Dodge Durango Forum II

HELP! Massive Fuel Leak

I filled up the D today at the local gas station. My truck is a 1999 with 97,000 miles on it. Upon returning from paying the cashier I noticed that there was a huge puddle of liquid underneath my truck. Upon closer inspection my nose quickly identified the liquid as gasoline. I noticed that the fuel was literally pouring out from the top of the tank, very close to the hot catalytic converter. I would have to estimate there were several gallons on the concrete pad and it was still leaking. I calmly returned to the cashier and asked her to call the fire department immediately. I had her tell them there was a large fuel spill under my vehicle. Within minutes there were two police office and six fire fighters on scene. All the pumps were all shut off and the firefighters laid down about 100 pounds of speedy dry. The tank continued to leak for another fifteen minutes while we waited for a wrecker. By the time the wrecker arrived, the steady flow had become a slow drip. This changed again once the truckÆs front end was lifted and towed.

One fireman suggested that salt corroded the top of the tank. Another asked it I topped off the tank suggesting that too much fuel in the tank could cause it to rupture. This sounded like fantasy to me. I pumped until the nozzle shut off and rounded it up the next whole dollar amount. Another said something about the fuel being cool in the ground and expanding when it hit the tank, blowing the seals.

Anyone have any ideas what may have happened? The D is at the dealer. Thank God I got that 100K warranty.

Thu Jul 29