Fuel leak onto road led to engine cut out whilst driving!

[Apollo]

Dear members

From the roadside recovery report

I have attached a relevant image of the pipe

From the recovery report.
The engine cut out when driving. There is a trail and puddle of diesel under the vehicle. Found fuel pipe come off at fuel filter.
Refitted, but the clip looks damaged. The pipe has been secured but we recommend a replacement clip.

RAC Recovery has quoted
Job type: Renew the fuel filter
Job Details:Price: £115

A RAC mobile mechanic will do this and is booked for next week

A relevant Video for doing so on the type of Citroen is here
C4 Picasso mk2 bluehdi engine - fuel filter change replacement 2014 - on

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEG4o9srS3g&t=0s

Would you consider this reasonable or should I use a local garage?

Have been advised not to drive the car unless it is to a local garage or until fixed

Thank you

[PaulC5]

The fuel filter does not come with a replacement clip/hose, you will need to get that from a Citroen dealer. If you are going to use the mobile mechanic make sure they are going to replace the clip/hose since if only the filter is replaced you will not have fixed the problem.

[Apollo]

Thank you for the reply

The RAC technician said that he had categorized it as a fuel filter issue as that was the only box he could put the problem in to for the mobile mechanic team

However, it was the clip as you said and I was advised I would have to be clear on that with the mobile mechanic

It appears to have come loose as I was pulling away from the driveway as there is a trail of diesel rather than any pooled diesel on the floor from overnight

On recovering the car to my home and checking some 8 hours later there are fresh diesel spots in several locations underneath the engine area on the Street surface

Underneath the fuel line that was re-clipped, there is a significant pool of diesel such that it was still wet visibly so like a small puddle caused by a drip

I turned the car 180° and upon exiting there were some small spots of diesel appearing on the street surface underneath the new position of the engine

So now I'm getting concerned that the damage may be more extensive and across the whole bottom of the engine or

That given the fuel line is under pressure it's still leaking diesel and the slow leak is allowing it to travel down the engine bay and fall off at several spots I think this is the likely explanation

I pushed the fuel line in as much as I could and checked that it wasn't loose however on doing so my fingers became wet with a very small amount of diesel that was still leaking diesel and not engine oil

Is it possible that the underside of the engine could have taken damage from a speed bump or something else and this is actually causing it to leak in several places rather than just the fuel line?

What would the procedure be for checking or confirming that this is or is not the case?

[citroenguy]

There is nothing under the engine that can leak fuel. The fuel has just pooled up on different parts of the engine.

If it is the white release button for the circled white pipe fitting that is loose or not holding. You will need a new fuel filter housing at the least, possibly also a fuel line.

I´d get it towed too the nearest Citroën garage

[Apollo]

Thanks for the reassurance that's exactly what it looks like

I have moved the car backwards and forwards into different places and the amount of diesel droplets and puddles underneath has both decreased in number and in size over the last 24 hours

It appears that it is not leaving a trail of fuel as I pull in and out of the driveway

As you suggested what I was seeing is diesel that had collected in the engine bay area It was falling out rather than was still leaking

The fuel attachment appears to be a lot less wet than before

Considering it taking it to the local diesel fuel station early in the morning well before rush hour to see if it can be refilled as am on the emergency fuel level

It was on about a quarter of a tank or just under when the issue happened yesterday morning and the RAC added another 20 pounds worth of fuel and that got it running again so that might be only five liters possibly less if it's leaked a bit

Do you think it is worth me putting a removable plastic cable tie that can be removed using a Flathead screwdriver?

That would ensure that there is a secondary mechanism other than the clip holding the fuel line in place

It would have to be a gentle but tight tie as I would not want to compress the area too much

I don't think that area of the engine bay gets that hot so it should be safe ?

if I were to cable tie the fuel attachment pipe as per the photo above any thoughts?

If you think it may cause issues with any insurance etc then I won't do it

[Stewart(oily)]

These fuel connectors are all too easy to break, if only the part that holds the thing in place is damaged then a strategically placed zip tie or two might well work, make sure that the connector sits squarely onto the stub, it does not need to be pulled too tightly, a few drops of washing up liquid and some hot water will clean up the spillage.

[PaulC5]

If you are not going to use the car before the mobile mechanic comes next week then I would not be putting any more fuel in but would wait until it is fixed. No point in losing fuel, making a mess and risking it catching fire if it ends up on the hot exhaust - if this happened your insurance might not wish to pay out if used with a known fault and not up to MOT standard. If it caught fire it may be more than the car that is lost, at an extreme if parked next to your house that could be affected.

[Apollo]

Dear members
I have driven and monitored the car every day
1) No fuel leaks other than the original venting of the spilt diesel
2) No dashboard warning lights regarding engine
3) No pooling of diesel or anything else under the engine bay
4) Far better fuel economy

It looks like the only problem was a poorly fitted-clip from the last servicing
The better fuel economy is strange - it could be it was drip-leaking before and is now properly fixed
Or does M&S do diesel better than Tesco?