Ugh. Fuel Line popped.

[Spanky McGee]

So, I'm drving to work this morning, and i smell fuel. A LOT of fuel.

I get to work, pop the hood, and the valvecover and surrounding hoses are doused in gas. "Ugh".

I squeeze one of the lines to the left of the engine, and one of the hard lines mounted on the firewall shoots out, and almost hits me.... Lame.

I wonder how much this will cost.

[Rusty]

Thank God it didn't catch on fire - whew!...

[V-MANN]

Originally Posted by Rusty

Thank God it didn't catch on fire - whew!...

What he said.

So are you saying one of the hard lines busted/broke?:Yikes: Or did a fitting come loose. Oh well let us know what the outcome is.

And here'e to no fires

[Spanky McGee]

If you have a chance, look at all the hardlines on the firewall. there is a "support" that guides all three lines. That is the failure point. It's squirting from INSIDE that support.

I'll let you know how everything happened this evening.

[sirwired]

BTW, you need to report this to the NHTSA. Fuel lines breaking and is a big safety issue... There are a great many recalls for vehicles where the fuel line is in danger of breaking.

SirWired

[kezho]

Mine broke today as well. I only saw a tear under the car, I'll check under the hood as well as it smelled inside while I was driving.

[wicked a2]

I had a hard line rupture on my car Pain un the ass to replace all 3 lines..

[Spanky McGee]

Yep. it was a rupture on the firewall.

$220 part and 3 hours labor estimate.

Good news? I was on the LAST DAY OF THE WARRANTY.

Now I have to fix the ATP Cut Out. >:/

[nyibpass]

Oy. I now have this. '02 MY with almost 90k miles. I have a fuel seep coming from one of the rigid fuel lines on the firewall, right where they go through the bracket before meeting up with the flexible rubber lines. I'll try to patch it up and get it home today, with some larger hose and some clamps. It happened last night, I smelled gas as I parked at a friend's house, it was dark and I had no flashlight so all I could do is find the general location of the leak.

Anybody ever fix this themselves? It looks like this particular line (the 2nd line from the top, but I can't really tell until I take the bracket off) goes over by the airbox and has some wierd clip connection. I hope I can get that individual part at the dealer...

In my case I smelled it quickly, and it only seeped enough to wet the lines surrounding the bracket and a tiny wet spot on the firewall.

What's behind that bracket anyway? A join? or is it just a holder?

[JTL]

Report these problems to NHTSA @ 1-888-327-4236

[Atown Passat]

Spanky, what year is yours?

[Atown Passat]

Nevermind, saw it was a 02 as well. Is this something common with that model year?

[nm+]

Are these all on 02's?
Please call NHSA! People think this does nothing, but you could be the one that pushes it into recall.
*Pokes around engine bay smelling for gas*

[nyibpass]

BTW my leak is on the middle fuel line. There's a bump (compression fitting?) exactly in the middle of the fuel line bracket, and the fuel is escaping from a pinhole leak on the rear (firewall) side of the bump.

I'll visit the dealer today and see what they have in the way of parts. I have a small section of tubing clamped over it for now but that won't last long. Hopefully until the weather breaks - it's no fun doing any work when it's single digits out.

Does anyone with a parts list know what these 3 lines are top to bottom? 1 has to be a feed, another return, and the 3rd???

[nyibpass]

After a trip to my local Audi* dealer, I have a part number and a price quote. As expected, you can only buy a kit with all of the fuel lines from the rail to the fuel filter and the tank lines. The kit part # is 3B0 201 577B5 , priced at $230.00

To be honest, I can't make tails of the ETKA diagram, as the line in question is part of a classic optical illusion But I believe it's the fuel supply line, it runs to the rubber hose that connects to the fore end of the fuel rail, and has the threaded fitment built-in to the hose.

While I can't rule out perhaps replacing the entire fuel line system, I am certainly not doing it in sub-freezing weather. I already have a 90% effective fix, which is some rubber fuel line clamped around the leak point.

If I can get my hands on about 7" of straight piping, and a way to flare the ends, I plan to replace the hard fuel line, from the fitment to the rubber hose, to just upstream of the rubber bracket on the firewall. It should be a straight shot, and this wall all of the clamps won't interfere with the support bracket.

I'd appreciate any pointers on suitable piping (approx 1/4" OD) and flaring tools/methods. I'll post any progress with pics as it happens.

And yes, I will be reporting the leak to the NHTSA.

* = I was told by the Audi dealer (Huntington Audi, on Long Island, NY) that they are no longer able to get VW parts that are not shared on an Audi platform as well. If you order a VW-sourced part, they tack on an additional 20% handling fee. Very unfortunate as there are no convenient VW dealers nearby, when you consider the limited & non-weekend hours their retail parts counter keep. Sigh.

