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1983 throttle body fuel leak


jisleyjr
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Hello, i noticed a gas smell when i pulled into the garage at work today so i popped the hood.

 

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p299/jisleyjr/83%20starion/IMG_20110610_080640.jpg

 

On the gas feed line there was gas where it connects to the throttle body and the entire area around it.

 

Any tips on rebuilding the throttle body? I am not finding any 'kits' like we have for the 84+ years, so where is a decent place to get gas safe o-rings? And do i just bring in my old ones and try and find a matching size?

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Yes, it looks like the main fuel inlet hose is leaking at the inlet. This means the o-ring is not sealing. Yes, it is very easy to find a matching o-ring there. I was able to seal mine using a kit that my friend had laying around in his shop.

 

It is very important to get that sealed ASAP! That is the number 1 reason for engine fires as it is high pressure and aimed right toward the exhaust manifold. When the leak gets bad enough, poof, the whole car is toast, literally.

 

I would start with that, and clean up the TB on the outside and wait to see if the leaks clear up completely from there. Then take steps when something else pops up.

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Here is a simple to use instruction on the seal replacement:

 

http://prozac.orcon.net.nz/eciguide/rebuild.html

 

I went to my local industrial supply company for the O rings.

 

You may also have a back pressure issue with the injectors. If its not too late you may try useing some techron concentrate to get your injectors flowing better.

Edited by Logan Hess
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  • 3 weeks later...

Can you explain more of this back pressure issue?

 

I put a new o-ring on the feed line then started the car up. No gas was spraying out so i was happy. Then after a bit of idling i noticed gas streaming down from between the wire that go into the housing and the gas feedline. The o-ring i used just came in a pack of random sizes, so i took the caliper and did some measuring, i'll try again with a better sized o-ring.

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I put a new o-ring on the feed line then started the car up. No gas was spraying out so i was happy. Then after a bit of idling i noticed gas streaming down from between the wire that go into the housing and the gas feedline. The o-ring i used just came in a pack of random sizes, so i took the caliper and did some measuring, i'll try again with a better sized o-ring.

After hitting a couple stores last night and buying an assortment of o-rings (some parts store people is real jerks when it comes to odd requests) i think i got this figured out. I pulled the top of the throttle body off to see if it was filling up in there with gas or if there was a way for the gas to leak through where the wires go in. It was all dry so i figured it had to be the o-ring on the feed line.

 

So i put the o-ring that looked to be about the right size on, after idling for a couple minutes i was leaking again. So i pulled the feed line out and slid on another o-ring with a larger inner diameter over and past the current o-ring, so when you put it on the larger oring is on the fender side of the current oring. I was able to put the feed line on without any binding, i tightened up the 2 screws and fired it up. There was no gas leaking after a couple minutes of idling. I'll test again tonight if i have time.

 

I know it wasn't an ideal solution using 2 o-rings and i'll report back if it fails.

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Better to have only a single o-ring, that is the way it was designed.

 

I'm going to be in Park River, ND on the 4th, hope to have my 87 flatty in the car show. I'll be driving it through Fargo on Sunday afternoon.

 

Scott

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Looks like i spoke too soon on this one.

 

I was idling this today getting ready to go for a drive when i checked it out one more time, looks gas is coming up through the screw.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p299/jisleyjr/83%20starion/IMG_20110706_181246.jpg

 

After shutting the car off and checking on it later there was more gas on top of the throttle body. I'll have to dig into this more it seems.

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I pulled the top of the throttle body off and i could tell there was gas built up around the injectors.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p299/jisleyjr/83%20starion/IMG_20110706_204333.jpg

 

So i am either leaking at the top of the injectors or the bigger o-ring around the piece that the injectors go into and filling up this space until it reaches the top and pushes past the bigger o-ring.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p299/jisleyjr/83%20starion/IMG_20110706_204252.jpg

 

Hopefully this odd size isn't hard to find locally.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p299/jisleyjr/83%20starion/IMG_20110706_205438.jpg

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  • 2 weeks later...

You need an 83 throttlebody rebuild kit and its only available at the Mitsubishi dealer.

 

if you have the part # a dodge dealer should be able to get it, that should be in the FAQ

Edited by Indiana
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I called the dealer in town here this morning to look up the rebuild kit.

 

Last night i was working on this again and i have new 7mm inner diameter and 2mm thick viton o-ring (this is the size indicated in the link above) and i am still leaking.

 

My buddy and I hooked up the top portion with a clamp holding the injectors in and it is leaking in this area, it seemed to be only the one injector too.

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p299/jisleyjr/83%20starion/injector_leak.gif

I looked in the injector housing for debris that might mess up the sealing and looked at the injector itself and there appears to be nothing wrong here either. So either the o-ring i used is wrong, or the injector is 'broke' and leaking in this area?

http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p299/jisleyjr/83%20starion/IMG_20110706_205452-1.jpg

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I tried 8mm by 2mm, still leaked, i also tried 8mm by 2.5mm and i wasn't able to get the injectors into the housing. With an 8mm o-ring on the o-ring is easy to spin on the injector, the 7mm feels snug, but maybe you are right, it isn't thick enough.

 

I haven't heard back from the dealer yet.

 

But my other options are:

7mm by 2.5mm

8mm by 2mm

7.6mm by 2.4mm

 

It just sucks having to order a package of 25 costing around 8 bucks, waiting for UPS, then being disappointed with failure once installed.

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They need to be wet with fuel before you push them in and they don't go in easy. They won't twist real easy either and when dry and tight don't twist them. If they twist easy no way they will seal in the fuel pressure.
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The Aussies might have some tips for you. EDIT: here's a good post (they also recommend the rebuild kit) http://forums.austarion.com/viewtopic.php?t=1132

 

And an idea about injectors leaking:

Hi

 

Noticed your inquiry and was wondering if youv'e solved the problem. The reason I ask is I had the same problem with my JB and eventually found it was not the O rings but the injectors. If you remove the cold injectors and place a finger over the top and bottom of the injector then hold the injector in the sun you just might see fuel weeping past the bakelite moulding. That was the problem with mine and after replacing both injectors - no leaks!! The problem with these injectors is that the internal O ring deteriorates with age and is unserveable.

 

Cheers

 

Ric

 

Another thing you could do is switch to an 84 and up mixer housing/fuel rail... I think.

 

-Robert

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I heard back from the dealership today, part number is MD608860, he said there was one left still out east and it was about a 100 bucks.

 

I have ordered a set of 7mm x 2.5mm viton o-rings and 7mm x 3mm viton o-rings. I'll report back what happens.

 

And i am lubing up the o-rings with motor oil before installing them.

 

I'll have to look into the injectors and see if i can rig up something to test them. I assume an injector cleaning shop like RC Engineering would test for internal leaking?

 

Ya swapping out a 84+ setup in has crossed my mind along with swapping in my mpi setup too.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well i got around to installing the 7mm x 2.5mm o-rings yesterday. These made sliding the injectors into the housing a real pain, and yes they were oiled up.

 

I thought everything was good but low and behold, still leaking.

 

I am not sure what my next step is, very frustrated.

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  • 1 month later...
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