Fuel leak......Montgomery Texas

[ccbmster]

My MCI 102A3 suddenly started a slow drip of diesel fuel from the frame right below the fill door. Probably a cup or so of fuel in 24 hours. I can't see where in the heck it is coming from.  Top and sides of the tank seem to be dry.

Any ideas, or tips on who would be a good person/shop to have check it out in this area would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[B_K]

Right below the fill door?
Is it possible some got splashed out while fueling?
There is a little catch there that catches overflowed fuel and could be coming from there.

OR is it possible someone was siphoning fuel from you and spilled some leaving a slight trail of evidence?
  BK 

[Scott & Heather]

If your fuel tank has a leak you won't be able to tell if it's on the bottom unless you pull the tank out. I would pull off the fuel door/panel and see if the tank is leaking at the bottom drain plug. If not, you likely have a corrosion leak on the bottom of the tank. You'll have to pull the tank to repair it. If you get that far, message me and I'll give you advice on pulling the tank. Done it before


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[ccbmster]

I haven't fueled up since last Friday and I didn't spill any.  So, any real chance it is spillage.  If it is someone siphoning, they did it three nights in a row 

I am handicapped, so I doubt there is much chance I would be able to pull the tank on my own.

[John316]

That is not fun. I have btdt with the fuel tanks. Is there any chance that you can pull the side panel off so you can look at the tank? On our DL3, there were two simple bolts, inside the fuel door. Then the cover simply lifted off the bottom rail. Simple.

[bigred]

Had this happen on a motor home once.On the motor home there was a short piece of large fuel hose that connected the fill spout to the filler pipe on the fuel tank .Every time you would go around a left hand curve ,it would slosh the fuel to the right side and it would leak.Had to tighten a clamp.Pita to get to but at least it was one repair I ever did on a MH OR BUS that didn't cost anything.Really don't know if the bus is plumbed the same as the motor home or not but might be worth checking!!!

[thomasinnv]

I get below 1/2 tank and start to lose prime when it sits overnight. I am hopeful that I can pull the dip tube plate without removing the tank but I won't hold my breath.

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[ccbmster]

I will see about pulling the fuel door today and have my fingers crossed.

[plyonsMC9]

Hmmm.  Following this thread with interest as well.  Over the past few months I've seen a small number of drops, 4 -5, also at the bottom of the fuel fill panel on our MC9   This happens sometimes, when the bus is parked. And bottom of the panel now looks oily.

Kind Regards, Phil

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

It isn't leaking much so if it is not obvious where it is coming from you can leave it alone and keep an eye on it as the fuel level goes down (preferably while driving the bus) and when it stops leaking, you will be able to determine about where (vertically) the leak is.  It could be anywhere but this will help you narrow it down.  This means you won't be able to fill your tank for a while.  You can also capture the leaking fuel in a bucket and recycle it (when stationary) so it will not be so bad.  But the most likely location will be where this is a fitting. 

You should also check the fuel lines themselves as they will also leak as they rub against parts of the bus.  I place paper towels around different places to help find leaks as it makes it more obvious the specific location.

And don't forget, if the bus is at any bit of an incline, the fuel could be leaking in one place and traveling down the fuel line or other parts of the bus and dripping out elsewhere.

Good Luck.  With any luck, it will be something simple. I would pull the tank only after you determine at what level it is leaking and trying everything else first.

[ccbmster]

Well the fuel door is off and I am 95% sure what I am dealing with.

There is a rubber or fiberglass flooring pop riveted onto the bus floor, and that was covered with a piece of plywood.

Over time the plywood has rotted and left the tank sitting on that pop rivet....which, again over time, wore a little hole in the fuel tank.  It is just seeping a little.

Now, do I slide the tank out six inches and use JB weld or Seal In Place on it and cover it with some thick rubber, or go whole hog and pull the tank and have it welded?

If it is pull the tank and have it welded, does anyone know a shop around here (even as close as Houston or College Station or something like that would probably be ok) that I could  have do that kind of work?

[Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM]

Just be sure that is the only leak. If you are going thru all of that work, you might as well check the entire tank as you may just have another rivet poking thru somewhere either leaking now or getting ready to leak.  Just a suggestion.

[John316]

I suggest having it welded. Look for heavy machinery repair shops. When I had to get ours welded, I found a guy who worked on heavy equipment and did field repairs. He had a two man shop and charged somewhere around $150 total to fix it. The biggest pain was getting all the fuel out. It is not dangerous to weld a diesel fuel tank. My guy just started his truck and ran a tube from the exhaust to the inlet on the tank so there wasn't any oxygen inside. It worked great.

Good luck!

[ccbmster]

John, how hard was it to get the tank out once it was empty?  I am seeing some saying these tanks are wedged in so tight you have to pull them out and push them back in with a truck or tractor.

[John316]

Ours slid out pretty easily. I think I had to use a prybar to lift it up a bit, and scoot it out little by little. But it wasn't too hard. We just had to make sure it was empty and everything disconnected.