94 850 Gas Leak, not sure what's wrong... fuel regulator?

volvo_boy_88 · Post by **volvo_boy_88** » 22 Jul 2010, 00:49

Hey guys,

Last week I noticed a sound coming from the rear passenger side of the car and it sounded as if there was a flow problem coming from inside the gas tank, similar to the sound of running water through a pipe in the wall. I suspected that the fuel pump was going, but I needed to wait until Friday to take it in to my mechanic. Unfortunately on Tuesday after work I go to start the car and it started but then died 2 seconds later. The engine will turn fine so there's no issue there, but then I noticed a very strong smell of gas. I looked under the hood for any leak and found that the yellow hose that connects to the pressure regulator under the fuel rail was broke, but leaking out gas every time I tried to start the car. What's going on here? Can i just replace the hose or is there something more serious here? See pics below for specs:

Post by **confused_al** » 22 Jul 2010, 06:26

Your fuel pressure regulator is gone, I dont think it is repairable so that replacement is your only choice.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 22 Jul 2010, 07:25

+1

Avoid driving the car until it is repaired. It will run horribly rich and it can cause further damage.

...Lee

volvo_boy_88 · Post by **volvo_boy_88** » 22 Jul 2010, 11:53

Ok, but what about the yellow hose too? The hose looks as if it broke off and can't be pushed back on to the regulator once it's replaced. Do I need to replace that as well? And how would I go about cleaning up the gasoline that has been dripping and leaking on to the engine? Is there a safe way to do this in order to avoid the fuel catching fire, or will it be ok?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 22 Jul 2010, 13:09

I really don't know of a good way to reliably cap it off. You can pick up vacuum caps and possibly get a small hose clamp around it but I don't know if it will hold. You will be trying to hold back 45 PSI. As far as the hard line goes you should be able to extend it with a short piece of vacuum line. If you can successfully cap it off you can drive it that way until you get the new regulator.

...Lee

volvo_boy_88 · Post by **volvo_boy_88** » 22 Jul 2010, 19:47

Oh no no no, anything having to do with a gas leak I know is best to not run the car until it is fixed. I can do without my car for a few days until i go and get the new regulator tomorrow. So i wont be trying anything as far as running goes until the problem is fixed. In the meantime the manual requests to depressurize the fuel systyem before taking out the regulator. Will i need to do this or is it already depressurized since the fuel line to the regulator is broke?

Post by **confused_al** » 22 Jul 2010, 20:38

volvo_boy_88 wrote:Will i need to do this or is it already depressurized since the fuel line to the regulator is broke?

No, you do not.
BTW, for that broken rubber elbow(connected to the regulator) you can either replace with another one or you can just use a piece of silicon hose instead. In addition, you might also want to replace that short piece of flex fuel hose between the hard fuel line and the regulator, since you will find the hose on the regulator side is impossible to take off.

volvo_boy_88 · Post by **volvo_boy_88** » 22 Jul 2010, 23:59

Great!Thank You confused_al. I have the part for pick up tomorrow and then I will replace the fuel line to the regulator too. It's not a hard job at all to at least get to the part and replace it. I'm going to work on it Saturday. My next question is, after replacing the regulator and putting everything back together, can I start the car up right away, or should I just turn the key on (but not the engine) and let the pump pressurize the system again before staring the engine, or does it matter. And after starting, should I let the engine run for a little while and for how long?

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 23 Jul 2010, 07:54

Since you have a bad regulator it is not holding pressure anyway. Once the regulator is replaced you should be able to start the car immediately as it will build pressure once the key is turned on.

It may run a little rough at first depending on how much fuel it sucked into the intake but that should clear with a quick run down the highway.

...Lee