fuel leak after trying to jump start

[jwilbur1]

Newbie here, I screwed up the cable connections while trying to jump start my wife's Maxima. Now I have the fuel leak which I recall was the reason for a recall a few years back. I had the + cable on the battery terminal of the Explorer and the - cable on a bolt near the front left side of the intake manifold, which is where the leak is.

Is there an easy fix for a pseudo shade tree mechanic?

This is a 1999 Explorer 4.0 SOHC. Thx!

 

[glfredrick]

I'm not sure that the crossing of the jumpers is directly related to the fuel line leak, but the only way to repair a fuel line leak is to replace the leaking line. Don't try glues or patches of a fuel line - locate the correct line and replace it. The safety of the vehicle and passengers is critical in this area - and a leaking line can easily cause a terrible fire.

Perhaps someone will post up with the specific steps to replacement of the line. I haven't done that job myself, but it would fall into the range of normal mechanic's skills I expect. You may need to have the special tools to remove the fuel line clips if that is a part of the procedure and they are available at almost any auto parts store for under $10.

 

[jwilbur1]

Turns out the bolt I used for a ground holds the bracket for the supply and return fuel lines. I suspect now that the heat generated trying to jump my wife's car caused the leak.

Thanks for the info!

 

[glfredrick]

I highly suggest that you praise God for extending your life by another day and get the line fixed ASAP.

Wow, jumper cables and leaky fuel lines...

 

[jwilbur1]

It turns out the repair part cost $542. It was an assembly that included the 2 braided fuel lines, mounting bracket and fuel pressure regulator. Car is fine now.

NOTE: Evidently the correct way to hook up jumper cables is to both battery terminals on the jumper car and on the jumpee car the Pos cable goes to the battery and the Neg goes to the ground point, preferably on the engine block.

DO NOT hook up the neg cable to a bolt near the front left side of the intake manifold of an Explorer!!!! ie, don't do what I did...

 

[Ira]

It turns out the repair part cost $542. It was an assembly that included the 2 braided fuel lines, mounting bracket and fuel pressure regulator. Car is fine now.

Man, I hope you got kissed first. Sorry, but that sounds ridiculous.

 

[glfredrick]

Sorry that you had to have such an expensive lesson in jump starting... :thumbdwn:


I know about all that "safety advice" given over the years about jumper cables and all, but I generally just hook them to the battery terminals.

On some new cars, there is actually a postive terminal away from the battery for using jumpers, and of course, any frame mounted bolt is a good ground, but if you take care to use the cables in the correct order, they won't give you too much problem.

Always hook the postive FIRST, then the negative - take off by reversing that order. Don't intentionally TRY to make a spark - just hook them. I've seen people poking the cables onto the terminals TRYING to get a good spark - and that is a recipe for disaster as the gas produced by batteries is highly explosive. A blown up battery will EASILY take the hood right off a car...

Use good jumpers also - those cheapies are mostly insulation and have almost no wire. Get the largest wire you can - with good clamps. Another option these days is to get one of those rechargable starting packs. They are coming down in price almost to the level of a good set of cables and are well worth the money.

 

[jwilbur1]

I know what you mean. I was leaving town on a business trip, I'd already had the car towed to the repair shop, I was stuck. I try not to think about the cost.