I smell rare gas after a shut the car off for about 3-4 hours

[robplus4]

Can anybody help.
I smell rare gas after a shut the car off for about 3-4 hours.
I don't see any fuel on the ground.

The car starts & runs, idle starts at 775 then slowly climbs to about 1400 rpms after about 30 seconds.

I think it's the fuel injectors or fuel distributor.
The injectors were cleaned by Special t auto and the distributor was rebuild by Special t auto.

Any help.
Thank you,
Robert

[Michael]

Where do you smell the fumes the most? nder the hood, cabin, under the engine cover?

The fuel pressure stays pretty high well after the engine shuts off so a slow leak in the engine compartment may disguise itself until all the air is still and it's had time to accumulate.

My first point would be to figure out if it's coming from the pump area, the accumulator area (those fittings being loose will probably be the strongest in the cabin), or the engine area.

The idle issue is probably unrelated, but impossible (or pointless) to diagnose until the fuel leak is fixed.

[robplus4]

Where do you smell the fumes the most? nder the hood, cabin, under the engine cover?

The fuel pressure stays pretty high well after the engine shuts off so a slow leak in the engine compartment may disguise itself until all the air is still and it's had time to accumulate.

My first point would be to figure out if it's coming from the pump area, the accumulator area (those fittings being loose will probably be the strongest in the cabin), or the engine area.

The idle issue is probably unrelated, but impossible (or pointless) to diagnose until the fuel leak is fixed.


The smell is coming from the engine cover.
There is no visible leak.

[SS Spoiler]

Don't drive it until you figure out where it's coming from.
Think fire.......

[DMCVegas]

You're gonna have to follow your nose on this one to see where the smell is strongest at, and then start tracing lines to look for leaks.

HOWEVER, I wouldn't even attempt to start the car any more or do anything else until you have a proper fire extinguisher ready, and I definitely wouldn't attempt any further testing inside of a garage until you get this all sorted out.

First, and the most important question here. And be honest: Did you reuse ANY of the copper or aluminum crush washers that connect the fuel hoses? Even if you only partially tightened a line and then backed off?

[sdg3205]

Yes. Let it completely cool.

Do you have the factory fuel lines? They can crack quite easily. Trace each fuel line. get under the car and ensure everything at the fuel filter is good. You can jump the pump momentarily if you need to re-establish fuel pressure.

[Michael]

A fuel line crack can be under the rubber fuel line insulation as well. May be a wet spot where the cover ends.

Also look at the frequency valve and the line to it.

[David T]

A fuel line crack can be under the rubber fuel line insulation as well. May be a wet spot where the cover ends.

Also look at the frequency valve and the line to it.

Since you replaced the fuel distributor and injectors you probably have a leak at one of the copper seals. Inspect each connection for signs of wetnesss. Do NOT overtighten the hollow bolt to stop the leak. Replace the copper seals. Or you may have missed putting in a seal or maybe there is a tiny piece of dirt under a seal. Try bypassing the RPM relay and running the pump while you look for the leak.

[robplus4]

You're gonna have to follow your nose on this one to see where the smell is strongest at, and then start tracing lines to look for leaks.

HOWEVER, I wouldn't even attempt to start the car any more or do anything else until you have a proper fire extinguisher ready, and I definitely wouldn't attempt any further testing inside of a garage until you get this all sorted out.

First, and the most important question here. And be honest: Did you reuse ANY of the copper or aluminum crush washers that connect the fuel hoses? Even if you only partially tightened a line and then backed off?

I have replaced all my fuel lines with Stainless Steel fuel line kit from Special T auto a year ago. The kit came with copper crush washers.

Thanks,
Robert

[GS450-Junkie]

Where would one look if the fuel smell was coming from in the cabin while driving?

[Michael]

Where would one look if the fuel smell was coming from in the cabin while driving?

My first guess would be the accumulator lines, but you would have to lift the car to confirm. There is an access panel under the center console to reach the hard line fittings.

I would also check the pump area, heck even a bad fuel cap can cause smells in the cabin, but if they are bery strong, the accumulator line fittings are practically right under your nose.

[DMCMW Dave]

Keep in mind that there is a 2 inch hole that leads to the intake side of the cabin fan about 6 inches above the fuel pump. Any thing leaking in the pump area will immediately show up inside the car. Accumulator area leaks can get in the car too but not as easily as that area is sealed off from the car (sort of).

Another gas smell source we're starting to see is the short hose from the rollover valve to the filler neck.

[mluder]

If you're smelling it up front and in the cabin my first guess would be fuel pump cover boot. That band clamp can work itself loose and then you've basically an open fuel tank. Ask me how I know.

Cheers
Steven

[David T]

If you're smelling it up front and in the cabin my first guess would be fuel pump cover boot. That band clamp can work itself loose and then you've basically an open fuel tank. Ask me how I know.

Cheers
Steven

Another common source is a leaky fuel cap. Any leak in the front will get into the cabin quickly.

[DMCVegas]

Where would one look if the fuel smell was coming from in the cabin while driving?

Inside of the cabin, that means that it's getting sucked in via the plenum at the bottom of the windshield, or the drain hole at the bottom of the plenum above the fuel tank. If it's cold out, check and ensure that the hose clamp around the fuel pump boot and cap is properly secured. Same with the Fuel Sending Unit. Also check your gas cap too.

If this happens when hot, and especially with a buzzing fuel pump, check the same thing, but also include testing of the Carbon Canister. If the canister wears out it's diaphragm, or gets contaminated with raw gasoline, it won't purge excess fumes while driving. This of course applies to ANY car, save for the fuel smell.

