Fuel leak at tank

Have a fuel leak.  Hose with hose clamp that is ok drivers side of the tank.   Apparently it only leaks when I fill it up all the way …. But I don’t like it leaking lol.  Is this something easy or does this hose go to the top of the tank and  have to be dropped or what? It’s too dark to see under there tonight , but I figured I’d ask the experts….Fred….. y’all know these cars like the back of your hand

I don't have a direct picture, but the two below show where the fuel vent connects on top of the tank.

It's about 1/2 way between the left side and the middle of the tank. Behind the calipers in one picture and in the lower right corner of the other

So I wonder if the metal vent tube is leaking or a rubber hose ?

1991BlueBertha wrote:

Have a fuel leak.  Hose with hose clamp that is ok drivers side of the tank.   Apparently it only leaks when I fill it up all the way …. But I don’t like it leaking lol.  Is this something easy or does this hose go to the top of the tank and  have to be dropped or what? It’s too dark to see under there tonight , but I figured I’d ask the experts….Fred….. y’all know these cars like the back of your hand

To swap the hose requires you to drop the tank. It is an 18 mm hose. You can probably get away with a 3/4" hose if you clamp it tight. It is about 9" long, but measure it to be sure.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

1991BlueBertha wrote:

Have a fuel leak.  Hose with hose clamp that is ok drivers side of the tank.   Apparently it only leaks when I fill it up all the way …. But I don’t like it leaking lol.  Is this something easy or does this hose go to the top of the tank and  have to be dropped or what? It’s too dark to see under there tonight , but I figured I’d ask the experts….Fred….. y’all know these cars like the back of your hand

To swap the hose requires you to drop the tank. It is an 18 mm hose. You can probably get away with a 3/4" hose if you clamp it tight. It is about 9" long, but measure it to be sure.

I'm guessing my car is just different for some reason. we can all see the hose clamp right there where it is leaking... I guess what i don't know is, what does that connect to? some of the photos im seeing on line show 3 lines (same as above) and hoses connected to them... they appear to be on the top of the tank, which isnt where mine is connected or leaking.... hate to pull the tank (full tank of gas) if i can just replace that hose right there thats visible.... because you can see in the photo, to replace whatever that is and the hose clamp, theres no need to drop the tank... so im assuming mine must have a different type of hose or vent tube.... or something else spliced in... im just afraid to yank on that hose too hard to try to remove it in case whatever up there is rusty and breaks off....

If you think the leak is at the clamp, tighten the clamp. If it is not the clamp, it is the hose. All of the wagon tanks are like the one you are picturing. The hose leads to a port on the top of the tank. There is a clamp there as well. If it is the hose, you must remove the tank to replace the hose.

Fred Kiehl wrote:

If you think the leak is at the clamp, tighten the clamp. If it is not the clamp, it is the hose. All of the wagon tanks are like the one you are picturing. The hose leads to a port on the top of the tank. There is a clamp there as well. If it is the hose, you must remove the tank to replace the hose.

Fred, would you suggest changing the sending unit at the same time since the tank will be down? Last thing I want to do is replace it and a couple months have to do the same thing because something else went kaput... IF replacing it, what brands work well? I hear horror stories about bum parts people are getting and having to do it over and over and over...

Most of them are good, as long as you get a good pump. Almost all pumps are made in China. I like Walbro, and Delphi. Make sure it is a real namebrand part, not a substitute that will fit. It also must be the one for the LO3/5 engines. Get the sender for the 94-96 wagons, it will work better because the pump holder is sprung to hug the bottom of the tank. Some are a little more robust than others, but they usually are reliable.

if your current sending unit is still in good condition and the fuel level sensor is accurate, I would just put a new pump on the old sending unit, as when I had the unit replaced on my 94 rmw the gauge was almost 1/4 tank off on the high side, so it was saying I had 1/4 tank more then I really did, but the other problem I've had is that they don't always have a fuel rated hose between the pump and the sending unit, so the hose rapidly degrades once you start using it, thats primarily what has resulted in my biggest issues after the shop put a whole sending unit in instead of just putting a new pump on the old unit.

My plan of action is to change the filter, and if that does not work, then the pump. I already ordered a pump, and am waiting for delivery. I did not check the hose when I repaired the level sender, because I was distracted by the repair at hand. It will irritate me to no end if the hose is leaking. The system held pressure before I mistakenly swapped the pressure and return lines. The return line is modified to be 3/8" as per recommended by Holly.
I checked the injectors, and they are all working.

A couple of years ago when I did my complete mechanicals rebuild, I bought a Delphi assembly for a wagon but got a sedan one. Of course I didn't notice it was the wrong one until it was too late to return. I also had a Chinese knockoff cheapy that Rock Auto sent by mistake first.

Both of those assemblies had Chinese pumps in them and the sending units were different than each other. The Delphi pump may or may not have been better.

I finally decided to reuse my existing frame even though it was old. It wasn't rusty, but I also added JB Weld to the tube connections on the topside. The sending unit was quite jumpy though but different mounting and wiring than either of the other pumps. I did manage to rewire it and reverse the plug from the sender and use the Delphi sending unit which was very smooth operating.

I didn't use either of the Chinese pumps, and ordered a Delco which came as a Brazil built pump, which is what was in the car and appeared to be original. The pumps have been made in Brazil for a long time, I was told. It was much better built and heavier than the Chinese ones and fit perfectly.

I do not have anything resembling a stock pump. It is a Walbro f90000267. I modified a 94-96 sending unit to accommodate the pump.

I have not tried to order one lately, but have heard the wagon sending units are no longer available, so if you find one for sale, snag it.

As for swapping out, I'm in agreement that if I was dropping the tank, I'd probably swap the pump the the rubber hose between the pump and sending unit (had 3 or 4 of them on TBI cars split open after time). From what others have said I would not trust the hoses coming with the new pump, but would buy a small piece of modern fuel line that is ethanol resistant and put it in it's place (thinking any reputable parts store would toss you a 3 or 4 inch long snippet of hose. I did this on a 92 wagon and used two small hose clamps on it and never had an issue for 40K+ miles until I sold the car... In fact Billy or Adam probably still have the tank as the car was scrapped later.

If your fuel gauge is off, there is a writeup here on the forum on fixing it. Was posted a looooong time ago but it's here somewhere...Sherlock 9C1 did the write up.