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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Riddle me this, GRM: My WRX is leaking fuel after a cold snap!

Dec. 13, 2010 11:11 a.m. Osterkraut Dork

When it rains, it pours...

It's like 7* here in sunny Omaha, and of course the Land Cruiser, purchased to be a winter beater, won't start. No worries, the WRX will have to do...

Leave the WRX outside for the night, and now after parking after the drive to work, I smell fuel. Oh, E36 M3. Pop the hood... there's a puddle of fuel in a little indention in the front right of the block.

I haven't sat down to internet this, GRM is my go-to. Somebody tell me there's a little nut on the top of the fuel rail that just needs to be tightened and all will be well.
Dec. 13, 2010 11:12 a.m. Osterkraut Dork

Well... damn you, Subaru.

http://www.eriksmartt.com/blog/archives/52
Dec. 13, 2010 11:20 a.m. EvanB Dork

Yep, same thing with mine. There is a huge thread on NASIOC about it. Apparently if you call a Subaru dealer they will fix it for free. Subaru extended the warranty for the fix to 12 years unlimited miles.
Dec. 13, 2010 11:22 a.m. Pseudosport Reader

Yeah, my 02 use to do that. New piece of hose and some new hose clamps should fix the problem but the old ones are a pain to get to. If you are lucky you might be able to reach the current hose clams with everything still in place and tighten them with a screwdriver.

Also you might call your dealer and see if this problem is now a recall. I heard rumor that it is in colder climate states.
Dec. 13, 2010 11:23 a.m. Osterkraut Dork

The tech I called to schedule the appointment for the recall (it's now a recall) work said that a puddle of fuel is unusual. Did you notice a puddle?
Dec. 13, 2010 11:24 a.m. Pseudosport Reader

Yes, fuel would puddle up on the intake manifold on really cold days and I could smell fuel from inside the car.
Dec. 13, 2010 11:29 a.m. DILYSI Dave SuperDork

Subaru FINALLY issued a recall for this.
Dec. 13, 2010 11:48 a.m. EvanB Dork

I haven't looked around for any fuel puddles on mine but it smells very strongly of gas inside the car. Once I have some time I will take it into Subaru.
Dec. 13, 2010 11:50 a.m. MrJoshua SuperDork

Yeah, cold weather states got the recall first, so you probably missed it being in FL. Of course if you aren't registered as the owner through Subaru NA you never get the recall.
Dec. 13, 2010 11:54 a.m. sachilles Dork

I had it fixed independently, and subaru ended up sending me a check to reimburse me after the fact. Get it fixed asap. A friend in my club actually ended up with a small fuel fire.
Dec. 13, 2010 11:59 a.m. Osterkraut Dork

Maaaan... thankfully the dealer is just a few miles away, I'm going to have a stroke driving a car leaking fuel even that distance.

Apparently they only sent recall notices to cars registered in cold states. Thanks, SOA!
Dec. 13, 2010 12:02 p.m. MrJoshua SuperDork

Osterkraut wrote:

Maaaan... thankfully the dealer is just a few miles away, I'm going to have a stroke driving a car leaking fuel even that distance.

Apparently they only sent recall notices to cars registered in cold states. Thanks, SOA!

They were pretty good about honoring mine with just a phone call. Had to tell the dealer the recall number, get them to talk to the Subaru rep, then wait on parts because they had sent them all to the cold states. This was last year so I am guessing they ramped up production enough to have the parts readily available. Plus I'm pretty sure your state qualifies as a cold one.
Dec. 13, 2010 12:04 p.m. Ranger50 Reader

Nebraska isn't a COLD weather state?!?!?!?!

Whoever thinks that it ISN'T, please pass whatevertheberkeley you are smoking because I want a hit....

Brian
Dec. 13, 2010 12:07 p.m. pilotbraden Reader

I heard about this on the radio saturday morning. The gas station attendant was listening to Car Talk. Tom and Ray said it happens to all of them eventually.
Dec. 13, 2010 12:07 p.m. SilverFleet HalfDork

Yeah, get that fixed ASAP under that recall. In extreme cold, the early WRX's do this. The rubber fuel lines under the intake shrink and the clamps get loose, causing gas to come right out of those lines and pool up on the intake. On my old car, that raw fuel was hanging out there with old leaves, pine needles, etc. that can make its way onto that flat area between the heads under the intake.

Back then, Subaru didn't think it was a safety issue (and wanted almost $700 to repair it), so I fixed mine for about $10 and 5-6hrs time. I went out and bought some fuel line clamps and some rubber fuel injection hose. I had to pull the intercooler, power steering pump, the alternator, and some other odds and ends to gain access. I then removed the old rubber hose and put on the new stuff, which I cut a little longer than the old stuff. I double clamped each end and tightened it down, and then installed all the stuff I took off. It never leaked again after that.

Subaru's way of fixing it is to pull the intake and replace the metal and rubber fuel line assembly with a revised design. Sometimes, it'll still leak after this is done, but if they performed the work, it's on them to fix it.
Dec. 13, 2010 12:10 p.m. Osterkraut Dork

Ranger50 wrote:

Nebraska isn't a COLD weather state?!?!?!?!

Whoever thinks that it ISN'T, please pass whatevertheberkeley you are smoking because I want a hit....

Brian

The car is registered in my home state of Florida. Hence my ignorance of the matter... well no more!
Dec. 13, 2010 12:16 p.m. Ranger50 Reader

In reply to Osterkraut:

Oh, you're one of "those guys". Of course I ASSume military.

Brian
Dec. 13, 2010 12:17 p.m. SilverFleet HalfDork

For a while, MA wasn't on the list for "cold" states either. I don't know who made those lists, but they must have been smoking crack.
Dec. 13, 2010 12:30 p.m. 2002maniac HalfDork

Hmm, would this problem apply to my 2002 impreza (non-turbo)?
Dec. 13, 2010 12:35 p.m. Woody SuperDork

I can't believe it took eight years for this to leak.
Dec. 13, 2010 12:35 p.m. Junkyard_Dog Dork

Osterkraut wrote:

I'm going to have a stroke driving a car leaking fuel even that distance.

Have them tow it! If its a recall and you have a puddle of raw fuel its a safety issue and they should pay for the tow. I know thats how it works with the Rovers I work on but Subaru may have its own rules.
Dec. 13, 2010 12:37 p.m. Osterkraut Dork

Woody wrote:

I can't believe it took eight years for this to leak.

If it's a cold weather only issue, the car has spent all it's life in central Florida and a year in south Texas. The recall says 14* is the magic number... it's never seen those temps before, the lucky thing.
Dec. 13, 2010 12:43 p.m. MrJoshua SuperDork

Mine did it last year with weather in the 20's. It would stink of fuel and then go away when the car warmed up. I spent a chunk of time chasing it before I thought about checking NASIOC.
Dec. 13, 2010 2:02 p.m. Teh E36 M3 HalfDork

I "fixed" it myself, then found the TSB and the dealer offered to fix it free when I asked. That was nice. They tried to get another $1800 out of me for a torn rack boot, torn cv boot, and 1 or 2 other minor issues. No thanks. Under $100 in parts and a few hours of my time solved the other problems.
Dec. 13, 2010 2:08 p.m. DILYSI Dave SuperDork

I got the notice in GA, but I was also already on record as having complained about it, so that may be why I got the recall.

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