[DMCMW Dave]

One more thing - check the fuel sender and the rubber gasket under it. The sender can leak right through the wiring connection grommets, and the rubber seal is ridiculously thin at one point.

[Jonathan]

Keep in mind that there is a 2 inch hole that leads to the intake side of the cabin fan about 6 inches above the fuel pump. Any thing leaking in the pump area will immediately show up inside the car. Accumulator area leaks can get in the car too but not as easily as that area is sealed off from the car (sort of).

Another gas smell source we're starting to see is the short hose from the rollover valve to the filler neck.

Isn't this an important phrase?

Our cars now being 34 years old are having new issues that might not have been considered even a few years ago. Things that (as a whole and overall) might never have been an issue for most cars, can now start to fail or need attention. Whatever fixes and upgrades the community has come up with since '81 and were considered the norm could have a number of new ones added to going forward.

Replacement headlights that don't last as long was mentioned recently or issues relating to owners filling up with ethanol gas as opposed to "regular unleaded" and rubber components getting eaten.

But then again, none of us get to do things "like they've always been done" in career, family, finances, etc. because no generation before us has ever lived in the set of circumstances we all enjoy now. Our teeth weren't "designed" to last as long as we do, hence all the baby boomer dental work happening, and not hard to realize neither were our cars meant to last this long. A new frontier.

[DMCVegas]

Isn't this an important phrase?

Our cars now being 34 years old are having new issues that might not have been considered even a few years ago. Things that (as a whole and overall) might never have been an issue for most cars, can now start to fail or need attention. Whatever fixes and upgrades the community has come up with since '81 and were considered the norm could have a number of new ones added to going forward.

Replacement headlights that don't last as long was mentioned recently or issues relating to owners filling up with ethanol gas as opposed to "regular unleaded" and rubber components getting eaten.

But then again, none of us get to do things "like they've always been done" in career, family, finances, etc. because no generation before us has ever lived in the set of circumstances we all enjoy now. Our teeth weren't "designed" to last as long as we do, hence all the baby boomer dental work happening, and not hard to realize neither were our cars meant to last this long. A new frontier.

Well now, in all fairness tooth decay has been on the decline since we started actually taking oral care seriously. Teeth are a fair example though because it demonstrates not so much the what the "life expectancy" of something as to say that you have increased it through proper care and maintenance, but rather you didn't rapidly destroy something merely by neglect. Granted too there can be external circumstances that work upon this too. As with the teeth example, the plummeting rates of tobacco use for example have certainly made an impact.

As for the DeLorean specifically (and to stay on track here), all parts are going to have finite lifespans. James Espy back in 2005 had commented upon this during the factory warehouse tour about how parts consumption would tend to come in waves. Which is expected.

But then too sometimes, especially with the topic here of a fuel smell (and noisy fuel pumps), you can also have excess pressure built up inside of your fuel tank. Which at this age might merely be a worn part, or quite possibly neglect. That can be caused by contaminating your Carbon Canister by topping off your fuel tank. I've seen this personally on my DeLorean, on our old Jaguar XJ40, and on multiple Ford Econolines and Windstar vans. For a more in depth explanation, please allow me some shameless self-promotion:

Don't be a moron: Stop topping-off your gas tank. (http://oppositelock.kinja.com/dont-be-a-moron-stop-topping-off-your-gas-tank-1702676878)

Topping-Off Part 2: How to properly fill up your gas tank. (http://oppositelock.kinja.com/topping-off-part-2-how-to-properly-fill-up-your-gas-ta-1702753855)

I don't really know if cars per se have a specific life expectancy. I can definitely say that as newer vehicles come out with better safety features, there is certainly an incentive to trade up. Likewise newer technology certainly makes for far superior reliability and efficiency. As I once saw it beautifully put online, 100,000 miles is no longer the cut-off of when you have to trade your vehicle in, or overhaul an engine. Engines are no longer built with slide rulers. Computer calculations have made for far better precision. It's why oil changes have doubled or even tripled in intervals. But even when the parts run out, that doesn't mean the vehicle is done for. If gasoline became unavailable tomorrow, we'd just rip out our engines and switch over to whatever the new fuel source would be, and we'd still keep driving. Just look at all those old cars in Cuba.

And the ethanol thing? Well, we really need to adapt. If modern vehicles can tolerate ethanol blends, including up to E-85, there is no reason that our cars shouldn't be able to. We just need some people to start dropping some silicone rubber O-Rings into the fuel distributors and pressure regulators. And if need be, just abandon the stock pump and switch over to the DMCH one. Granted now if lazy-ass morons had bothered to maintain their storage tanks, we could still be burning cheaper, less corrosive MTBE instead of ethanol. But hey, we just adapt. No big thing.

But if we're going to talk about parts that wear out, I'm not looking forward to 40 year old wiring...

[robplus4]

Where do you smell the fumes the most? nder the hood, cabin, under the engine cover?

The fuel pressure stays pretty high well after the engine shuts off so a slow leak in the engine compartment may disguise itself until all the air is still and it's had time to accumulate.

My first point would be to figure out if it's coming from the pump area, the accumulator area (those fittings being loose will probably be the strongest in the cabin), or the engine area.

The idle issue is probably unrelated, but impossible (or pointless) to diagnose until the fuel leak is fixed.

You only smell the gas outside the car after the car is off.

[robplus4]

You only smell the gas outside the car after the car is off.

Update:
I replaced the fuel injectors.(picked them up from Rock auto online)
No more smell, idling fine now, and it passed smog.

Thank you for all you help.

Robert
Temecula, Ca