Help! -- Diesel Leak

[OldForester]

I could use some input on leaking diesel. I have the coach parked in our home's driveway (I normally have it in a storage area), getting ready to leave tomorrow morning. This morning I drove the coach into the driveway quickly, with a full tank of diesel, and the driveway has a sharp pitch up at about a 20 degree angle, from the street. I can barely park the coach in the driveway in front of the garage without having rear end overhang on the street.

I had to leave for the day, and when I came home, I had some diesel (probably about 2 cup's worth)on my driveway under the fuel tank. When I crawled under the coach and under the fuel tank, I saw what appears to be an overflow hose coming over the tank and partway down the side of the tank. The diesel appeared to leak from this hose, and was no longer leaking.

I drove the coach out of the driveway and back into the same spot and didn't have a leak.

I'm guessing this is an overflow hose of some sort, and when I drove the coach into the driveway quickly, I caused some diesel to flow into the overflow and out of the tank. I've never had this happen before parking in the driveway, but I've always gone slowly into the driveway and this time I went in to it quickly, which could have caused some sloshing in the fuel.

It was also relatively warm on the side of the coach today, so I was wondering if I had some kind of a siphoning effect going on with this hose.

My question, which I appreciate a quick response on, is have others had an overflow out of this hose (about midway down the side of the fuel tank from a front to rear perspective), and is this an overflow hose? Or is it there for some other purpose.

I'm anxious for an answer because I'me leaving the morning for a 5500 mile round trip over the next few weeks, and don't want to leave if I need to have some work done. It doesn't appear to me that I need to, but I thought otherwise might have had the same problem.

[OldForester]

I could use some input on leaking diesel. I have the coach parked in our home's driveway (I normally have it in a storage area), getting ready to leave tomorrow morning. This morning I drove the coach into the driveway quickly, with a full tank of diesel, and the driveway has a sharp pitch up at about a 20 degree angle, from the street. I can barely park the coach in the driveway in front of the garage without having rear end overhang on the street.

I had to leave for the day, and when I came home, I had some diesel (probably about 2 cup's worth)on my driveway under the fuel tank. When I crawled under the coach and under the fuel tank, I saw what appears to be an overflow hose coming over the tank and partway down the side of the tank. The diesel appeared to leak from this hose, and was no longer leaking.

I drove the coach out of the driveway and back into the same spot and didn't have a leak.

I'm guessing this is an overflow hose of some sort, and when I drove the coach into the driveway quickly, I caused some diesel to flow into the overflow and out of the tank. I've never had this happen before parking in the driveway, but I've always gone slowly into the driveway and this time I went in to it quickly, which could have caused some sloshing in the fuel.

It was also relatively warm on the side of the coach today, so I was wondering if I had some kind of a siphoning effect going on with this hose.

My question, which I appreciate a quick response on, is have others had an overflow out of this hose (about midway down the side of the fuel tank from a front to rear perspective), and is this an overflow hose? Or is it there for some other purpose.

I'm anxious for an answer because I'me leaving the morning for a 5500 mile round trip over the next few weeks, and don't want to leave if I need to have some work done. It doesn't appear to me that I need to, but I thought otherwise might have had the same problem.

[Dave Fernandez]

Hello OldForester:

From what you have explained I have a gut feeling that when you fueled the fuel was cool and when you parked the fuel warmed and expanded and out the overflow. Since diesels do not have a fuel recovery system like gas driven vehicles have you have an overflow hose. I do not think there is anything to worry about other than the mess on the driveway.

[OldForester]

Dave,

I think between your thought and mine we are right on. I didn't think about not having a fuel recovery system on the diesel motorhome, since I din't have this problem on our boat with diesels and not on our gas cars.

We did fuel when it was cool and it was warm in the driveway, and it was extra full. It did not leak any more after I wiped it down and cleaned it with Simple Green.

We have driven 800 miles on it over the weekend (currently in Ogden, Utah), and have had no more leaks. So among either my quick drive into the driveway and the warming up of the fuel on a full tank, and having an overflow I didn't know about, I think we have found the issue. It's doing fine and we have had no more leaks, including refueling twice.

So thanks again, and to others who hadn't thought about it -- you do have an overflow hose on the side of the tank that can produce a temporary fuel "leak" that is nothing more than an expansion oveflow.