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Thankful to have not caught fire
Got up before dawn to have breakfast with my Dad for Labor Day. 45 minute cruise in the cool was nice. Left to head to work to check on some things another 45 minute cruise. Smelled gas but did not think about it because I had an empty 2.5 gal gas can in the passenger side I brought along to fill up with the Cobra. I thought it was just the stink of the can as the day warmed up. Arrived, shut it off, lifted the hood and gas is all pooled in the intake manifold with a steady drip out of the now defective fuel pressure gauge. Twisted the junk gauge out with pliers and screwed in a spare brake light pressure switch to get me to Ace Hardware to get a proper plug. Thankful to have not caught fire big time. Ya'll keep an eye on those weenie 0-15 psi gauges. Man, was hot here today too. :MECOOL:
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It's your lucky day! Now go buy yourself a Big Lotto ticket! :DRalph:MECOOL: |
Good catch..........
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Could install an isolation valve at base of gauge.
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Bill S. |
Be thankful that you are ok and you were able to save your car.
I had a situation similar but with faulty fuel regulator and a clogged in line filter, by the way the regulator had the gauge as well. Mine did not leaked but killed the gas flow to the carb and in the middle of the road. They could be a dangerous accessory if they fail, I agree to keep an eye on them. I keep a spare one and a spare filter in the event that it reoccurs. Since, I also have a fire extinguisher in my car easily accessible. God bless!! |
Over the past 15 years I have had countless things happen but so far never my fuel pressure gauge. Glad you cought it before you made the 6:00 news.
Brings up another topic: What tools do you keep with you in the Cobra? I have a phillips and straight screw driver, crescent, pair of pliers, electrical tape and a couple fuses. Anything I can't fix with those tools I am calling AAA. Clois |
Underhood gauges are to be used during tuning, not everyday. You're lucky that you didn't lose the car or worse, your life.
As was said above, get yourself an isolater kit and plumb the gauge to the dash. Pegasus has a good one. And anyone else who has an underhood fuel pressure gauge, let this serve as your wakeup call. |
Don't forget the duct tape and long plastic tie strips!
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I have a fold up tool kit comprised over many years, a roll of crafts man wrenches, a craftsman socket set in plastic box, jumper cables, tire plugs , 12 volt mini compressor, oil and funnel. I fix OTHER peoples stuff on the side of the road.
I have had the wakeup call and will buy another gauge only for trouble shooting! |
Good post. I was planning on leaving the pressure gauge underhood but now I've rethought that. Do most people just connect the pressure gauge to the regulator when tuning, and use a NPT plug the rest of the time?
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Fuel Pressure Gauge
Kirkham Motorsports went to an electric fuel pressure gauge. In fact, we've gone 100% electric on our gauges.
For fuel injection setups, we use a 100 psi gauge, instead of 0-15 psi. The gauges are a lot shallower, too. It helps with fitting them into other cars with clearance issues. --- Please note that the e.f.p. link above was automatically added, not by me. ---- and it vanished on the rewrite. |
Glad everything turned out ok! Mine has a gauge under the hood and I was wondering if its worth keeping as permanent attachment - after this thread it's coming out.
Cal |
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0-15psi Fuel Pressure Gauge, 1/8 NPT An accurate gauge makes it easy to set your fuel pressure regulator. This 1.5 inch diameter liquid-filled pressure gauge can be mounted in the engine compartment to monitor the operation of the fuel pump (and regulator, if used). Also, the isolator is designed to be used when you have the gauge inside your cockpit, right? |
There are many thousands of these type gauges in use under many hoods. There are also many brands of varying design and quality. A good design and manufacture should ensure no leakage at many times the normal fuel supply pressure. I believe that those designed for use underhood and from a reputable manufacturer with good quality, should provide safe, reliable service. Mine is a Holley 0 - 15 psi, non-oil filled, which I have had installed for over 5 years with no issues. I also run a fuel pressure regulator set at 5 psi to provide the proper consistent pressure and prevent the gauge needle from bouncing all over. We will never know the root causes of the leaks/fire events mentioned, but there are several possibilities (materials, workmanship, overpressure condition, installation issues, fuel additives, etc). I am wary of automotive products made in China, since I had a ProComp fuel pump fail within a year (then found out it was made in China). We all have our respective experiences and opinions, and I am leaving my gauge in place underhood (but I do check underhood for key safety items prior to every drive ( fuel leakage, brake/clutch fluid level, spinners tight). Good luck whatever you decide.
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I know or have heard of four separate occasions where a gauge failed. Two resulted in fires. Go ahead and put one in if you think you need it. You might want to add a fire extinguisher if you don't already have one. My fuel pressure gauge is in the dash. I have a hard time seeing one that's mounted in the engine compartment from the drivers seat in my car.:) edit - Yes, the isolator substitutes anti-freeze solution for gasoline in the connecting line, so it is safe to penetrate the firewall. If you used one under the hood and mounted the gauge remotely, it would allow a failing gauge to seep anti-freeze instead of gas, too. |
Do you really need to see fuel pressure all the time, or is it adequate to just connect the gauge underhood during set-up?
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Millions of cars get along just fine without one.
My car, however, does not have a fuel level gauge, so I need the pressure gauge to let me know when it's time to find a gas station. |
On aircraft they add a tiny restrictor orifice inline, so that in the case of a failure of the gauge or line, your not sending huge volumes of flammable a out to be ignited
Not a bad idea for cars either. Better is indirect reading gauges where you have no line to the gauge at all |
I had the exact same experience with mine. And it worked fine for 7-8 years, then not so fine. I now have a plug where the fuel pressure gauge used to be.
Oh, and while we're on the subject of fuel leaks, if you are using steel braided hose in your fuel delivery system be very careful. Not all of the liners in steel braid can tolerate modern fuel blends and will develop massive leaks. A few weeks after plugging my fuel pressure gauge I was backing out of the garage one morning and noticed a huge swath of wet following me down the driveway. Got out and gave it the sniff test.....GAS!!!! Garage floor was covered in gas, could have burned the car and the house. Moral of the story is keep your steel braid lines short and either use teflon lined hose or one with a gasoline rated elastomer lining. Frank |
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