Took the car out of the garage for the first time in about a month, and I noticed a puddle on the garage floor. Leaving the car running outside, I investigated, and found it to be gasoline. I then went over to the car, and saw fuel streaming out from underneath it, from just in front of the passenger rear tire. There seemed to be rather a lot of fuel lines in that area, all protected by shielding. The leak only started once the system was pressurized by starting it.

Is this a simple DIY replacement of some line, or something bigger? Is there a common failure in this area on these cars? Thanks in advance.

If you take off the shield you should be able to tell where it's coming from. It is a fairly common area for fuel leaks. If no one has been messing with it lately, like changing a filter, it's probably a failed rubber hose. It is in all likelyhood a DIY job. Remember to disconnect the battery.

Seen this a few times on SL's, if you just change the crimp-on fuel clamps to the spriral type of clamps (find the small ones though, don't try to use one big enough for a radiator hose) this should fix it.
Gilly

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there is a fuel line that is known to leak, it is the one that runs from the fuel filter to the lines that go to the engine.

Ray, I think you mean HOSE. A hose is rubber, a line is metal.
Gilly

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Had the exact same thing happen to my SL. I replaced the fuel filter and that fixed the problem. Now if it was just the clamps, I don't know. I did use the same clamps on the replacement, so I kind of doubt it.

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it isn't all rubber, it has metal ends, thanks for the clarification?

Yeah, I'd almost need a dang picture now, I thought the hose on each side of the filter had a pair of clamps, could be crimped on the side opposite the filter. Anyways, the clamps the factory uses are these crimp-on clamps, so PJG56's filter must have been replaced once if he reused the clamps, you can't hardly save the crimp-on ones, you need to get new clamps, and it's not worth the hassle to get the crimp-on's again, need a special crimp-tool to properly crimp them on, just get the normal worm gear clamps, seem to work better anyways. Don't want to be argumentative, as long as it's fixed, but again I have seen several R129s leaking fuel at the filter with the original crimp clamps. I agree if the car is anywhere near say 45000 miles or so it's pay to just replace the filter, should be done at 60,000 or 4 years, keep the 4 years in mind too if you have a low-mile car.
Gilly

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Thanks for all the responses. The car has only 53,000 miles, but I doubt the filter has been changed. Looks like it is time to.

Recently had this same hose fail on our 230E, the rubber sprung a leak where it is crimped to the metal fitting. Quite why it failed I don't know as there doesn't seem to be any movement between the components it connects.

We had a replacement hose made up at at a power steering place, more substantial than the original.

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It was the hose. Replaced it, and the filter while in there, and we're back in business - thanks!