2005 VS Speedster leaking gas

Probably one of two things: a) a cracked fuel hose, or b) a leak from where the hose is clamped to either the hardline from the tunnel or where it connects to the fuel filter.  Neither of these is hard to fix but anything wiith gas is a bit scary.

For what it's worth, I replaced the cloth-wrapped fuel line, including the short one in the front, with Gates Barricade 1/4 inch 27347 and used fuel injection hose clamps. 

If  it's just a problem with a connection, then just tighten whatever clamp is loose and put off replacing the hoses until your fuel tank is nearly empty so there's less to drain. 

Remove the air filter on the driver's side carb.  Look down the throat of the carb.  Is it full of gas?  If so, the carb float/needle valve is stuck (open) and the carb is overflowing.  This is not unheard of.

Don't try to start the engine in this condition.  You can cause damage if you dump an intake manifold's full of raw gas into a combustion chamber and try to compress it.

Check your oil level.  If an intake valve happens to be open in this 'overflowing' condition, the gas will flow through the valve, into the combustion chamber, past the rings, and into the crankcase.  If so, change the oil and that part is good-to-go.

If in fact the problem is an overflowing carb and you have repaired the carb or replaced it;  before starting the engine remove the spark plugs.  'Dry' out the combustion chambers by blowing air in the spark plug hole.  Without the spark plugs installed, roll the engine over for a while on the starter motor with coil wire disconnected (after shooting a light spray of oil through spark plug hole with intention to somewhat lubricate cylinder wall).

Removing the filter and looking down the throat is a quick and easy first step.  While in the vicinity of the carb's inspection, feel around the body of the carb for wetness.  You might find a loose fuel connection, or a failed accelerator pump diaphragm.

Many add a fuel cut off valve (ACE HW) inder the gas tank.  Turn it off at the start of winter and let the engine run until it dies.  This gets the crappy ethanol fuel out of the carbs where it congeals over the winter.  It also makes it safer to check the fuel lines and replace them.  

You may want to consider ventilation in your garage before trying to find and repair the leaking fuel problem.  Open the garage windows to help with fumes, or, as a last resort due to weather and cold air temps, the garage door, allowing gasoline vapors to flow out of the enclosed space.  Gasoline vapors are what burns, not the liquid itself, and being denser than air, they sink to ground level.  Most jurisdictions now require gas water heaters to be elevated on a platform in the garage due to the concern about an ignition source close to the floor.  If you break a fuel line, you can pinch or restrict the fuel line with vice grips or locking pliers, while you source a replacement.  As a last resort, roll the car outside prior to stopping the leak if the fix will take some time. 

Good ideas above on what to look for, but it's always a good idea to remember safe practices.  Good luck and please keep the group informed regarding your fix.

Wolfs shut-off under the tank is a good idea for lots of reasons.  Hope you find the problem.

A couple more things:

- VS didn't put the fuel filter in the engine compartment (a good thing). It's on the forward side of the firewall, in a place that's pretty hard to get to or even see (a bad thing). You can inspect and reach it by jacking up the rear and removing the driver's side wheel.

- VS usually 'forgot' to put a rubber grommet in the hole in the firewall that the rubber fuel line passes through. The 'firewall' is thin fiberglass or plywood with sometimes razor sharp edges. The fuel line is soft rubber. Do the math.

This is another possible source of a leak that would be hard to spot if the fuel is running down the forward side of the firewall.

Thanks for the input.  I'm going elk hunting this week-end an it is supposed to snow about three inches, so I will try to look into things more Sunday afternoon.  A friend of mine is an old VW mechanic, so I might see if he would come take a look at it also.  Is it best to jack it up where the rear shock attaches or under the center support, and put jack stands under it? 

I know these cars are pretty tough, but you might want to think about strapping that elk to the front hood of something else...

https://www.speedsterowners.co...ng-points-for-vw-pan

I tend to chock the front wheels, put the jack under the center in the rear where the "frame wishbone" comes together, and then put jack stands at the ends of the rear torsion tubes.

Al, maybe we'll take the Titan PRO-4X, last year, moose hunting we were in some pretty rocky areas, bent both running boards and punctured  the power steering line.  It's my son's elk license, so I should tell him we're taking his Tundra instead.  He said he wants to pack it out, so we're not even taking the 4 wheeler.  Maybe for old times sake we will have to put some Enya in the CD player to be "at one with nature", because earlier this week I tried to play some Def Leppard, and that CD is fried.    

TED, I think I'll jack it under the wishbone, I see Sloan uses that spot a lot too. 

Some of us use a 12-18" length of two-by-four to bridge the forward end of the wishbone and jack in the middle of that. Make sure the jack is centered well.

Ended up jacking the car up, fuel filter looked ok.  The leak seemed to be at the junction where the hard fuel line comes out of the tunnel to meet the braided hose.  I cranked down the hose clap, I could turn it a half turn more.  Hose clamp was tight at the fuel filter.  Still smells somewhat of gas in garage, but I think that is from the braided hose wicking gas up the outside of the hose.  Checked about six hours later and didn't see anything on the floor, but will keep checking.  I think this was an issue in the making, every since I got the car in March 2019, after driving it I would have tho leave the garage to door open to ventilate the smell of gas, but never had anything on the floor.  I just thought that was normal for having an older carb engine, I had a 76 Chevy Luv pick-up that did the same thing, but was never confined in a garage.

One other question.  Is there a trick to getting the moon hubcaps off?  I have changed a few tires in my day, and never had a hard time getting a hubcap off, at least they stay on well.  I tried a screwdriver and a rag, as to not scratch the wheel or hubcap.  So, if any advice it would be much appreciated, I would just as soon not mess up one of the hubcaps wrenching on it.  Thanks 

The moons usually have several pair of holes around the circumference.  There is a tool - a dual-hook loop thingie - that you insert into a pair of holes and either grab with pliers or pry with a screwdriver.

But if your hubcaps don't have those little holes, a small pry bar helps.

My VS came with one of these. It's smaller than it looks - just a foot long - so stows easily. Use the curved end. You're more likely to scratch the wheel than the cap, so place a doubled-up rag where it contacts the rim.

Four bucks at Harbor Freight. Here's the link.

When I had the nipple caps on my VS I did the same thing Mitch did. The only difference being I used a pry bar called "The Wonder Bar". I also covered the curved end, yellow in this photo, with painter's tape and used a rag on the rim also. Caps popped right off.

Thanks again guys, everyone was informative on where I could look to figure out the issues.  Wolfgang were do they sell those: Napa, O'Reilly's, Auto Zone.  This worked out to be a good week-end to work on the car.  Brand new Harbor Freight, had its Grand opening yesterday, so I bought some new jack stands.  Came home early from elk hunting, because we were walking through 10 inches of hard crusty snow and I'm sure they could hear us a 1/4 mile away.  We did see some mountain lion tracks, at least 6 inches across the foot.  I told my son that I thought it was probably a mature male, maybe around 180 lbs.  Last night it snowed more here, so I'm sure it snowed more in the hills, and the roads were slick this morning, plus the high today was 20F.  Lastly, my wife was gone for the week-end seeing our daughter in college, since my son an I were going tho be hunting. Thanks from Wyoming.

Sierra madre Collection for big money = $21.95 https://sierramadrecollection....ver-tool-p16619.html

or Jbugs for small money = $1.95

https://www.jbugs.com/product/111-150-ECON.html

Tape around an old flat tip screwdriver end. $0

You can make one of those wire hooks yourself.  I'm a hoarder (kinda) and there is always something laying around that you can cut, bend or twist into a tool.