Fuel smell when I turn the blower on

[Joeaksa]

Everyone,

I have had a fuel smell in the car the last couple of weeks everytime I turn the A/C blower on. The front one, down by the pax feet.

Have looked high and low in the engine compartment and trunk for signs of fuel and cannot find a thing.

About 2 years ago we put a new fuel pump in the car and am wondering if something has come loose in this area and the fan is picking it up.

Anyone else ever have this? Supposed I have to pull the front pan to get to the fuel pump?

Thx,

Joe

[DRACO A5OG]

It is a recycled air but the drain off hole is pretty close to he Fuel Pump.

Did you also replace the 4" section of hose while you were in there back then?

[mholbrook38]

As you mention, the fuel pump and fuel lines are only inches away from the A/C fan. Did you look under to see if it is remotely wet. If you smell fuel, don' t drive it until you sort it out. You don't want a car=b=que....

[Joe Bob]

Do you have a charcoal canister? Loose fittings, breakthru on the filter?

[Joeaksa]

Drago,

I did not change the pump, a shop did so no idea if they changed the hose. They are pretty good so if the hose looked like it needed replacing, they would have done it. That said, it was two years ago... Assume that this is not a piece of the pressure line as it would be pretty high pressure going aft to the engine.

Mike,

Have not had time to pull everything up and check. Am just hoping and praying that its not the fuel line that runs down the backbone of the inside of the car!

JB (aka Mike!),

I believe that the charcoal canister is still on the car but forgot to mention that its a 1985 model thats been backdated, so some things (like the windshield washer bottle) and so on went away during the backdating. That was my first thought and I pulled the carpet up in the trunk looking for wet lines and so on and found nothing.

It happens ONLY when I turn the A/C fan on, so my guess is that I will have to get under the car and go from there.

Thanks for the ideas and keep them coming!

Joe

[DRACO A5OG]

No worries, not under pressure.

If they did not replace it then it could have been disturbed and finally give out. because it sit in a very harsh enviroment and become brittle

Easy enough to replace and I recommend replacing it when almost empty and raising the passenger side to help keep the gas in the tank. Some will come out from the hose and pump.

Just be quick about it.

[rusnak]

I keep thinking about the fuel tank sender gasket. The evap is sitting in an enclosed box sort of. It would be hard for vapor to get in there unless the thing was being saturated. Or perhaps the evap is leaking compressor oil, and that smells like gas.

[Joeaksa]

Drago,

Is this hose by the fuel pump? Of course I have 3/4th of a tank of fuel right now!

Assume that I have to pull the front belly pan to get to the pump?

Rus,

Wish it was something this easy, but have pulled the carpet out of the trunk and cannot see any fuel or seepage anywhere.

Thx,

Joe

[DRACO A5OG]

Yes, it is the approximate 4"in length, as I recall 3/8" fuel line hose. When I did a PPI, wrench showed that it was cracking but not leaking when I replaced it but better safe then sorry.

Yes, the pan will need to be removed.

[Grady Clay]

Joe,

When you open the trunk or passenger compartment, do you smell fuel?
Is the car in a ‘sealed’ garage? If so, does it smell of fuel?

Has anything ever been done in/around the tunnel (fire extinguisher install, etc.)?
Does your A/C also draw air in at the rear of the tunnel (is there a grill or solid panel at the rear)?

The easiest diagnosis it to simply take the trunk carpet out and inspect.
It might be best with the fuel tank full to the brim (you can always pump the fuel out).
The places to look are at the breather/evaporative emissions system, the fill hose connections and the fuel level sender gasket.

While I can’t imagine finding fuel, it might be worth a look behind the passenger floorboard.

More likely is the area above the front ‘pan’.
Here is your fuel pump, the hoses and connections to the tank and to the pipes in the tunnel.
There are only three hoses with six connections and the pump.
Any leak should be obvious.
All it takes is slight discoloration where a hose meets the fitting.

About the only other possibility in front is the tank itself – VERY unlikely.

Fuel leaks at the engine are usually not noticed in the cockpit unless through the heaters (when on), not A/C.
When you are under the car, look at the two connections at the rear of the tunnel.

Needless to say, inspect everything in the engine compartment.
Fuel leaks there are critical.

