Gas Leak

[J N Winkler]

I had problems with a leaking gas tank on my last car (a 1986 Nissan Maxima, called "Rosie" after Don Quixote's horse).  I limped along on temporary repairs for about one or two years but eventually had to have a permanent repair done at a cost of about $400.  The amount of fuel that leaked was always minimal (never more than a few drops at a time), but I was concerned about the fire hazard.

I think a lot of the advice given upthread is useful.  Here are my additions:

*  Get hold of a third-party repair manual for the car (Haynes or Chilton) and see what it has to say about fuel tank repairs--with luck it will specify whether the fuel lines are nylon or brass.  (I wouldn't attempt DIY repairs on brass because it is all too easy to twist out of shape.)

*  This is a long shot, but check online and see if the Honda factory manuals for your Accord are downloadable.  These will have more detail than the third-party manuals, although the latter will have useful tricks that get omitted from the factory manuals (in Rosie's case, one of these was a procedure for draining and refilling the automatic transaxle using an undocumented drain plug, to revitalize the transmission fluid).  If they can't be downloaded, it will probably be possible to order them from Honda's US contractor for repair manuals, but they won't likely be cheap (I think I paid about $50 for a manuals set for Rosie, but for my current car--a 1994 Saturn SL2--a full set costs over a thousand).

*  If you need a bridging loan, approach your parents first, then the credit union if you get a turndown.  Parents are more likely to give you a favorable interest rate (0%) if they do not agree that the necessary work falls under their maintenance obligation.

*  Before you consider DIY or having repairs done on credit, take the car back to the shop that did the first round of repairs and ask if they are going to stand behind their work.  Mechanics do make mistakes on occasion:  last year I had to take my car back to have the A/C system recharged with refrigerant since the mechanic who had worked on it last (at the same shop) had forgotten to re-cap the valve, which caused the initial charge of refrigerant to leak out.  Since this error had occurred as part of a seal replacement (the A/C was not working since the original seals were leaking and all the refrigerant had gone), the second charge was done at no added cost to me.

*  A good way to estimate utility costs is to ask your parents for sight of their utility bills, add up a typical monthly total, and then divide that by the number of people in the household.

[vdeane]

It's definitely a metal line - I just heard back yesterday that they were discovered to be rusted out, but our mechanic didn't see anything wrong with them so they weren't replaced.  Unfortunately the next time I'll be in Rochester is May 13, and given how much gas I'm using just to keep from having to have the car towed away, I'll have to do repairs here.

[NJRoadfan]

Out of pocket costs for a patch job are minimal, about $15-20. You need a few feet of fuel injection rated hose (usually 5/16" inner diameter) and fuel injection system rated hose clamps. You can buy a small tube cutter to cut out the rotted section of line for less then $10. You'll also need a box of disposable nitrile gloves (usually blue in color) as gasoline melts latex on contact.

[vdeane]

Just got back from the repair place a little while ago.  Total cost: $47.20 (much lower than I expected).  I'll check it Saturday to see how it's holding up... and time to do some budgeting stuff with my parents so that I can stop panicking about money.

[agentsteel53]

Just got back from the repair place a little while ago.  Total cost: $47.20 (much lower than I expected).  I'll check it Saturday to see how it's holding up... and time to do some budgeting stuff with my parents so that I can stop panicking about money.

47 bucks ain't bad at all.  I assume they did the cut-and-clamp which NJRoadfan described?  I can't imagine them doing a weld for such a low cost, as the isolation process to make it safe is fairly time-consuming. 

[vdeane]

I assume so.  The bill has line items for rubber fuel line and hose clamps.

[vdeane]

Looks like this saga isn't done.  When I drove to WalMart on April 25, I lost 1/4 tank of gas, even though I hadn't driven the car since April 6.  Driving it again today (since I could finally get out of the overflow parking lot), I lost another 1/4 tank.  What's going on here?  Shouldn't the loss be somewhat consistent?  Why do I seem to lose 1/4 tank every time I take the car out, even if I only drive 2/10 mile?

Seriously thinking it's time for a new car, but I don't have the money