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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / October 2006Gas Smell Inside Car - Causes?
Hi, I have a 2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara (have had it for about 8 months now). For a few months now, the car has had gas fumes/smell injected into the car via the fan. The majority of the time, it is when the car has just started up for the first time each day (cold start) or when it has sat more than several hours. I took it into the dealship service dept. They say cars this new (including this one) do not have gas overflow valves, so it cannot be that. They changed the air conditioning filter to be safe, checked all hoses for leaks, plugged it into the computer - ALL A-OKAY. I go home...still smells...and I can even smell it from the engine. It only lasts a few minutes, then it's like it gets aired-out from driving or engine warming up. Does anyone have any ideas what this could be? I have small children and I hate to think what this is doing to their poor little lungs everyday. I open the windows until the smell is gone, but still.... Thanks, Paula > I have a 2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara (have had it for about 8 months now). > For a few months now, the car has had gas fumes/smell injected into the > car via the fan. The majority of the time, it is when the car has just > started up for the first time each day (cold start) or when it has sat > more than several hours. Your evaporative emission control system is probably in need of repair. This system stores and handles raw fuel vapors which accumulate in the fuel tank above the level of liquid gasoline so that these vapors do not escape to the atmosphere where they react with sunlight to form photochemical smog. The evaporative emission control system comprises the fuel tank, the fuel tank cap, the hoses and lines running from the fuel tank to the charcoal canister in the engine compartment, the purge valve (in the engine bay), the rollover valve (near the fuel tank), and the hoses connecting the canister and purge valve to the intake tract (usually at the throttle body). All of these components must be intact and properly routed and connected or a leak can result, with resultant fuel smell. The other possibility is that there is a leak in the fuel supply/transport system consisting of the lines from the fuel tank to the engine compartment, the flexible hoses from the lines to the fuel rail(s), the injector stub hoses, the fuel pressure regulator and the return line(s). > I took it into the dealship service dept. They say cars this new > (including this one) do not have gas overflow valves, so it cannot be > that. They changed the air conditioning filter to be safe, checked > all hoses for leaks, plugged it into the computer - ALL A-OKAY. Well...no. All *not* A-Okay. You have a fuel leak, which may well indicate a real safety problem. Changing the A/C filter is not going to fix it. Whether you take it to a dealer or to an independent mechanic, the leak needs to be found and fixed. If it were a fuel "leak" of any kind, why can I only smell it after a cold start in the AM? I've been driving it like this for months and only notice the smell once in the day (first thing). That's why a fuel leak seems improbable to me. Any ideas? > > I have a 2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara (have had it for about 8 months now). > > For a few months now, the car has had gas fumes/smell injected into the [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > Whether you take it to a dealer or to an independent mechanic, the leak > needs to be found and fixed. The fuel tank and charcoal canister can be under pressure and have a slow leak even with the engine off. You won't notice any fumes when the car is moving or the fan is on because the fumes are easily blown away. The fumes can accumulate under the hood overnight and you will smell it when you start in the morning. > If it were a fuel "leak" of any kind, why can I only smell it after a > cold start in the AM? I've been driving it like this for months and [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > > Whether you take it to a dealer or to an independent mechanic, the leak > > needs to be found and fixed.  SignatureWhen replying by Email include NewSGrouP (case sensitive) in Subject Mike Walsh West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.A. > If it were a fuel "leak" of any kind, why can I only smell it after a > cold start in the AM? I've been driving it like this for months and > only notice the smell once in the day (first thing). That's why a fuel > leak seems improbable to me. The only place where raw fuel exists is in your fuel system. If it can be detected outside your fuel system, by sight or by smell, then YOU HAVE A LEAK. > Any ideas? Yes, lots of them. Informed and educated ones, which I gave you in as complete a tutorial on the structure and function of your fuel system as you need. Now either use it or don't, but for Christ's sake don't sit there arguing from ignorance, you ungrateful cow. DS > > > I have a 2000 Suzuki Grand Vitara (have had it for about 8 months now). > > > For a few months now, the car has had gas fumes/smell injected into the [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Whether you take it to a dealer or to an independent mechanic, the leak > > needs to be found and fixed. > > If it were a fuel "leak" of any kind, why can I only smell it after a > > cold start in the AM? I've been driving it like this for months and [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > DS Why are you so RUDE to people? The Lady is not a mechanic, and went to a uncaring car dealer (or uninformed) and was needing help. Unfortunately not everyone is as smart as DS. And fortunately not as rude. > > > I only notice the smell once in the day (first thing). That's why a > > > fuel leak seems improbable to me. > > The only place where raw fuel exists is in your fuel system. If it can > > be detected outside your fuel system, by sight or by smell, then YOU > > HAVE A LEAK. > > > Any ideas? > > Yes, lots of them. Informed and educated ones, which I gave you in as > > complete a tutorial on the structure and function of your fuel system as > > you need. Now either use it or don't, but for Christ's sake don't sit > > there arguing from ignorance, you ungrateful cow. > Why are you so RUDE to people? I'm only rude to those who deserve it. >If it were a fuel "leak" of any kind, why can I only smell it after a >cold start in the AM? I've been driving it like this for months and >only notice the smell once in the day (first thing). That's why a >fuel leak seems improbable to me. Any ideas? DS besides being rude is also very right. If you can smell fuel at anytime, you HAVE a fuel leak. No question about it. Make sure that you can tell the difference between a raw fuel smell (a leak) and the smell of unburned fuel from the exhaust after a cold start. They are different. Bye, Leon > I took it into the dealship service dept. They say cars this new > (including this one) do not have gas overflow valves, so it cannot be > that. They changed the air conditioning filter to be safe, checked > all hoses for leaks I'd suspect the charcoal canister (evaporative emissions control) but if they say they've checked all the hoses for leaks ...... :) I get the same thing on my '89 Ford but it has a carbuettor and sits idle for days on end letting the fuel vaporate out of the float bowl so I have to pump the gas pedal to fill the float bowl to get the car to start after sitting for a few days. One time when changing the fuel filtre I accidentally pulled a hose off the charcoal canister which made for quite a fuel odour under the hood next time I went to start the car. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned > I get the same thing on my '89 Ford but it has a carbuettor and sits idle > for days on end letting the fuel vaporate out of the float bowl so I have > to pump the gas pedal to fill the float bowl to get the car to start after > sitting for a few days. How does this work? Your gas pedal is hooked up to the fuel pump? More likely your choke system is not working properly. A few pumps of the gas pedal causes the accelerator pump to squirt gas into the intake. Then when you crank the engine over it has a nice rich mixture to start. The start procedure on my Sunbeam tiger is. Ign sw on. Wait for a few seconds while the electric pump fills the carb and you hear it load down. Pump the gas pedal twice . Hit the starter Smile when it barks to life. I never use the manual choke on the engine. Of course I live in Southern California and the coldest it has ever been while starting is 50 F Erich >> I get the same thing on my '89 Ford but it has a carbuettor and sits idle >> for days on end letting the fuel vaporate out of the float bowl so I have >> to pump the gas pedal to fill the float bowl to get the car to start after >> sitting for a few days. > > How does this work? Your gas pedal is hooked up to the fuel pump? Mechanical fuel pump runs off the cam shaft. I would guess the starter motor pumps some fuel into the carburettor. Maybe fuel has drained back out of the fuel line under gravity after the car has been sitting a few days? > More likely your choke system is not working properly. A few pumps of the > gas pedal causes the accelerator pump to squirt gas into the intake. Then > when you crank the engine over it has a nice rich mixture to start. The owner's manual says if the car has been sitting for a few days to give the gas pedal a few extra pumps to get it started. If the pedal is not pumped enough times the engine won't start or will start but die. I figured the gas had to be gone from somewhere and the float bowl is the only gas reserve I know of in the carburettor. How would I test it the choke? It's automatic. > Of course I live in Southern California and the coldest it has ever been > while starting is 50 F Having to pump the gas pedal on my car 4-5 times after it's been sitting is independent of the season. I thought that was normal given what the owner's manual says. I may not be right about why the gas pedal has to be pumped more. Or about the fuel odour. Would a faulty choke make the car smell faintly of fuel before attempting to start the engine? Or maybe the pedal pumping and fuel odour are unrelated? -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ William R Watt National Capital FreeNet Ottawa's free community network homepage: www.ncf.ca/~ag384/top.htm warning: non-FreeNet email must have "notspam" in subject or it's returned Paula was your problem resolved with the fuel smell, if so would you please tell me how. Thanks, jim fishingtails@earthlink.net >Hi, > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >Thanks, >Paula |
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