My 2005 Rx8 has developed a slow fuel leak. Gasoline leaks onto the top of the passenger side of the engine. As the engine heats up the gas vaporizes causing a major fire hazard so I can't drive the car. The nearest dealership is 300 miles away. I could not see what was leaking the gas. So I took thinks apart until I could see what was on the passenger side of the engine. The only things that I see that would leak gas on top of the engine would be 2 fuel lines. One line comes from the driver's side of the engine and connects to the secondary fuel rail on the passenger side. The other line runs from the secondary fuel rail to the primary fuel rail. The lines appear in good shape so I figure there must be a leak at the connector. With everything taken apart, I can't pressure-up the lines to see if they are truly leaking. Does anybody know if there is anything else in that area that might leak gas?

 

Do not drive it. Fuel line leak, they need to be replaced. Could be a leaking injector or loose fuel rail but more than likely it is one of the lines.

 

For a while there was a rash of fires caused by a fuel leak there after engine replacement. Fortunately, we aren't aware of anyone losing their life from it, but it is definitely NOT something to play around with at all. It needs to be fixed and fixed properly before the engine is ever restarted.

You don't need a dealer for the replacement. You can order the parts (whichever they turn out to be) and have any reputable shop install them if you can't yourself. There is nothing about it that is "RX-8" specific.

 

I'll replace both lines. I'd hate to put it all back together and find I've still got a leak, so maybe I'll replace the injectors as well. Thanks guys.

 

So, I replaced both fuel lines and all 4 secondary fuel injectors, and I've still got the fuel leak. I took everything apart again thinking that maybe an injector didn't seat properly or a fuel line was not connected completely, but everything is just right. I didn't replace the rubber grommets at the base of each injector because they appeared to be in good shape. I can't see the primary fuel injectors. Can they cause a leak on top of the passenger side of the engine? Any other ideas of what may be causing the leak?

 

pulsation damper, upper injector seals on primary rail......

 

I thought I'd give a final update. There is an area between the intake manifold and the block that is a rather deep crevice. I found that there was still gasoline (not much) pooled at the bottom of this crevice. The gas was covered with dust making it impossible to recognize as pooled gasoline. That remaining gas had been vaporizing as the engine heated-up while I test-drove. So, I thought I still had a leak. Anyway, I cleaned-out the remaining gas and-----no more gas leak. Thank you for all the help.

 

Yeah that area can hold quite a bit, I had a coolant line leak on the rear iron and fill that area with coolant, I sucked most of it out with my mitivac but it still took forever to burn off and smoked for 15 minutes or so.

Glad you got it sorted without any fires.