idanity

88 4x4 3vz, has a fuel leak.
i smell it, but cannot locate it...
can smell it in the cabin after it starts up, (starts not as easily, but does start and drive ok)

im hearing its a fuel pressure regulator, thats under the intake...

parts for the fuel pressure= 132.+ change .....................101.00
parts for intake gasktets = 67.+ change x2 = 134 ish.........6.32 (one big 6hole gasket)

so, parts = $270. (dealer)...... 107.32 from a friend (who gets discount prices from the dealer)
and i will learn how to fix this (not saying if its a injector yet.) (it was the fuel pulsation dampner)
or..
about $250 .
for someone else to fix it...
heres my dilemma.

Last november, i met an awesome mechanic who works @ teh toy dealer, who can repair this for less than the parts alone. (but not by much)

so, would you have it done, ( at the dealer, by a rep. mech) for less, or would you
repair it yourself, with online parts

and fallow up

if its the fuel pulsation thingy, is there another upgrade i can do to resolve this from happening in the future ?

i would love to have this part, NOT catch my lucky truck on fire,
i already saved it from certain doom once, (the driveline had 1 bolt holding it together, the engine, had 50 % of the bolts holding it together)...

to summarize
1. i do it for the 1st time, w/ hand tools in the rain for 270
2. let the mech fix it w/all yota parts @ the yota dealership for less (or similar) $$
3. if i choose #1, upgrade or move said faulty part to better location


resolution done... did it myself (in about 2 hours) and its been purring since.
total cost was about 120 dollars for parts and a few new bolts.

PCE91V64x4

I think the area you are talking about is under the plenum. The intake is the plastic air filter box and black plastic hose that runs into the intake manifold or plenum.

The fuel pressure regulator at Advance auto is $66. The gaskets for the intake manifold are like $8. Taking that off is pretty easy if you can remember all the vacuum hose locations when you put it back together.

As far as guessing it is the fuel pressure regulator I would check it out before I spent $66. If you have a way to get around besides your truck I would take it apart, find the leak and then go get some parts.

idanity

its the plenum alright, or intake manifold...

can i just unbolts it, and flip it upside down, leaving all the hoses connected ??

sb5walker

I don't want to be rude, just saying I'm not totally sure whether you're clear on the difference between the fuel pressure regulator and the pulsation damper, but maybe I can help you identify the leak... Then you can decide if you feel comfortable doing the repair yourself or will pay someone to do the work. At least you could buy the part yourself to save a decent amount of $$.

It's not at all common for the fuel pressure regulator to leak, and anyway, it's not under the plenum. It's attached to the front of the driver side fuel rail ("LH Delivery Pipe" in the manual) - follow the fuel rail forward from the throttle body and look for a metalic disk-like thing sitting on top of the fuel rail - that's the press regulator. It has a little vacuum hose on top and a rubber fuel return line attached to the side of it.

<Pressure Regulator

The most common fuel leak spot on the 3vze is the fuel pulsation damper, a little disk stuck on the back end of the passenger side fuel rail (RH Delivery Pipe). It's dangerous because it drips fuel onto the exhaust crossover. Some very nasty fires have started as a result. And it does usually give you a fuel vapor smell in the cab.

That one is under the plenum, on the passenger side, just inboard of the valve cover. You can't see it without removing the plenum but you should be able to get your hands on it by starting at the little upside-down "U"-shaped coolant hose and reaching forward under the plenum. That's just maybe three inches or so right of the centerline of the motor. (The curved downward part of the plenum is basically the centerline of the motor.)

Here's a pic of the pulsation damper (thanks to billabong2442 for photo):


There's a diagram of all the fuel rail parts in this manual section:
http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...90injector.pdf

After you can find the pulsation damper, check for a leak by using a paperclip to jump the +B & FP terminals in the gray diagnostic check connector attached to the side of the fuse/relay block on the passenger inner fender, and turn ignition on (but don't start it). That will run the pump and pressurize the fuel rails. Feel all around the pulsation damper to see if it is seeping fuel. Another approach would be to stuff a clean rag into the area and let the pump run for a few minutes, then remove the rag and see if it has fuel on it.

The pulsation dampers are pricey for their size. 1sttoyotaparts.com gives a big discount on the dealer part (but it's still $95, they call it a "Pulse dampner" on their website) or you can get a Standard Motor Products part for $88 from rockauto (called "fuel injection pressure damper").

It's like a shock absorber for fuel pressure. Evens out the spikes & drops in pressure as injectors open and close, so the fuel metering remains accurate.

There is no need to upgrade or move this part, and doing so would take some pretty fancy and expensive engineering. If you get the dealer part, it will probably last 15-20 years - that would be sufficient, I would think.

idanity

thanks so much.

after seeing the photo...i should easily do this tomorrow...
and funny enough...the dealer keeps these IN STOCK...so..hmmm...

i will test it w/a clean rag in both spots

the scary part is that if fails...and i really don't want to have it ever fail again...or if it does, at least in a safer place..but no such luck (as you said already..would take a bit of eng, and remap a pressure remotely is not easy...if possible at all...


i really appreciate the help...

PCE91V64x4

When I took the plenum off I marked all the hoses , unbolted it from the engine and flipped it onto its side in the back left corner of the engine. It is really not hard, just mark all the hoses before you do it and take pictures. Once you think you have all the hoses off try to lift it up and over. If it will not lift off you missed one (as I found out).

sb5walker

I should have mentioned that the injectors are another possible source of leaks. The rubber fuel return line and the attachments of the steel fuel lines are also possibilities. And in this age of soft metal-corroding ethanol, pinholes in the aluminum fuel rails are not impossible.

