| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| NezErk | I started my prowler today and stepped out. I immediately smelled fuel but I didn't think much about it and walked off to let it warm up. When I returned, the fuel smell was overwhelming and I saw a wet spot in front of my driver side rear tire (the car is parked on a slope leaning to the driver side). I immediately turned off the engine and tried to find the source of the leak but I couldn't see anything obvious.
After about 30 min, the wet spot was all gone with no stain which showed that it was pure fuel and not leaking when the engine is not running.
I will investigate it tomorrow but I would love to hear if there is a known issue. It is a 2001 Plymouth Prowler with a 3.5V6. I'm the first owner and have never had any issues before.
Thank you all in advance. |
| padroo | Try pulling the trunk carpeting back on the driver's side and pull the plug over the fuel pump access. |
| NezErk | thank you padroo.
Equipped with a flashlight, tools and your guidance, I took another look at the issue. I lifted the trunk carpet on the driver side (starting from the rear) and exposed the rubber plug (for transmission oil dipstick) and the rectangle black plastic cover (fuel pump access). I removed 4 bolts from this cover and lifted about two inches to get a view and started the engine. I watched almost everything for about 10 min through both openings as well as the engine bay and under carriage but there was no leak. Now, I'm perplexed.
I will definitely keep monitoring this and carry a fire extinguisher for a while but I would like to get a clear understanding of what happened yesterday.
Has anyone experienced something like this?Notes: -The car had a full tank of gas and was sitting about 3 months (slightly leaning to the driver side on a parking garage ramp). Trapped pressure in the tank??? But why was it released when I started the engine.
-The battery was dead and I tried to start a few times (jumping) before replacing the battery. But it was not flooded as it started right away with the new battery. And the gas puddle was by the rear tire.
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| padroo | Which rear tire, right or left? quote:
Originally posted by NezErk:
thank you padroo.
Equipped with a flashlight, tools and your guidance, I took another look at the issue. I lifted the trunk carpet on the driver side (starting from the rear) and exposed the rubber plug (for transmission oil dipstick) and the rectangle black plastic cover (fuel pump access). I removed 4 bolts from this cover and lifted about two inches to get a view and started the engine. I watched almost everything for about 10 min through both openings as well as the engine bay and under carriage but there was no leak. Now, I'm perplexed.
I will definitely keep monitoring this and carry a fire extinguisher for a while but I would like to get a clear understanding of what happened yesterday.
Has anyone experienced something like this?Notes: -The car had a full tank of gas and was sitting about 3 months (slightly leaning to the driver side on a parking garage ramp). Trapped pressure in the tank??? But why was it released when I started the engine.
-The battery was dead and I tried to start a few times (jumping) before replacing the battery. But it was not flooded as it started right away with the new battery. And the gas puddle was by the rear tire.
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| Tom Mills | For what it's worth. I had a friend drive to my house in his 2001 Prowler, he stopped a few miles out and filled the tank when he got here we left the car and took mine for lunch and when we got back there was a heavy gas smell. I removed the cover from the truck floor and the the area around the fuel pump recess in the top of the tank was full of fuel and running off onto the garage floor. There is a dealer close by so we took it in to them right away. They checked it all over and found no problem. So they did nothing but check it over. We picked it up and it seemed fine and it never happened again. At the time it was still in warranty. Sounds just like your story.
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| NezErk | quote:
Originally posted by padroo:
Which rear tire, right or left?
Padroo:
Driver side rear tire. That is also the side the car was slightly leaning to. Now I know where the fuel pump is located, the puddle was directly under that area.Tom Mills:
Thank you for sharing your story. It looks like a very similar event. I'm happy to hear that it never happened again. Still I will keep an eye on it and report here if there is any news. PS:
While I was inspecting this event, I realized that I need a set of rear sway bar end links (I hope I named them correctly). I will search for it now. |
| Tom Mills | This message has been edited by Tom Mills on 04-09-2024 at 09:51 PM |
