I've got an obvious leak on top of the fuel pump on my '99 Grand Caravan. What I can't determine is if it is leaking from one of the quick connect fittings or the seal at the top of the fuel pump. When you look at the pics, it appears that the nipple beneath one of the fittings is clean (as opposed to the other) but it also looks like the seal is saturated. Any suggestions?

 

Just had my daughter start the van while I was under it. Very obvious that the leak was coming from the quick connect fitting to the fuel filter. Needless to say, I happy about only having to replace a $30 filter as opposed to a $300 pump.

I guess I'll leave this up just in case someone else may experience the same thing...

 

Wrong again. I put the new fuel filter on, started it up - and it's still leaking. I put a little pressure on the fitting and there is a hairline crack in the nipple on the fuel pump. We've had this van since it was new (22 miles on it). It's now got 142,000 and is starting to nickel and dime us - and nothing is ever easy. Guess I'm pulling the tank. Crap...

 

How/why did you first know that it was leaking? Did you notice the smell or a loss of fuel, or was it affecting performance and you went looking for fuel issues? My '98 has been giving me a fit and now I'm thinking my pump is going bad.

 

Just had the identical problem on my 96 last week. First noticed it took two turns of the key to get it to start one day. Next day same thing and smelled heavy smell of raw fuel on 20 mile trip. Van ran just fine. Looked it over the next day looking up front first at injectors and lines, no leak. Looked under the van to be greeted by a 2 foot puddle under the tank. Looked close and saw one nipple on top of pump was cracked. Ordered a pump $115 Carter at PepBoys (after $25 coupon from retailmenot.com) and WIX filter $27 from Ebay. Couldn't see a safe way to get these old bones under the van on a sloped driveway so took it to a local shop. $130 labor and the van was good to go.

Really killed two birds... Gauge was erratic above 3/4 full with chime tweeting it's song. Gauge looks good now.

 

I don't think mine's been leaking. Haven't noticed any smell or loss of fuel. Mileage is crap, but it's running rough. So's my truck. But the van keeps "losing its prime". Yesterday, after it sat at wife's work, I had to splasj some gas into TB and then it fired right up and ran fine. When I got home I turned key off and on, and I could hear the pump priming every time I turned key, and it cranked every time. This a.m. however, NOTHING! Cold and raining here so praying for sunshine, and a miracle, because obviously if I'm home at 10am messing with wife's van, I don't have any work. No work means no money, which means no parts, which means no van, which means no vehicle when/if I do get some work! Starting to feel like them ol boys on Hee Haw... "If it won't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all"!

 

Leastofthese - We knew that something was wrong because we'd been smelling gas whenever we were close to the van. I never did see a puddle like Cougar41 though. It wasn't until I crawled under it that I could see the leak around the fuel pump. I should also note that our mileage went from it's usual 17 or so down to the mid-13's.

While researching our gas smell, I found several threads about fuel injectors going bad and "leaking out" into the manifold when you turn the engine off. Then, when you go to start it again, the line basically has to be refilled (primed) again thus making for rough starts. Might be worth looking into...

Cougar41 - Just out of curiosity, is your van flex-fuel? Mine is and the cheapest I'm finding a fuel pump for it is about $250 (see another post I have about flex-fuel vs standard fuel pumps).

 

No not flex fuel. Just a standard pump. Like you I'd sure like to know what makes a FF pump more expensive.

My whole episode happened on one tank of gas and I drained the tank in the process so I have no idea how it effected mileage. I'm sure had it gone on longer it would have.

First indications, based on the strength of the smell, were my gas leak was up front. I too was thinking leaking injector either internal or external. I pulled the front bank of spark plugs and the intake cover but found nothing. I just happened to glance under the van while walking back to it from the house and noticed the puddle. I'm guessing whatever breeze there was pushed the fumes forward.