Finding and fixing fuel leaks on a small diesel generator

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  • OVERALL DIFFICULTY INDEX: 1/10
  • IF YOU HAVE NO TOOLS, YOU PAY $5 TO GET THEM FOR THIS JOB
  • IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE YOU SPEND 30 MINUTES TO CARRY OUT THIS JOB
  • RISK OF HAND INJURY, SEE BELOW​
BEFORE YOU START
  • Your engine should be cold for this intervention. Do not attempt to work on a hot engine.​
  • The below works are widely compatible with any of the KAMA and KIPOR KDE5000, KDE5500, KDE6000 and KDE6500 generators.
DISCLAIMER:
Our pictorials are of informative nature and do illustrate works carried out by ourselves at our own premises for our own use and satisfaction.
Readers who envisage to carry out similar works inspired by the below method shall do this at their own risks and liability.

Fuel leak investigation on small diesel gensets (also gasoline)

Upon noticing a fuel leak underneath your generator, especially when coming to turn it on, this immediately means that your fuel filter is leaking and / or any of the fuel tubes that connect to it.
This picture clearly shows that a drop of fuel "hangs" to the lower part of the diesel filter housing.
For this reason, user manuals of these generators always recommend to close the fuel filter valve when not in use. As a matter of fact, they are not so reliable and fuel leaks are common.
Proceed as follows to check on the fuel leak and solve it, prior to running your generator:
  1. With your fingers, start to touch the fuel tube that comes out of the fuel tank and connects to the fuel filter. If it's wet, then the leak is at this level and you need to replace the tube between the fuel tank and fuel filter
  2. Then proceed to the filter housing itself and check if the body of the filter is wet below the outgoing tube that connects to the injection pump. If it's wet, you need to replace the outgoing tube, if not, this means the filter is simply leaking from its main gasket between its transparent housing the aluminum body.
  3. Try first to tighten by hand the housing nut, this usually solves the problem. If not you'll need to inspect well the transparent housing, which can have an invisible crack, or else, replace the gasket or the entire filter housing of your generator.
  4. In case you change the transparent housing or the seal, do not forget to replace the fuel cartridge at the same time to take advantage of the fact you're dismantling it anyhow.

Buy the fuel filter of your diesel generator  at our partners' stores:

See also other tips for generator repair: