Help! Fuel Leak!

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steverobertsbbc

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Well, that was “fun”. Drove into work without issue. Went to drive home and the car started and then stopped. Started it again, it stopped again. Massive smell of fuel. Popped the bonnet, fuel pooled in the wells of the inlet manifold. Popped off the cover and found the pressure switch in the main high pressure fuel line was half out and the clip that holds it in missing. Found half the clip, rusted through. Car left at work, luckily it's secure.

So, at the very least I need a new clip and O-ring (as it has a small nick out of it) for the fuel pressure switch on a 2014 1.8TFSI. The switch has the part number 06H.906.051.G BPK, Bosch OEM.

Happy to buy an entire new switch if it comes with clip and O-ring. Anyone have the details to hand and anywhere to order from?

Thanks!
 
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Check local Audi dealer as some have opened now.

I'm somewhat shocked an 8V has a rusted circlip, that's worrying as not even on a 15 year old A3 have I seen this occur.
 
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I know, that part is very worrying. I would recommend people check theirs. You just need pull off the plastic top cover and the switch is right there in front of you mounted onto the fuel rail.

Does anyone have the parts diagram so I can work out what I need? And an Audi parts department that will post out? Stoke Audi maybe?
 
I *think* I need:
O-ring 11mm ID x 3.1mm part number WHT005568
Retaining clip, part number 06K133047

However, when I try these part numbers on eBay etc, all I get are hits from places like Latvia! Are these the correct part numbers for the UK?
 
NHN said:
Check local Audi dealer as some have opened now.

I'm somewhat shocked an 8V has a rusted circlip, that's worrying as not even on a 15 year old A3 have I seen this occur.
Click to expand...

that is a concern! Safety issue for sure. The more common leaks are the aluminium inline filter cartridge
 
I feel really lucky, to be honest. The clip may have been gone for a while and the pressure switch just being held in by the friction on the o-ring. I guess the pressure bang from the fuel pump switching on was enough to push it out and it basically just squirted for second before the engine management switched everything off. If it had popped whilst driving, I would have had both a hot engine and probably been on a major A-road, not a good places to break down or have an engine fire to deal with. I really would recommend anyone who is going in to a dealer to buy parts pick up a retaining clip, just in case. I'm amazed that something so vital is held in place by a simple wire clip costing a quid - and even more so that the clip isn't made of stainless steel to stop it rusting through!
 
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steverobertsbbc said:
I feel really lucky, to be honest. The clip may have been gone for a while and the pressure switch just being held in by the friction on the o-ring. I guess the pressure bang from the fuel pump switching on was enough to push it out and it basically just squirted for second before the engine management switched everything off. If it had popped whilst driving, I would have had both a hot engine and probably been on a major A-road, not a good places to break down or have an engine fire to deal with. I really would recommend anyone who is going in to a dealer to buy parts pick up a retaining clip, just in case. I'm amazed that something so vital is held in place by a simple wire clip costing a quid - and even more so that the clip isn't made of stainless steel to stop it rusting through!
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Very lucky when you think about it that away! As for it costing £1, you'd probably find it costs them pence, I work in a car factory and you'd be surprised as to what cheap and nasty material are used in some places and what some of them hold in place! I wish I could share some of the things I see, but I'd be sacked :p

Years back I had a Vauxhall Carlton, I did my own oil change so bought the parts using my works discount, sump plug & washer to me 5p and they were still making money on that lol :D

Edit* I wonder if the breakdown guy would have had one if you'd called them out?
 
Oh, I'm sure it costs them pennies, I meant costing me a quid. :)

If I'd been bothered about using the car in the next fortnight I might have called out the AA - and of course still could do if push came to shove. The only reason I drove it yesterday was that it had been sat unused for at least a fortnight so I thought I'd give it a run. I'm intending to cycle into work now anyway. The car's secure in a work car park with 24 hour security and it's not like anyone can drive it away. :p
 
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Well, almost three weeks later my A3 is finally back on the road, all for the want of a spring steel clip! I finally got one delivered from Lithuania of all places, although of course Sod's Law means that the dealers have re-opened and I could have just got one from my local VW dealer this week anyway.

If you own a 1.8TFSI or I think an S3 and find yourself in a dealers, do yourself a favour and grab a 06K133047 clip and stick it in the glove box. It's just 96p. Mine rusted to breaking point after only six years and my car spends most of its life sitting on the drive. Certainly worth a quick check next time you have the bonnet up, just pull off the plastic engine cover and the clip holds the fuel pressure switch into the fuel rail towards the front. If it looks at all rusty, I would leave it as is but acquire a replacement asap.
 
