Discussion
I have a '97 V8 and keep it in a fully enclosed triple garage (about 25 feet by 18 feet) and when I first go in to the garage in the morning, or return from a day out in the family car, there is a definite whiff of petrol in the garage. This has been present for as long as I can remember. Initially, I had a leak on one of the supplementary injector hoses but this has stopped. Is this normal in a space this small ? There is no fuel on the floor or on the chassis. The hoses look ok and were replaced recently anyway. (see "nearly blown up"
Oh, and yes ! It should say "SMELL of Fuel" !
Oh, and yes ! It should say "SMELL of Fuel" !
Edited by toyroom on Sunday 25th June 22:43
check the foam that the fuel tanks sit on. they may be fuel soaked from prior leakages or spills. you can touch this stuff through a hole in the chassis, lying supine under the car. remove this foam regardless. it also soaks up water from puddles and causes your tanks to rust. why is there open cell foam exposed on the underside of the vehicle? because lotus couldn't engineer their way out of a velcro diaper.
teigan said:
because lotus couldn't engineer their way out of a velcro diaper.
lol..
well i had the same problem.. turns out one of my tanks has a pinhole rather high up on the tank and iu would get some spillage every time i put more than 3/4 tank in the car. hope your thats not your problem but if it is better start looking for a 2nd job now to pay for the repair.
Just had an idea: Could it be the petrochemical portion of Waxoyl ? After seeing a green S4 with the most amazing corrosion I have ever seen on a road going car's brakelines (? parked in sea water or something) I had the lines all sprayed liberally with Waxoyl. Could this cause the smell. There is no evidence of a leak and I remember Waxoyling my X 1/9 many years ago and it stank of petrol for weeks.
Edited by toyroom on Saturday 1st July 21:49
Edited by toyroom on Saturday 1st July 21:49
toyroom said:
Just had an idea: Could it be the petrochemical portion of Waxoyl ? After seeing a green S4 with the most amazing corrosion I have ever seen on a road going car's brakelines (? parked in sea water or something) I had the lines all sprayed liberally with Waxoyl. Could this cause the smell. There is no evidence of a leak and I remember Waxoyling my X 1/9 many years ago and it stank of petrol for weeks.
Edited by toyroom on Saturday 1st July 21:49
Edited by toyroom on Saturday 1st July 21:49
As I recall, Waxoyl smells of Turps, not petrol, as that is the solvent they use I believe.
Paul.
Perhaps I am getting my smells mixed up, it has, after all, been a long time...
The smell disperses very quickly and petrol smells very strong, I doubt that there is a hole in one of the tanks but I will try and see if it is any worse with a full tank. That said, I am a Bu*^%$er for topping off so as to get both tanks full (and a round figure to make the accounts easier) and often get a bit of spillage ! I will try filling the tanks carefully just before a few days of non use and if the smell does not suddenly increase, I guess the leaky tank idea is unlikely.
If it is the worst, how do you fit a new tank ? Or am I being lazy (is it in the manual ?) I'll go and check now.
The smell disperses very quickly and petrol smells very strong, I doubt that there is a hole in one of the tanks but I will try and see if it is any worse with a full tank. That said, I am a Bu*^%$er for topping off so as to get both tanks full (and a round figure to make the accounts easier) and often get a bit of spillage ! I will try filling the tanks carefully just before a few days of non use and if the smell does not suddenly increase, I guess the leaky tank idea is unlikely.
If it is the worst, how do you fit a new tank ? Or am I being lazy (is it in the manual ?) I'll go and check now.
There are two ways to change the tanks.
1) Open tailgate.
2) Remove engine and gearbox.
3) Rip trim panels from sides of engine bay
4) Extract tanks
5) Reassemble in reverse order
OR
1) Take an air saw to the sides of the car, between the doors and rear arches...
(Suppose it would have been a good idea to check my tanks, while I had the engine out
)
1) Open tailgate.
2) Remove engine and gearbox.
3) Rip trim panels from sides of engine bay
4) Extract tanks
5) Reassemble in reverse order
OR
1) Take an air saw to the sides of the car, between the doors and rear arches...
(Suppose it would have been a good idea to check my tanks, while I had the engine out
)I had a fuel smell when driving with a window or the roof open. turns out it was the rubber boot around the shifter ( under the leather one. )
I duct taped it and the smell stopped entirely. Took at year to get on from JAE, I also ordered on from teh dealer almost 2 years ago no.. I still go by there occasionally to check on the order.. they forget every time..
Anyway. It is easy to check and simple solution.
I duct taped it and the smell stopped entirely. Took at year to get on from JAE, I also ordered on from teh dealer almost 2 years ago no.. I still go by there occasionally to check on the order.. they forget every time..
Anyway. It is easy to check and simple solution.
I spoke to one of the Wirral guys who said fuel tank failure is relatively common and reqires engine out.
The smell is at its strongest by the air intake in the offside sill and also just above the offside rear quarterlight window when the tailgate is open.
Most interesting is that if I remove the little carpeted shelf (Behind the right rear quaterlight and above the engine ECM and right sided gas tank, there is no smell of petrol evident. ie, no smell in the space above the right tank. Would I be correct to suggest that this is more likely to be an engine bay hase problem than the right tank ? Hope so !
The smell is at its strongest by the air intake in the offside sill and also just above the offside rear quarterlight window when the tailgate is open.
Most interesting is that if I remove the little carpeted shelf (Behind the right rear quaterlight and above the engine ECM and right sided gas tank, there is no smell of petrol evident. ie, no smell in the space above the right tank. Would I be correct to suggest that this is more likely to be an engine bay hase problem than the right tank ? Hope so !
removing the carpeted panel opens up the vacuum in the carbody cavity and stops the smell traveling to the cabin when the car is moving. if the smell is truly strongest at the air intake, you need to examine your fuel tank. if you end up taking it out, then please take some very precise measurements of dimensions. i need them so i can weld up some polyethylene tanks for myself. that's what should have gone in there in the first place. before you go to the expense of lifting out the engine, have a look round with a medical style orifice camera.
The smell is totally absent from the cavity above the tank and below the carpet shelf. The smell is strongest in the space between the air intake in the sill and the ground. The smell is also present above the quaterlight when the tailgate is open. This all suggests a leaky joint in the pipes below the car (balance pipe between the tanks) I will try the LUDICROUSLY STUPIDLY COMPLICATED thing of putting a picture on the thread to make it clear where the smell is and isn't. Here goes:
Tried poking a firkling wire (coat hanger) wrapped in paper twel through the hole in the body below th right tank. Poked in all 4 directions and no smell on the paper and no evident wet fuel on the paper. How easy is the fuel system to check for leaks ? Would such a test be reliable ?
the breather line comes off the top of one of the tanks. the stock line looks like surgical tubing and press fits onto a nipple. on my car, the loose end was roaming free and nobody can tell me where it's supposed to vent. you may also have a charcoal filter assembly, but most owners remove this as it is the leading cause of esprit engine fires.
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