[JEB23]

HOLY CRAP this is scary. Maybe this was the cause of this thread:
http://www.passatworld.com/forums/sh...passat+on+fire
I wonder what year his car was and if they determined the cause.
I'm curious to know if anyone else has had this issue and if it is isolated to the 02' Passats.
I'll be checking my fuel lines today, even if it is 20F (feels like 4F with the wind chill.)

[nm+]

Originally Posted by JEB23

HOLY CRAP this is scary. Maybe this was the cause of this thread:
http://www.passatworld.com/forums/sh...passat+on+fire
I wonder what year his car was and if they determined the cause.
I'm curious to know if anyone else has had this issue and if it is isolated to the 02' Passats.
I'll be checking my fuel lines today, even if it is 20F (feels like 4F with the wind chill.)

That could very well be an 02 givfen mirrors and wheels
Anyone in a v6 have this issue?

[nyibpass]

That sure looks like an '02 wagon to me.

I stopped by my indy mechanic this morning, and he's willing to do his own version of my proposed ghetto fix, for under $50. His version differs from mine in that instead of trying to find replacement plastic (yes, the fuel lines are plastic) hard line that will fit through the bracket, he will instead replace a short section with flexible fuel hose, and route that around the bracket. Any bending and/or flanging that needs to be done on the existing hard line will be done with a heat gun. He claims to have done it before for a similar leak with good results.

[nm+]

Originally Posted by nyibpass

That sure looks like an '02 wagon to me.

I stopped by my indy mechanic this morning, and he's willing to do his own version of my proposed ghetto fix, for under $50. His version differs from mine in that instead of trying to find replacement plastic (yes, the fuel lines are plastic) hard line that will fit through the bracket, he will instead replace a short section with flexible fuel hose, and route that around the bracket. Any bending and/or flanging that needs to be done on the existing hard line will be done with a heat gun. He claims to have done it before for a similar leak with good results.

You might want to see if you can't get VWOA to do this as sort of a good will gesture.
/Contact NTHSA anyhow

[NH VW Junky]

Very scary - going to keep my eyes on this.

[nyibpass]

TBH the thought of making (and then waiting a week+ for) an appointment, and dealing with the inconsistent service at the local dealers (which aren't all that close-by), gives me a headache and would probably be a waste of time and gas. I did ask the Audi svc manager what his stance would have been if I had an Audi with a similar problem out of warranty, if perhaps it would be covered under an emissions or safety warranty, or if any consideration would be given due to the unsafe condition. He take was that I was pretty much on my own.

Maybe I will give them a call and see what they have to say. I had the car in there on 1/11 for the breather hose recall, and it's not impossible that during replacement, pressure was put on the hard fuel line leading to a small crack at the bracket. I didn't notice a leak until 3 weeks following that, though, and I'm sure I would have smelled it if more than a drop or two leaked.

[nm+]

Call VWoA, not the dealer.
You don't need to drive there until they give you go ahead/want to look at it
FYI, we have like 6 reports right here, that very well could begin a recall with just a few more outsiders. Also, even if you've paid out of pocket, keep your reciepts, a recall could cover your previous repairs. Also, if you still ahve the issue keep any damaged parts to help investigation.

[nyibpass]

I see what you're saying. I think I'll call the dealer and explain the situation and see if they'll take a look at it sooner rather than later. On the off chance that it may be related to their previous work, just to see what their response is.

[macaddiict]

NYI - I think everyone is suggesting you call VWoA (as in, the company headquarters) not just your VW dealer. VWoA, not your local VW dealer, is who has the authority to say yes or no on out-of-warranty repairs like this...

[NH VW Junky]

Anyone have the Customer Service 800# handy?

[JEB23]

1-800-544-8021

[pete1]

*bump*

any more news on this issue?

[JEB23]

Originally Posted by pete1

*bump*

any more news on this issue?

Not necessarily on the fuel lines but after this investigation it may be found that it is related.

http://www.azcentral.com/business/co...ON.html?&wired

[B5tevo]

I doubt its as serious as the whole line splitting, but can anyone post some pictures of where to look? Ive had a fuel smell coming in through the dash vents when the recirculation was off, but haven't seen any leaks. Id like to give those lines a good inspection.

[furnace]

Originally Posted by JEB23

Not necessarily on the fuel lines but after this investigation it may be found that it is related.

http://www.azcentral.com/business/co...ON.html?&wired

I saw that article also.

These are unrelated issues but both pertinent and scary...

Any news NYIBPASS?