Procedure to Fix Leaking Fuel Line - Special Tool or Wrench Needed?

[halg]

Hello. While flushing and changing radiator hoses, I saw this leak. From the accumulated dirt looks like its been going on a while. No issues from the tractor performance wise. It is not missing or anything.

I've never messed with diesel injector lines before. None of my wrenches fit even my flare wrench. The nuts holding the lines are super close together.

1. Can someone give advice on the procedure to fix a leak like this?
2. Is a special socket or wrench needed?

Thanks for any replies.

Hal

 

[Matt Ellerbee]

Should be a 17mm. Remove the one beside it to tighten.

Zooming in, looks like the line may be cracked? Inspect it to be sure.

 

[JimDeL]

Should be a 17mm. Remove the one beside it to tighten.

Zooming in, looks like the line may be cracked? Inspect it to be sure.

The crack/hole in the line may be clear up by the clamp, since there's evidence of leakage up there.

 

[Russell King]

In more detail on how to do this:
Find the open end wrench size required to fit the line nut.
Find the open end wrench size required to fit the large nut on the pump top.

You will need to remove the lines starting from the end. You will probably have to remove the complete line by taking it loose at the injector also. You may be able to loosen it at the injector and rotate it around out of the way.

If you can hold the larger nut below the line nut while you loo the line nut, that is better and insures that the larger nut doesn’t rotate. If you can’t hold it the draw a mark on the larger nut and the pump so that you can see if it moves.

Since you have the leak, you can just try to tighten that leaking nut. If you have a cracked line you will need to order a replacement line and then replace the one that is leaking. You may want to price out all new lines and just replace them all if not that costly, since you have to remove half of the lines anyway.

Good luck, please report back what you find out was causing the leak.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I would spray it off with brake parts cleaner, and then look for a leak / wear spot, here:

 

[halg]

Great info thanks everyone. I'll have a closer look tomorrow and try to determine if there is a crack or not. I suspect there is one. It seems pretty unlikely to me that things got loose somehow and just tightening it will fix the problem.

I'll inspect closer tomorrow and call around Monday to see about the cost of new lines.

Depending on their cost, I think I agree with Russell that if I am going to take the lines off to inspect & tighten I probably might as well replace if they are suspect.

Thanks again.

-hal

 

[D2Cat]

I would spray it off with brake parts cleaner, and then look for a leak / wear spot, here:

View attachment 133143

Do this, then sprinkle some baby powder in the area and watch for where the leak is. Don't do any wrenching until you are positive of the area it's coming from.

 

[halg]

Do this, then sprinkle some baby powder in the area and watch for where the leak is. Don't do any wrenching until you are positive of the area it's coming from.

Great idea!

 

[DustyRusty]

Do this, then sprinkle some baby powder in the area and watch for where the leak is. Don't do any wrenching until you are positive of the area it's coming from.

D2Cat, you are showing your age when you mention baby powder. See below:

Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced in August 2022 that it would stop selling talc-based baby powder globally in 2023. The company had already stopped selling the product in the U.S. and Canada in 2020, and retailers continued to sell their remaining stock until it ran out. J&J plans to transition to a cornstarch-based formula for all customers by 2023.
The decision to discontinue talc-based baby powder came after J&J faced thousands of lawsuits from consumers and their survivors who claimed the product caused cancer due to contamination with asbestos. In 2019, J&J recalled 33,000 bottles of Johnson's Baby Powder after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found small amounts of asbestos in a tested sample. J&J has known since the late 1950s that the talc used in its baby powder was sometimes contaminated with asbestos, but kept this information secret from the public and regulators for decades. More than 40,000 lawsuits have accused J&J of selling talc baby powder while being aware of its links to health risks, including ovarian cancer and mesothelioma. J&J denies the allegations.

I used to use baby powder in the tubes on my cars wire wheels, but haven't been able to find any in quite a few years. Now I have to buy "Tire Talc" at an inflated price compared to what it cost to buy baby powder.

 

[D2Cat]

Baby powder is like a generic term similar to Xerox, Skill Saw, Crescent Wrench ......

Any white powder will do, even flower from the kitchen! Quit picking on me!

 

[halg]

Baby powder is like a generic term similar to Xerox, Skill Saw, Crescent Wrench ......

Any white powder will do, even flower from the kitchen! Quit picking on me!

Ok here are the results. Perhaps they just do need cranked down. I don't see any leaks in the lines do you guys? Only idled for 5 minutes or so.

 

[halg]

Ok here are the results. Perhaps they just do need cranked down. I don't see any leaks in the lines do you guys? Only idled for 5 minutes or so.

and a few more.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

You do know that a VERY minor leak, not really effect on much of anything.

Use a wrench to hold the bottom nut then turn the top nut to loosen then re tighten.
To get the middle ones you might need to remove the outside lines.
Do Not bend the lines, loosen them at the injectors to get them to move easily.
If you loosen them at the injectors you will need to bleed them at the injectors before it will start and run.

 

[halg]

You do know that a VERY minor leak, not really effect on much of anything.

Use a wrench to hold the bottom nut then turn the top nut to loosen then re tighten.
To get the middle ones you might need to remove the outside lines.
Do Not bend the lines, loosen them at the injectors to get them to move easily.
If you loosen them at the injectors you will need to bleed them at the injectors before it will start and run.

I agree wolfman. In fact. Here is after 20 minutes at 2500 rpm. I don't see any leak at all really.

It sure appeared as quite the mess in that first picture. But, for now I am going to file this under not a problem and just check it periodically.

On the the next problem which is the charging system.

Thanks for the support everyone especially D2cat's advice not to wrench on anything until I know for sure what is going on. Saved me some time and hassle for sure.

 

[JimDeL]

Looking again at that first picture I'm wondering if your "leak" is/was some spray from bleeding the fuel system after a filter change.
Have you - or someone else - bled the line recently?

 

[halg]

Looking again at that first picture I'm wondering if your "leak" is/was some spray from bleeding the fuel system after a filter change.
Have you - or someone else - bled the line recently?

I assume by bled the lines you mean cracking where the lines attach at either the injector or pump so air can escape. If that is the case no. No one has done that.

I did change the fuel filter quite a while ago but this tractor has a nice bleed location right at the filter.

Something somewhere at sometime got fuel or hydraulic fluid on the fuel pump and engine as you can see caked dirt from the fuel pump down and on the inside of the side panel.

I think my main course of action will be to just keep checking it periodically.