Best,
Grady

[Joeaksa]

Grady,

That is the funny thing is that you smell absolutely nothing inside the engine compartment or trunk, its clear as can be. Once the engine is started and A/C vent fan on (its in the 80's here now and need the airflow) you smell the fuel smell.

As this is a 3.6 installation in the car I believe that the fuel pump does not come on until it senses flywheel rotation, so my best guess is that I am going to have to get the car up in the air with the engine running and start looking then.

There has been no work done in the interior area at all in months. Last was to replace the throttle bushing on the pedal assy and I found no issues at that time and it did not smell like fuel either. The A/C vent fan is in the passenger footwell, far forwards and the fan itself is right down low on the floor.

Drago,

Thanks again, will start looking!

Thx,

Joe

[Grady Clay]

Joe,

There has been no work done in the interior area at all in months.

The reason I ask is because a sharp screw (sheet metal type) installed years ago could finally cause a fuel leak.
Just a ‘stab-in-the-dark’.

I’ll speculate that a hose at the pump is bent more than originally intended and there is a slight leak between the flex-hose and the fitting.
If so, don’t just replace the hose; re-engineer the installation.


“ ‘80s” – Ha! There is snow on my GT3CUP (’85 Camry) this AM.

Best,
Grady

[Joeaksa]

Grady,

Thanks and stay at home! The time to be here is from Sept to May, and after that time "the oven" is turned on here in the desert.

In another month or so it will be above 100 (will be 98 here in 5 days!) so then you will be enjoying the cool weather up in the mountains!

Joe

[dshepp806]

I'm betting the answer lies under the fuel pump cover!!!!!!!!!!

Best!

Doyle

[robhamster]

All,

I just went through this on my '84 Cab and it turned out to be the high pressure supply hose going through the tunnel. I did not have smell in the trunk or the engine compartment. I did notice it worst when the A/C was turned on. I had the local wrench chase it down and that is the hose they changed. It has been three weeks since and I still smell some stale gasoline, which I suspect is coming from the places that got saturated in the lower netherregions of the pan. The way I found the leak for sure is looking underneath the car and seeing one of the plastic drain plugs saturated with gasoline. Everyday gets better smellwise now and I know that when we see the full heat of the summer (high 80's as I am a neighbor of Grady's) the remaining gasoline will finally evaporate.

Check underneath your car. I found my leak directly under the front of the tunnel.

[dshepp806]

My experience: Fuel smell identified...................1989

Yes! We "avoided" having to mess with the tunnel plastics (no leaks there,..leaks ID'd as external to tunnel....) ) and were able to repair "outside" of tunnel....(my dearP-wrenches, Serge Dela Bruyer and James Roberts). All new hoses,..a fresh pump (replacing the (found) original 1989 pump!) ,..off we go!!!!!!!!!

The tunnel work is laborious (at least for me),..another dimension of challenge.

Bet it's a failed crimp hose connection that's dripping gas,.......or, maybe, even like my pics.....one, of which, shows the crimped line failure (weepage) on the high pressure side.

Eliminate all of this stuff,...first?

BEST!

Doyle

[rusnak]

Yes, replacing those tunnel fuel lines are no fun at all. I still have a touch of post tramatic stress just thinking abot it, haha.

[island911]

Originally Posted by robhamster

...

Check underneath your car. ... directly under the front of the tunnel.

+1 (being that there is no smell in the front boot) likely the lines in/out of the tank. Not an easy job to replace, btw. ...but the tunnel fuel lines must be the worst.

[Joeaksa]

Well everyone, we found the fuel issue.

Put the car on ramps and could see the problem right away. Some thing leaking in the fuel pump area so pulled the cover off. Found that one of the short hoses from the pump to the long hoses that run through the tunnel was leaking.

Cut off the swedged fittings off of one end and removed the other end from the fuel pump and removed the hose. It had seen better days and was leaking through a pin-hole in the hose.

Replaced it with a new section of hose and clamps. Will do the second hose (and quite possibly the tunnel hoses) later on this fall when the temps are under 110 here in AZ.

At least I can drive the car now. Started the car up, turned the fan on and the fuel smell was gone. Life is good and thanks for everyone's ideas!

Joe A

[DRACO A5OG]

Yeap on my PPI that was the first thing I replaced.