gas leak from fuel sending unit

T

Thomas Hanno

Hey,
Last summer I had a gas leak in my '97 Legacy Outback. The very bottom
of the fuel filler pipe had a pinhole leak which I covered with JB
Weld, and it stopped leaking until a few days ago. I scraped off the
old JB weld, sanded the pipe again, and then put new JB Weld on. After
refilling my tank, the fuel filler pipe was no longer leaking.

However, once I parked in my driveway, I noticed a big puddle of
gasoline under the center of my car. After opening the compartments in
the back of the car, I saw that the fuel sending unit assembly was
spraying gas (the fuel pump assembly on the other side, though rusted,
is not leaking). The small metal tube coming out of the plate at a
right angle had a pinhole leak. I used rubber fuel hose and a hose
clamp to seal the leak, and it seems to have stopped leaking. One of
the wires leading from the plate is stripped badly, and I guess this
is probably related to problems I've had with gas gauge working. I
taped the wire for now but depending on what I replace I might need an
actual solution.

So my questions are...
Can I get a replacement fuel sending unit assembly? Anything I find
online just seems to replace the part inside the tank, and not the
plate and gasket on top. Could I call the dealer and have them order
the piece(s)?

Is the hose clamp a suitable solution, or am I just asking to be
burned alive?

Lastly, should I sand and then spray WD40 or some other rust solution
on the various rusty parts of my car? There seems to be quite a bit (I
live in New York). I'm not sure where the car was or what happened to
it before I got it 18 months ago...

Thanks again for the help,
Thomas
 
Thomas said:
So my questions are...
Can I get a replacement fuel sending unit assembly? Anything I find
online just seems to replace the part inside the tank, and not the
plate and gasket on top. Could I call the dealer and have them order
the piece(s)?

The plate and gasket do come as part of the assembly. If your '97 is
like my '00, there are TWO sending units, one on the other side of the
car. It's recommended to replace both of them, and from your description
of the rust problems on this car, you'd better do that.
 

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