i have a very small fuel leak! i have not really crawled right up into it yet but it looks like it is comeing from around the fuel filter some where.. it drips onto my front driveshaft. it is not coming from the drain tube like i thought it was, it is up higher then that.and it is a very slow drip when the truck is at and idle or dricing but none at all shut off. any ideas?? :P

 

It sounds like one of two things. <br> Make sure the filter o-ring is seated good. You might have to remove it to make sure there is not a cut in the o-ring or some trash on it , wipe down the o-ring and the header surface before you put it back on, and make sure it seats good.<br> It could also be leaking at the filter header where the inlet and outlet lines attach. They are banjo fittings with alum. or copper washers. Unless you have removed these lately they souldn't be leaking. This brings us back to the filter.<br> Hope this helps

 

Your 97 is also at an age that the rubber fuel supply and return lines can be expected to leak. Is the truck also slow to start if it sits a couple of days. The fuel lines are hard to get at to change, about 18 inches long and behind the injection pump and fuel filter. Lots of info if you do a search here or on the TDR site.

 

thanks for the advice. i will start looking at it tonight. 8)

 

Could simply be a loose filter. Have you changed it recently? Might just try giving it a little snugging up. Go simple first ;D ;D

 

I just had to replace the lift pump last week for the same reason. I had just replaced the filter and primed the system with the manual prime on the lift pump. All of a sudden, had a steady stream of fuel pouring out onto the driveway. Thought for sure I had not seated the filter cannister properly but instead, found the lift pump to be the source of the leaking. Prior to this, had also noticed the drive axle always wet and thought the vent tube to be the problem. Looks as though the lift pump was leaking slightly all the time and when I primed the system after the filter replacement, must have pushed the external seal over the edge. Thank God that the pump replacement corrected the problem. The underside is drier than I've ever noticed now. Hope your problem is simpler, and easier to repair.

 

The steel portion of my return line had been cut off down by the frame by a previous owner. It took about 3' of hose to replace the rubber part. I ran it through a piece of heater hose. It was pretty easy to change.