Late XJ12 Series III: strong fuel smell in boot

[Exoticlover]

My car's book emits a heavy smell of fuel; I cannot put a coat or suitcase in there without ruining it.

While some people might say "they all do that" or "its a feature not a bug", I cannot image that this was the case when these cars were new.

What should I look out for?

[dontlookdown]

Fuel tanks going porous? Can get v smelly without any obvious actual leaks. One on either side of the boot in an XJ12.

Lovely cars by the way.

[lukeharding]

A very strong possibility that the tanks are rusting, or the valves are sticking, or even one of the many hoses is degrading. Well worth changing them, even though it isn't cheap. I've had it a few times!

[V12 Migaloo]

definitely porous fuel tanks.... rusting inside mine was exactly the same, bought 2 used good ones and changed all the hoses in the boot, problem resolved, wife now doesn't complain!

[lukeharding]

To be fair the price of new tanks isn't too bad for peace of mind. Can't remember whether I've bought 6 or 8 this year though!

[Exoticlover]

Thank you, i would never have thought about the tanks themselves. How much are they (new)?

[lukeharding]

If you speak to Ben at Simply Performance he'll be able to give you a price. I think from memory they're sound £250 each.

[Exoticlover]

Thank you, Luke.

It is not only the boot, and not purely the smell of petrol. Maybe its because of the hot summer temperatures, but when I have driven the car for 30 mins, my wife can smell it on me from a distance.

[alabbasi]

The fuel pump is right there along with all the hoses. Have you lifted the cover to inspect it?

[Exoticlover]

I have not lifted anything because i would break it. But thank you, i am collecting hints and ideas and will ask my mechanic to then have a look at all these.

[reddiesel]

On a car this age the Petrol Tank condition really needs to be checked along with all associated pipework spigots and joints . There is no quick fix to your situation and as V12 Migaloo says not big money and a permanent fix .

[Peter3442]

First, congratulations on owning what in many ways is still the best car that's ever been made, even if they were almost antiques when the first series III came off the production line. The downside is that they were from an era when all cars were getting complicated, but before electronics had really caught up.

No disrespect to the expertise on Pistonheads, but you should try :
JaguarForums.com
and
forums.jag-lovers.com
as they are great sources of information especially for classic models. It's also worth joining the local branch of the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club.

Finally, stay away from main dealers and find a good Jaguar specialist such as David Marks in Nottingham.

[alabbasi]

Exoticlover said:

I have not lifted anything because i would break it. But thank you, i am collecting hints and ideas and will ask my mechanic to then have a look at all these.

He's going to really appreciate you for helping him. Why don't you suggest that he posts to this thread after he takes a look so that we can all give our advice directly?

[Olivergt]

OP, did you ever get your strong smell of petrol resolved?

[IknowJoseph]

I think for the OP it was the strong smell of BS that caused more issues..