside and half outside in one of the previous threads ive read through - so have that bookmarked and commited to memory just not sure which thread its in (have bookmarked many)

slunnie and graeme - cheers, plan on cuting a flap in the carpet when i get a sec, and will look in to your suggestions. breather and filler hose look fine

hasnt dripped one drop since being parked up, but i would imagine this to be the case? just weird how it poured out when the engine was off in the first place!

really appreciate the help, will update when i get a chance to access the fuel pump and tank

[discorevy]

cheers for the replys fellers!

discorevy - i know the previous owner of the wagon and the pump has been replaced ,with a vdo unit - i stressed that this was the way to go over aftermarket, but that was 4 years ago or something. if it the seal had been incorrectly fitted would you not expect this too have happened way earlier on in the piece? will investigate though. i think i read you say something about the seal going half in inside and half outside in one of the previous threads


If the seal had been fitted with both sides of the lip on the outside, then the retaining collar wouldn't have sufficient threads ( and a lot of pressure trying to push it up) 1 bump could be enough and you wouldn't have noticed until you filled the tank.

[Graeme]

Rather than cut a flap, find the cuts along the very edges basically out of sight and where the edges can't get picked-up.

[hankdusty]

If the seal had been fitted with both sides of the lip on the outside, then the retaining collar wouldn't have sufficient threads ( and a lot of pressure trying to push it up) 1 bump could be enough and you wouldn't have noticed until you filled the tank.

This was it, legend!

Opened her up and the collar was fully loose. As suspected the seal had both sides on the outside. Disconnected the pipes for a little more wriggle room and could manoeuvre the seal in to place. Retaining collar back on and fired her up and we good!

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20231228/bdbabc45dc722b87968b871a31aa1da4.jpg

Thanks heaps guys , this forum truly is a gem

[Slunnie]

Good cheap and easy fix! The best ones!

[hankdusty]

Good cheap and easy fix! The best ones!

The best! Forgot to mention you were right also slunnie, number one on your list

[discorevy]

Nice one, maybe let this tankful go through, then replace the fuel filter.
N.Z. mightn't be as dusty as OZ, and the unit injector system is nowhere near as petulant as a common rail, but still a fair chance of some crap getting in to the tank which can block the filter at least.

[hankdusty]

Nice one, maybe let this tankful go through, then replace the fuel filter.
N.Z. mightn't be as dusty as OZ, and the unit injector system is nowhere near as petulant as a common rail, but still a fair chance of some crap getting in to the tank which can block the filter at least.

Good shout here, will do

Might not be out of the woods just yet as there’s still some leak goin on just not as hearty as previous. Maybe disturbed some of the lines or something but will have a proper geez when it stops raining [emoji58]

[hankdusty]

just to wrap this thread up, opened up the fuel pump again and half took it out to double check i had the seal in properly. looks like it had come loose on one side when i had initially popped the fuel pump back in and screwed down the locking ring.

so - seal seated, locking ring/collar done up, 4 pipes taken out and then seated 100%. and so far no leaks, haven't run through the tank of diesel yet so hoping with next fill it doesnt spray out the sides again with the added pressure(?) of the full tank.. oh and will replace fuel filter as mentioned previously when this tanks empty

fingers crossed!