Hunting a gas leak

[D1LL0N]

My gas mileage is terrible and there is a smell of gas in the cab. I am thinking there is a gas leak somewhere. Suggestions on where to start to look for it? I don't own a manual so does anyone have a diagram where the leaks could be coming from? Injectors/fuel rail/fuel line(s?). thanks

 

[Mark_88]

I would imagine you have the 2.5 engine...and the smell of gas in the cab could be either a leak in the filler tube or probably a leak at the pressure regluator...find that and wrap a rag around it and drive it...if the rag is drenched in gas you've found your leak...

My Tempo used to get that once in a while and I never did find out where it was coming from...but it wasn't serious or often enough to warrant taking it to the dealership while it was under warranty...

 

[D1LL0N]

I check that out, thank you. I did the "zip tie" trick on my throttle cable that had a lot of slack. Is it possible that the slack in the cable causes gas to overflow constantly into the TB?

 

[chilsam]

No

I check that out, thank you. I did the "zip tie" trick on my throttle cable that had a lot of slack. Is it possible that the slack in the cable causes gas to overflow constantly into the TB?

look for fuel puddle on the ground that's what I'd do.

 

[scotts90ranger]

no, completely unrelated as the engine is port fuel injected

Start the engine up with the parking break on and look for leaks around stuff. The places to look would be the fuel filter under the drivers seat (but under the truck, inside the frame rail) if you are in a rust prone area that could be rusted through, another would be the supply and return connections to the fuel rail, the fuel pressure regulator diaphragm failing and flowing fuel through vacuum reference hose, an issue with the evaporative emissions system (charcoal canister, I believe it's by the top of the gas tank on yours, but there's a hose that goes up to the intake manifold somewhere.

Also, gasoline is a solvent, if everything is filthy and you find a clean spot in the area of anything I mentioned above, there's your leak...