Fuel Leak Nightmare. A Saga Post.

I've had an issue where there's been a leak of diesel fuel from my engine to the floor below. Not a fast leak but a slow slow leak.

So I took my lannie (a Defender 110 300TD) to the local garage to have a look. They looked at the injection system and told me it needed a new one or an overhaul of the old one. As the leak is coming from the injection pump. I see this myself by feeling around it and noticing fuel weeping out slightly.

So I said 'fix it so it doesn't leak' and they quoted me the dizzy price of £1000!!!!

I bought a re-conditioned fuel injection pump off ebay for £350, had the old one removed and got the garage to fit the new one.
"No leak now" they said.

Sure enough no leak at the garage.
The next day I had to work in another town and noticed the leak had returned that morning!
I called the garage up and told them the bad news 'We'll fix it!" They said, I said "Fix it when I get back to town."

I had to use the lannie to work first in the other town you see. On driving it I noticed that:

There was less horsepower. Maybe 20% less at a guess.
On leaving it stood at the town I was working I struggled to get it to start after a few weeks period.
THEN on the return journey I ran out of fuel on a distance it would normally make on one tank of diesel!

So now the fuel economy is screwballed! From 30 mpg to maybe 20 mpg!
Occasionally on hard acceleration I notice some white smoke that comes out of the exhaust but this goes away.

Anyway I return to the garage after my sojorn and expect them to fix it.
"Ah" Says the mechy. "It's one of the fuel injection pipes and the fuel injection system but we can fix it!"
"Ok get it done."

The next day I was told the lannie was ready. I pick it up and am told the fuel link has been fixed. They said they fixed it.
Next day lo and behold the leak has returned! FFS!!!
So £600 spent and it seems to of made things worse!

I can't fathom it and wonder if any of you folks have had this issue?!
Do I need to get a landrover specialist to look at this???
PS I've ordered a drip tray off eBay!

Doesn't sound good you took a chance on a second hand one not good .
Maybe that was leaking too . A rebuild is around £500 odd quid go to a diesel injection specialist for a proper diagnoses to the impending problem.

Take it back and kick some arse!
Where are you in the world ?

Surely if you take it to them, they say they fixed a problem and it turns out they didn't then you're within your rights to take it back. You shouldn't have to fork out more to them

the_wolf said:

Surely if you take it to them, they say they fixed a problem and it turns out they didn't then you're within your rights to take it back. You shouldn't have to fork out more to them

Click to expand...

Not if the item which the OP supplied is the cause of the leak.

But they're fettling about with it, claiming that the fuel leak has been fixed, he's parting with his cash and then finding out that its not. Whether he supplied the part they fitted or not he should still have some kind of rights to fall back on surely

where was old pump leaking from,where is new pump,is it timed correctly

I haven't a clue if it's timed correctly, but on starting up one time it ****ed out diesel for about a second then stopped!

I can't tell for sure where the leak is coming from on the pump, the middle bit at a guess.
I trusted the mechy to fix it and he's gone and made things worse in my opinion. It was leaking a bit before I took it too him but now I wish I'd just let it leak given what it cost me.

OK!

The story so far...

I've been driving about in it.

The issues are worsening slightly. Now when I am starting it up after a long period there are clouds of white / pale smoke erupting from the exhaust with a mayonnaisy smell. When warmed up the smoke disappears but at low revs in-gear while driving the smoke returns a bit. It stinks even in the cab when going at low speed as well.

I need some input from the wise heads on here first before I run to the garage though...

There's a split on this black hose (ringed in red) but I'm not sure what the hose is and if it's a fuel line. It looks too fat to be a fuel line, possibly a breather tube? If it is it explains why I'm not getting full power for 70 mph and maybe why the fuel economy is down 20%.

Here's the pictures:

Leaking pipe:





The dirty smoke from the exhaust is coating my back end with this black carbon layer!



It does not fully explain

Don't really know 300tdis but that looks like an oil return pipe to me. Can't be too clean in there if its leaking oil, no idea if that would affect power at all though. I wouldn't imagine so

Hmm I wonder if that would cause the stench into the exhaust system??