Gas Smell in Car

[skywalker77]

Can anyone shed some light on why I have at times a pretty strong gas smell in the car while driving? I had the fuel tank cleaned out while also replacing the the fuel lines etc. when I had the car completely tuned. I checked to make sure the gas cap was tight etc. I recently had a number of adjustments made to pass smog which included replacing the catalytic convertor. The smell started after the latest work had been done. If the car is running rich, would that cause the smell?

Thanks in advance from a rookie DeLorean owner.

[thirdmanj]

Too much Taco Bell? ;)

Nah, seriously though- it could be any number of things if you've just done a lot of work. Usual suspects are Fuel Acumulator assy, the gasket for the fuel sender or the boot for the fuel pump. I've also heard that the carbon canister in the pontoon can contribute to a fuel smell. Wait a day of about 12 hours, restart the car cold and walk around and look for signs of leakage.
Does it happen only after fill ups?

[AirmanPika]

Fuel boots seem to be a common cause of this...at least on my car it was.

[Michael]

Easiest first...check your fuel cap. If it's old or easy to remove replace it for 10 bucks and see if that fixes the problem before digging through your bonnet.

[Patrick C]

I don't have a gasket on my Tankzilla fuel sender...I think this contributes to gas fumes in my car sometimes after filling up, or a sudden stop.

[Rich]

Can anyone shed some light on why I have at times a pretty strong gas smell in the car while driving? I had the fuel tank cleaned out while also replacing the the fuel lines etc. when I had the car completely tuned. I checked to make sure the gas cap was tight etc. I recently had a number of adjustments made to pass smog which included replacing the catalytic convertor. The smell started after the latest work had been done. If the car is running rich, would that cause the smell?

First, check your engine bay to be sure you haven't got a leak back there, which is more of a safety issue than it would be elsewhere.
Second, no smoking.

Check your symptoms for hints. And find more symptoms.
A. The car passed smog, which means it isn't running rich - or it wasn't rich at that time.
B. Strong gas smell is kind of good, at least in terms of finding the leak because it should be easy to spot.
C. Somebody replaced a lot of fuel lines? Check those connections.
D. Bad gas smell "at times"? What times? Full tank only? Only when car is moving?

When an accumulator diaphragm leaks the fuel is sent back to the tank. So that's an unlikely source. Unless somebody pulled off the safety return line from it.

One more test. See if you have a hot start problem. After a warmup drive shut it off and wait 10-15min to restart. If it fires up fine then you probably do not have a pressure-side leak that's very big and you can look at other sources.

Pull the access panel in the trunk that covers the fuel tank/sender area. Also pull the one at the rear left of the trunk. Take a drive to be sure you get the gas smell. Look at all of the connections. Fuel filler connection hose, tank sender, fuel pump boot, all lines on pressure and return sides.

[ssdelorean]

If you don't have it, this is one of the reasons the heat shield (a thread here (http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?8013-Harvey-s-heat-shield&highlight=heat+shield), and Hervey's version here (http://specialtauto.com/delorean-parts/images/delorean-hot-air-dam-place.jpg)) for behind the radiator was created. If there is any spilled gas on top of the tank or a bad seal on top of the take the blowing wind over top of the tank brings the fumes into the cabin. This may not be your particular cause but it is one of the causes.

[WelmoedJ]

All above advice is good.
However nobody touched the "gas smell while driving" subject.

If you smell gas while driving it has to come from the front of the car.
The fresh air door a.o. allows the smell to enter the interior.
So yes, it can be the gas cap, the fuel sender's seal, the tightness of the boot (both at the pump and at the tank, or the lack of it), old fuel and fuel return lines (dumping on top of the fuel pump: dangerous!).
It also can be the roll over valve (near the gas cap, which "airs" the fumes of the carbon canister.

What it can't be while driving is something leaking gas fumes in the rear (those are "aired" by the wind rushing along the car).
If the vacuum hoses of the carbon canister are not good, the canister itself is open, you will smell that when parked, especially when parked in a garage.

[David T]

It is most likely a problem ahead of the driver. The possible sources include:
The fuel pump boot (the inner one that holds the pump)
The fuel sender seal
A loose/leaky connection on the roll-over valve or the filler
Wrong gas cap or bent up filler pipe (from levering the nozzle in the pipe when filling up).
It will be worse when the tank is more than 1/2 full typically.
Most noticeable while driving because the smell gets carried rearward as you move and/or the fans are running.
David Teitelbaum

[Ryan S.]

In my case it was

a worn out fuel pump boot.
Leaky fuel injectors
leaky fuel filter
fuel cap