fuel drip under cylinder head

[SimonA]

I seem to have a small weep of diesel coming from the head gasket on my BMC 1.5 engine. The engine starts first time with a little heat and runs fine except I always have a dribble of diesel down the side of the engine after half hour of running. I can't feel any leaks from the injector pipes or glow plugs and the area directly below these is dry.

The engine was professionally rebuilt 2 years ago so I'd be very surprised if it was a head gasket leak, and from what I have read it is very unlikely this would cause fuel to leak out. Any ideas where else it might be coming from? The drip ends up on the starter motor and the only other area I can find wet is directly below the cylinder head joint.

If it was coming from the head gasket I presume it would be spraying out rather than dripping as it would be under huge pressures?

 

[omega2]

I you were losing diesel from the pressured side then it would be all over the place, and the engine would not be running smooth, (diesel knock) I would suspect the feed pipes from the the tank to the pump. Not up on your engine but this may help if you have not got one

http://www.the-norfolk-broads.co.uk/downloads/bmc1500L-diesel-workshop-manual.pdf

 

[epervier]

Not wishing to teach you to suck eggs here, diesel is like milk, a little looks a lot, when you say you can't feel any leaks, have you thoroughly dried the area before start up then test all the pipe work using tissue or similar, it will show any dampness almost immediately, if dry, then I'd check if the fuel return pipes on the top of the injectors, normally just rubber hose, that goes brittle with age, if not these, next I'd look at the injector seals,after that the lift pump connections , but you say the engine's dry below the injector line.