Leakage!

[jevans]

I bought my Delica almost three months ago and have started to notice my mileage slowly dropping. I also started to notice my Delica smells more and more like a barrel of diesel.

The last few days I have been noticing a small amount of diesel forming under the van when I head home from work

So yesterday I decided to investigate. I took the Delica for a drive parked it leaving it running and had a look underneath. Nothing unusual.

I turned the van off and had another look and there it was...drip, drip, drip.

I am not mechanically inclined and I will be taking it back to be repaired by the company I bought it from.

I wonder if anyone could hazard a guess as to why it only drips for a very short time right after the van is shut off and not while it's running. Also it only drips about as much as you see in the attached image and then stops?.

Could this be some kind of hose that is bleeding off once the engine is shut off.

If anyone has any thoughts I'd like to hear them.




Thanks, Jason.

[EricN]

My van isnt here so I cant check but I dont think there is much on that side of the motor (or the whole van for that matter) in the way of fuel lines. Looking at the big drip hanging off of your cross member I would say it is possible that it is leaking on the LF and running along it then to the groung, but that is only a guess without actually looking at the vehicle.
If it is diesel I bet you are having some starting problems too, like has to crank for about 2-3 seconds before it catches? As to why it would do it only when turned off, well, my best guess would be (assuming this is diesel leaking) that the feed line to the injection pump is what is leaking. This line is under vacuum since the lift pump is in the injection pump. So when you are running, there is negative pressure, when you shut it off and get a few minutes of heat soak in there, the fuel starts to expand and comes under pressure and then your drips start.
If you dont have the time to take it into the shop yet, just follow the fuel feed back from the injection pump and tighten all the clamps as you go, maybe check the fuel filter and water sensor are tight too.

[jevans]

Thanks Eric,

I will check that out. I appreciate your response.

Jason.

[BCDelica]

I have seen the same area leaking when injectors haven't been tightened down fully after have been opened a bit to purge the lines. Mine leaked from the injection pump a year ago, and the drip originated from further up on the other side of the motor.

Good luck!