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That's the stuff of vehicle recalls. Sounds like a nasty fire waiting to happen. Maybe too late for Audi to 'investigate' as you've done the repair, but I wonder what would have happened if you reported it?
 
Just found this thread as I recently had the same thing happen on my 2014 S3 (42,000 miles). It had been sitting for about a month and I needed to move it on the drive, which I did. I noticed a large wet patch following the car to its new position, and realised it was petrol. There was also a large pool in the bottom tray under the engine and the engine bay was soaked. I took the engine cover off and dried everything. I then switched on the ignition and there was no leak at that point. So I started it again to pinpoint the leak, and petrol was streaming from the sensor on the fuel rail. The clip holding the sensor on the fuel rail was still in place but when I removed it it came out in two pieces as it had rusted through. There were no faults showing on the dash and the engine had been running quite happily, as it had taken me a while to manoeuvre it into its new parking place, oblivious to it spewing petrol everywhere. I'm wondering what would have happened if I'd gone for a drive rather than just re-parking it.
 
norton961 said:
Just found this thread as I recently had the same thing happen on my 2014 S3 (42,000 miles). It had been sitting for about a month and I needed to move it on the drive, which I did. I noticed a large wet patch following the car to its new position, and realised it was petrol. There was also a large pool in the bottom tray under the engine and the engine bay was soaked. I took the engine cover off and dried everything. I then switched on the ignition and there was no leak at that point. So I started it again to pinpoint the leak, and petrol was streaming from the sensor on the fuel rail. The clip holding the sensor on the fuel rail was still in place but when I removed it it came out in two pieces as it had rusted through. There were no faults showing on the dash and the engine had been running quite happily, as it had taken me a while to manoeuvre it into its new parking place, oblivious to it spewing petrol everywhere. I'm wondering what would have happened if I'd gone for a drive rather than just re-parking it.
Click to expand...
Exactly the same thing. Worrying. Are you ok for a new clip?
 
steverobertsbbc said:
Exactly the same thing. Worrying. Are you ok for a new clip?
Click to expand...
Yes thanks, picking up a clip and o-ring from the dealer tomorrow. I mentioned it to the garage that I use who specialise in VAG and he said he thought that Audi had stopped using the metal clips and had switched to plastic, which they did for the sensors on the cooling system. I guess Audi thought that metal clips on the fuel system wouldn't rust, like the ones on the cooling system did. Interestingly when I looked at the fuel sensor online they all have a threaded end, so they are designed to be screwed in, which makes far more sense as it's more secure. Audi have fitted an adapter to the screwed end to convert it to a push fit - not a good design decision. I reckon the clip rusted because the car was standing outside for months during lockdown. If it was used daily any overnight damp would have burnt off, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were more instances of this if cars were standing for a while.
 
norton961 said:
Yes thanks, picking up a clip and o-ring from the dealer tomorrow. I mentioned it to the garage that I use who specialise in VAG and he said he thought that Audi had stopped using the metal clips and had switched to plastic, which they did for the sensors on the cooling system. I guess Audi thought that metal clips on the fuel system wouldn't rust, like the ones on the cooling system did. Interestingly when I looked at the fuel sensor online they all have a threaded end, so they are designed to be screwed in, which makes far more sense as it's more secure. Audi have fitted an adapter to the screwed end to convert it to a push fit - not a good design decision. I reckon the clip rusted because the car was standing outside for months during lockdown. If it was used daily any overnight damp would have burnt off, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were more instances of this if cars were standing for a while.
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Just make sure when you refit it that you give the sensor a good hard push, as the O-ring needs to go through two holes before it's in the correct position for the groove to align for the clip. First time I tried it I didn't push it in far enough and realised I was trying to clip onto the O-ring. :) Worth greasing the O-ring too. I'm sure you're well aware of all this, but just in case. :)

The scenario with mine being stood for long periods of time was the same.
 
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steverobertsbbc said:
Just make sure when you refit it that you give the sensor a good hard push, as the O-ring needs to go through two holes before it's in the correct position for the groove to align for the clip. First time I tried it I didn't push it in far enough and realised I was trying to clip onto the O-ring. :) Worth greasing the O-ring too. I'm sure you're well aware of all this, but just in case. :)

The scenario with mine being stood for long periods of time was the same.
Click to expand...
I forgot to update this thread. When I picked up the new clip it was a chunky plastic one, so Audi had obviously recognised the issue and stopped using the metal ones. It seems they just didn't bother to mention it to anyone. I reported it to Audi as a potential safety issue and got zero response. The photo shows the clip I removed and the plastic replacement.
 

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