Fuel Leak When Engine Is Running

[ambyuk]

First just a disclaimer, I really don't know much about cars, so forgive me if I ask lots of questions!

For a month or more I've noticed my Carina smells like fuel sometimes. It had a faulty exhaust so I've replaced that (well, not me personally ;-) ) and since then is really when I could smell it. I could never see a puddle in the garage though or any evidence of a leak at all so it was confusing me! It smells like petrol inside the car when you start it (especially in the garage of course). So today I had it running for maybe 4-5mins in the garage while I did something on my phone, then left. When I came back I noticed there was a large mark under the passenger side just slightly behind the front wheel. The mark is maybe 2' diameter, and although it was dried up when I got back it was clearly fuel when I smelled it.

So I've been looking around on here, and other sites, and as my car is on E right now I'm assuming it's not the common leak at the top of the fuel tank. As it's only when it's running does that mean it's not the tank itself? We're pretty broke at the moment so this is very bad timing, after just doing the exhaust at the end of November. :(

Any advice?

ETA: Unrelated but just to ask, is there any way to cheaply fix the driver's window? The electrics seem to be dodgy, it goes down fine and sometimes goes up fine but other times slows down majorly, sometimes grinding to a halt straight away. Then we can only close it by one person pulling on it with all their might while the other pushes up the button!

[petroleum]

Seems like you have a rusted or slighty damaged fuel line leaking just before it reaches the under bonnet area, perhaps caused when the exhust was renewed you will have to jack it up and look!

As for your window you will need to take the plastic inside pannel from off the door and examine the the window channels i.e what the glass runs up and down in, and see if either they are blocked with accumulated dirt or that the felt in the channels may have Puckered up causing a resistance when the windows glass moves up and down

If they are and still in one piece you will have to either remove them and slot them back properly, maybe with some evo stick glue or try pushing them back in situ !