As you may know, the 1sttoyotaparts site is actually the internet arm of Bob Bridge Toyota, in Renton - your neck of the woods. I don't know if they allow you to get internet prices with local pickup, but even with shipping, the pulsation damper would only be $105. At least that's what it was a week ago - I don't see the part on their website at the moment, but you can call them and ask to speak to the internet parts sales guy.

Good luck, and let us know what the leak turns out to be.

idanity

thanks everyone...

the injectors were replaced last November, and are still pliable.
the damper was in fact leaking, a drip every second...(used a mirror)

heres some pix...

the stupid screw fell out..so, i guess its still actually usable..


HERES another question..
3 ports are black. 3 ports are brown..is this b/c of the leak > ? i need to know.
but really the removal only took about 20 minutes...so much easier than a bmw...


heres a cracked hose


heres the old part still on the truck
figured out to remove that little fuel rail,
and the bolts that have a sideways hole through the threads...do they need to be a certain direction ??

sb5walker

Thanks for the pix - so you actually had a leaking pulsation damper AND a leaking rubber return line. Good thing you fixed it before the big fire - that fuel return hose would have sprayed A LOT of fuel into your engine compartment. Vehicle probably would have been a total loss.

That pulsation damper is toast - that little screw is not a sealing screw - put it back in and it will still leak. It's attached to the flexible diaphragm and gives a visual indication (if the plastic cover were still clear) when the fuel system is pressurized (the screw sticks out more). Most replacement dampers don't have the screw.

Don't worry about the position of the cross-drilled hole in the banjo bolt - just use new copper or aluminum gaskets and torque the bolt to fsm spec.

I don't know why the intake passages to the #4 & 5 cyls are cleaner than the rest - gunk is normal from the pcv and egr that are fed into the intake. Seafoam treatments clean some of that out. If you can clean up the plenum a little while you have it off, that would be good.

Congrats on finding those leaks and getting them fixed - good stuff.

idanity

i actually used the same alluminum orings for the fuel crossbar, but a new one w/the fuel puls. dampner, and that return fuel hose did erupt with a ton of fuel, shooting 9 feet in the air...(i thought it was dual layer, and a surface crack..which did need to be replaced, but not to test...testing...wow..tons of fuel at least 50psi)


the whole job..it was pretty easy, in all honesty..if i ever want to clean it out more, (w/out the risk of dropping black soot into the engine) i can pull it again.

thanks everyone. the pix made me feel more at ease on what to look for, (special thanks sb5walker)

904_runner

Guessing you ended up buying a new one?

Mine fell out when i got it and caused a fuel fire...
We ended up red lock tighting it back in and it held the rest of the time i had that POS 3.0L

Goathead666

Will a leaky pressure dampener cause difficulty in starting as well? Truck starts but takes a couple seconds, as though the rails may not be pressurized completely.

sb5walker

That won't be the damper. More likely some slight air leaks within the injector valves coupled with a worn check valve in the pump so the fuel drains back a bit. Mine does that too.

Goathead666

I get a slight smell of fuel in the cab after she starts and after I shut the truck off, that's why I was wondering. That's in addition to the extra starting effort, not a huge deal but was hoping this solution may have solved both my problems.

So air leaks within the injector valves? or a faulty fuel pump? How can one check for air leaks in the injector valves?

sb5walker

With a fuel smell, sounds like the leak may be external, rather than within the injectors. Same possible leak sources as listed for the OP.

To have the injectors tested, send 'em to witchhunter performance ( http://www.witchhunter.com/ ) They'll clean, flow test and supply new o-rings for $19/injector plus ship.

idanity

my symptoms were

1 more difficult to start
2 smell of fuel

Everything else was fine. it drove fine, idled fine, but start up took en extra 8-15 seconds.
now, with it fixed, it starts up right away.

94hilux

I tried this job this weekend with the part from rockauto made by Standard Motor Products. It was junk. The threads were slightly shallower and the thread length was longer and the bolt end of it was slightly larger, hence I was unable to put it into the fuel rail. I then tried another damper from a local parts store (advanced auto). This damper was by a different manufacturer (don't recall name) and it too didn't fit in the fuel rail.

So today, I called all the dealers locally with the OEM part number off the Denso damper that came in the truck for pricing info (most dealers wanted $131.70 + tax) and used that same part number and ordered it from 1sttoyotaparts.com from their OEM catalog. I'm hoping this OEM part will fix my problem as I have the truck engine bay torn apart and just sitting there waiting for a new part.

94hilux

Update:

I received the OEM fuel damper from 1st toyota parts. It comes with a screw at the back with a cover on it just like the original one but it fit like a glove. No issues at all with this and now the truck leaks no more. Although the screw is the weak point in this part I think I'll be good to go for another 10-15 years with this new OEM damper. By then I probably won't have the truck anymore.

Flyswatter

Changed the fuel pressure damper on the right side fuel rail, and the fuel filter at the same time. Now that it's changed it can't idle and sprays fuel around the power steering pump. Any ideas what it is?

scope103

Well, it's a fuel leak. The only fuel around the PS Pump is the rail and cross-over. My guess is you've finally failed the rubber o-ring at the top of the injector, but it could be the connection to the cross-over.

But it isn't too hard to find out. I'd remove the plenum, connect the fuel return from the FPR to the return line with a piece of 6mm/1/4" hose (any kind; but clear vinyl will help you see what you're doing), then pressurize the rail with the jumper.