I have had a gas smell lingering ever since i purchased my 94' Mazda 929 about 6 months ago andnever could reallyfigure outwhere.Untilabout a week ago whenit would start but wouldntidle, and the gas smell was so strong.....looked undercarand gas wasdripping from tranny bell housing. Well, did some research on yourforum andfound a post where BABYHUEY(the mastermazdatech)detailedthe fuel linesand wherethe fuel travels etc. From this post i gathered thatit was a pressure line that connected to the regulator. Talk bout a bitch to get to, had to remove about five different things, but i finally got to it and replaced. Well, started right up and ran great.....for bout 2 minutes then died out and was leaking again. I was pissed!! Which brings me to my questions:

1. Can fuel be leaking from the pressure regulator if its screwed up?? This is what I think is happening, cant really see because of the location.

2. Is there any way to test to make sure it works a regulatorworks before i install the regulator?????If i need to replace the pressure regulator, I probably will buy one from a pick a part lot due to the price.....$10 at this lotfor a 93' regulator(which i hear is the same as 94') or $118 at my neighborhood BAP.
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Any and all replies are appreciated...especially from the mazda god himself 'huey'.

 

Wicked_breaks, IMHO it is impossible to completely test a pressure regulator if it is not installed. That can only be done when the regulator is in its place and by means of measurement & comparison of the fuel line pressure when the vacuum hose is connected to the regulator and when the hose is disconnected from it.

 

If the pressure regulator is working properly, you should be able to get a fuel pressure reading (last fuel injected motor I worked on was 32 psi, not sure what your fuel pressure should be set to.) There should be a fitting along the fuel rail that you can hook a fuel pressure gauge to get a reading. However, the regulator could be working just fine and still leak as the pressure on the fuel tank side of the regulator is higher than that being supplied to the engine, so there is excess pressure on that side meaning a leak could occur and stillhave sufficient fuel get to the motor for it to run. I'd pull the reg, reseal everything real well, put it bac together and see where you're at.

 

Hey thanks so much for the response, this is the first time someone has responded to help me in this forum....its much appreciated.

Quick question....sstlaure...when you say, "I'd pull the reg, reseal everything real well, put it bac together and see where you're at." Reseal means reclamping right? Or do you use some sort of sealant/adhesive to secure lines going to and from regulator???? If so, whats good to use? I dunno what would withstand the gas and/or wouldnt eat or screw up the rubber lines.

 

If the lines screw into the regulator, use teflon tape to ensure a good seal between the reg/fuel lines. If fuel is leakin, it's either getting out at the lines to/from the regulator, or there may be an internal seal in the reg that has gone bad. Re-sealing and installing the lines will at least rule out the lines leaking.