93 300TT gas smell

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Pham - 06 Jul 2004 06:53 GMT

My '93 TT (5-spd) smells of gasoline for about 3 weeks, particularly in
the cabin (cockpit?) and particularly at start-up and for the ensuing
hour or two. Gas mileage seems undiminished and I see no puddles under
the engine after overnite in my garage. I wonder whether my turbo boost
meter is bobbing as high as it used to on demand for high acceleration,
but I've always felt it was stingey. I can't urge it higher than a brief
touch at under +7 psi (and 3.5 to 4 would probably be more honest).

I recall seeing someone's website describe the not-uncommon causes and
remedies for the gas smell, the places to tighten up, etc.

Could you hazard an opinion on whether this gas "leak" is related to my
suspected-turbo weakness, and/or refer me to some advice on finding ands
fixing it?

Thanks very much,
Pham

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Steve T - 06 Jul 2004 07:51 GMT

> My '93 TT (5-spd) smells of gasoline for about 3 weeks, particularly in
> the cabin (cockpit?) and particularly at start-up and for the ensuing
> hour or two. Gas mileage seems undiminished and I see no puddles under
> the engine after overnite in my garage.

Check the hoses at the pressure regulator and fuel dampener on the engine or
better yet go ahead and replace them. Make sure you use some high pressure
"injection" rated fuel hose. This is the most common leak and does happen
when the engine is cold.

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Steve

http://www.atlantaracing.com

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Pham - 06 Jul 2004 07:55 GMT

"...the hoses at the pressure regulator and fuel dampener..."
-Steve

Where would I find these, Steve?

>>My '93 TT (5-spd) smells of gasoline for about 3 weeks, particularly in
>>the cabin (cockpit?) and particularly at start-up and for the ensuing
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> "injection" rated fuel hose. This is the most common leak and does happen
> when the engine is cold.

Reply to this Message

Steve T - 07 Jul 2004 01:52 GMT

> "...the hoses at the pressure regulator and fuel dampener..."
> -Steve
>
> Where would I find these, Steve?

They are the rubber fuel hoses on the engine you can see.... These two
devices look like small cans with 2 fuel lines and a vacumm line on them.

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Steve

http://www.atlantaracing.com

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Me - 07 Jul 2004 01:46 GMT

> My '93 TT (5-spd) smells of gasoline for about 3 weeks, particularly in
> the cabin (cockpit?) and particularly at start-up and for the ensuing
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> Thanks very much,
> Pham

Stop driving your car and do some reading.

http://www.twinturbo.net/ttnettech/fuelleaks/fuelleaks.html

You'll learn plenty on this site.

http://www.twinturbo.net/

I'd start with the FAQ and the "search" function.

http://www.twinturbo.net/ttnetfaq/z32faq.aspx

Dustin

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Pham - 07 Jul 2004 06:54 GMT

> Stop driving your car and do some reading.

Hey, no problem... I never drive while reading!
Thanks for the links, though, I will read up. It IS sad that I don't
deserve this car (as I sense you agree) but I have no others to use
while I baby my Z... it has to be my vehicle even tho I want it to be a
toy as well. God, I wish I could entrust its innards to local guy I
could trust and afford. I also wish it were fall instead of summer and
that I were 35 and not 53. "Life sux, & then ya die."

>>My '93 TT (5-spd) smells of gasoline for about 3 weeks, particularly in
>>the cabin (cockpit?) and particularly at start-up and for the ensuing
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>
> Dustin

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Me - 07 Jul 2004 16:48 GMT

> > Stop driving your car and do some reading.
>
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> could trust and afford. I also wish it were fall instead of summer and
> that I were 35 and not 53. "Life sux, & then ya die."

It's not that I think you don't deserve the car, I just don't want it to catch fire.

Dustin

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Pham - 10 Jul 2004 05:27 GMT

For some reason this didn't get posted after I sent it 24 hours ago, so
I repost to Dustin
-Pham
========================================

> I just don't want it to catch fire.
> Dustin

That woke me up. I went straight to work too. I found the leak (tho not
where the website had predicted) and fixed it with one of those braces
(don't know the name of the strip of perforated metal looped upon
itself to passs thru a slit thru which it advaces by turning a screw.)
Thanks for motivating me, you were quite right to try alarm me.
-Pham

>>>Stop driving your car and do some reading.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
>
> It's not that I think you don't deserve the car, I just don't want it

to catch fire.

> Dustin

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Big G - 10 Jul 2004 15:33 GMT

Hose clamp.

Typically use to clamp radiator hoses to their flanges. However they have
many uses and come in many sizes.

> For some reason this didn't get posted after I sent it 24 hours ago, so
> I repost to Dustin
[quoted text clipped - 32 lines]
> >
> >

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Me - 10 Jul 2004 22:25 GMT

> For some reason this didn't get posted after I sent it 24 hours ago, so
> I repost to Dustin
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> Thanks for motivating me, you were quite right to try alarm me.
> -Pham

I'm glad to hear you fixed it, and glad to hear you fixed it yourself. Sorry I didn't
address your lack of boost in your original post. You might start with the "What causes
safety boost?" section on http://www.twinturbo.net/ttnetfaq/z32faq.aspx. Another good
starting point is doing the ECU diagnostics to see if your car is throwing any codes. You
can run the diagnostic yourself.....it's also in the FAQ.

Dustin

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Pham - 12 Jul 2004 06:18 GMT

> I'm glad to hear you fixed it,[w a "Hose clamp"] and glad to hear you

fixed it yourself. Sorry I didn't

> address your lack of boost in your original post. You might start with the "What causes
> safety boost?" section on http://www.twinturbo.net/ttnetfaq/z32faq.aspx. Another good
> starting point is doing the ECU diagnostics to see if your car is throwing any codes. You
> can run the diagnostic yourself.....it's also in the FAQ.
> Dustin

=====================

Thanks so much to you & Big G, Dustin: the FAQ looks sweet and complete
too. I'll put a few of the more obvious concerns on my "to do" list- tho
I am a winter guy who suffers mightily in the summer humid heat and may
put stuff off until October if I can.

BTW, I don't think my 300TT '93 does have the electronic (?ECU) options
open to me. More's the pity- I think the next model year saw a good
interface as a standard feature - tho I'm sure they never imagined that
it'd be of interest to plain hoi polloi back then! My recollection was
of a "Electronics Package" which I did opt for (at considerable extra
cost) and it provided ... get this: a slight green glowing of the
outside door key insertion slot to enable unlock at night (no chirping
key rings then!) and also the wonderfully comfy power-adjusted driver
seat. That was high tech in 11/92!

If you know I'm mistaken about an interface I can access (without taking
out a second mortgage) please send me a correction!
Thanks,
"Pham" (Dean)
DASatDRNOSEdotNET

PS
Do members of this NG have preferences abt top vs bottom posting ?

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Steve T - 12 Jul 2004 07:57 GMT

> PS
> Do members of this NG have preferences abt top vs bottom posting ?

Always bottom post (or interleave) and snip away the text that doesn't apply
to your answer. No one in any group will ever complain if you post that
way.

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Steve

http://www.atlantaracing.com

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Pham - 13 Jul 2004 07:55 GMT

> I'm glad to hear you fixed it,[w a "Hose clamp"] and glad to hear you

fixed it yourself. Sorry I didn't

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