Hey guys, I've got a fuel leak on my MY00 classic impreza. I've done a search on here and the fuel filler pipe seems to be a common problem? Well my actual filler pipe looks okay (okay for 14 years old anyway!), it's further down from that where my problem is....



I'm sorry, that photo is probably difficult to place where it actaully is. I took the photo and I can't even picture it lol, cuz I can't remember what angle I took the photo at! Anyway, where you've got the main filler neck pipe.....up near the actual filler cap (as you're looking up underneath the arch of the car), there's a smaller pipe that comes off it and goes down behind like a plastic 'box' up in the arch. That pipe in the picture is a bit further on than when it comes out from behind that 'box' if that makes sense? And then it seems to go into the chasis of the car and I can't follow it because I can't see it? Does anybody know which pipe I mean, and where it goes etc? I thought it was just some kind of breather pipe but I'm guessing I'm wrong? It doesn't seem to leak when I'm driving around, but whenever I put fuel in (I always fill the car right up to the 'click') it just starts pouring all over the floor at the petrol station.

Also, would a leak in that pipe (or anywhere else that I haven't found yet maybe?) affect the actual running of the car? The reason I ask is that only recently (so possibly when the leak started), if I'm going around a roundabout or a sharp corner, and I put my foot down, sometimes it just cuts out. Not stalls, just as if I've taken my foot off the throttle but I haven't. And then it'll go again like a second later. Drawing air in somewhere instead of fuel? I have no idea. Any help would be massively appreciated, cheers guys

 

I thought it was a breather but you're right, that looks like it's further down. Here's a link to a new filler neck which shows how long that pipe is.
http://bit.ly/1nq2K89

Could it be the rubber hose that's perished?

Sorry not much help!!

 

that metal pipe off the top of the filler neck is the breather pipe so the tank can let air out as your filling with fuel. off the top of the filler neck it goes into a rubber pipe, back into a metal pipe through the chassis leg and then back to a rubber pipe into the top of the fuel tank. ive just replaced mine and replaced bothe the filler neck and the metal pipe through the chassis leg, the metal rusts before the rubber perishes. i'll bet that as soon as you start touching the metal pipes or trying to remove the rubber pipe, it'll all start crumbling.

for info, i bought a brand new neck off ebay for £90ish, and replaced the metal pipe through the chassis with a piece of pipe.

 

Thanks for your help so far guys, it makes sense that it's a breather pipe then. But.....if it's a breather pipe for letting air out, how come there's fuel leaking out of it? When you fill the tank up to the 'click', does that breather then become full of fuel aswell?

 

Because there isn't anything to stop fuel coming out of it. There is no clever valve which only lets air out. So fuel will come out of it. As above you will need a new pipe. If you can catch them with just surface rust you can restore them but you appear to have a lot of rust there.