Windstar leaking gas

[rijms]

Hi, this is my first post, please bear with me. I did a search but didn't see anything about this. I'm a mom with 3 little girls, and tonight when we started the van (98 windstar) I smelled gas. When we got to the girls' school, there was a visible line of gas behind us and the smell was overwhelming. We barely made it back home, van shut off 2 times. Went from 3/4 of a tank to 1/4 of a tank over a span of about 10 miles. I'm so worried. What could be the problem, and worse, how much will it cost? Leak seems to be coming from some small metal pipes. Any help is so greatly appreciated.

[pryornfld]

Originally Posted by rijms

Hi, this is my first post, please bear with me. I did a search but didn't see anything about this. I'm a mom with 3 little girls, and tonight when we started the van (98 windstar) I smelled gas. When we got to the girls' school, there was a visible line of gas behind us and the smell was overwhelming. We barely made it back home, van shut off 2 times. Went from 3/4 of a tank to 1/4 of a tank over a span of about 10 miles. I'm so worried. What could be the problem, and worse, how much will it cost? Leak seems to be coming from some small metal pipes. Any help is so greatly appreciated.

My advice would be..bring it somewhere and get the repair done ASAP, as this could be dangerous (don't mean to alarm you). To me it sounds like a gas line leak( more like a rupture). Depending on the location of the leak and the condition of the gas lines they might be able to splice a piece of new line in. If the line is too bad, they may have to replace it all. Not sure how much it would cost for a total line replacement but I would assume between $200-$400. ( I had half a line replaced cost me $120.00 including labour.
This probably doesn't help much, but I e-mailed just to let you know to get it fixed ASAP as it could be a safety concern and besides..you would be trowing money away in gas otherwise.Good Luck!!

[DRW1000]

I agree that this is urgent. As long as the tank itself is sound, any repair to the lines should not be too expensive. It could even be leaking at the filter section and associated couplings.

[12Ounce]

I agree with postings above. And DRW1000 is likely correct, especially if the fuel filter has been replaced with an aftermarket unit.

I have no quarrel with aftermarket filters ... but I have seen the little plastic line clips provided with them to fail right away. Better to get the clips (at least) from Ford.

[wiswind]

This IS worth a tow bill if you cannot solve where it sits.
No amount of money can replace YOU....and your kids need you more than any amount of money.

The gas tank, I believe, is plastic....so rusting out is not an option.
Most likely, the problem is in between the gas tank and the engine.
Unfortunately, this is all under pressure, as the fuel pump is inside the gas tank....so the gasoline will be spraying out under pressure.

A defective fitting at the fuel filter is possible, as the connectors are not easy to work with. My '96 has one type of connection at one end of the fuel filter, and another at the other end. Yet the filter has identical ends.

A rusted spot in the fuel line is also possible....

I have pictures of the fuel filter in my pictures at
http://community.webshots.com/album/201931518cScpNK

Your '98 is most likely the same or very similar.
There is a special tool for removing the shiney connector from that end of the filter. They sell them as a set for no more than $10. They are kind of a pain to use....but necessary as the clips that hold the shiney connector onto the filter are up inside the connector.

I would recommend that you bookmark this site as the windstar is a good, solid, vehicle. Keep your transmission fluid changed at least every 30K miles, and keep up on the other routine upkeep, and this vehicle will give you years of good service.

The '96 through the '98 model years are VERY similar. They made major changes with the '99 model year.