Gas smell....need some help!

32witha409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Without a traditional air cleaner but scoops, my 09 carbs dry up in 2 weeks, while my Impala with the factory air cleaner will fire up in a turn or 2 after the same sit time. My shop reeks of fuel and there are no leaks. It's worse in the summer of course.
 

409newby

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 11
My 65 sits in the garage also and never smells of gas the 65 has a non vented gas cap and vents through a funky looking tube the starts at the fuel tank up into the trunk then back down and terminates under the body, I have replaced the gas tank, all fuel lines so that may have helped. :dunno2
 

409gang

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 1
Without a traditional air cleaner but scoops, my 09 carbs dry up in 2 weeks, while my Impala with the factory air cleaner will fire up in a turn or 2 after the same sit time. My shop reeks of fuel and there are no leaks. It's worse in the summer of course.
If your garage reeks of fuel you have to have a leak or open container somewhere, I currently have 2 running cars and 3 running motorcycles in my garage and there is NO smell of fuel ever. My 2 cars are not daily drivers (a Corvette and a Suburban) and sit there all the time, my motorcycles do the same and all 5 vehicles are gassed up (full tanks) as I don't like to leave them with anything less as there is no room for moist air. I would get that car on a lift and go over it with a fine tooth comb, there has to be something you are overlooking.
 

32witha409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 3
Whoa Doggies!! I obviously used the wrong verb.. :facepalm:doh.
There is a smell of gas. 100% sure there are no leaks at all. Once the carbs dry up it is basically gone.
I should note that I need to add some better venting in my shop.
 

drc409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Car shouldn’t reek of gas but with carburetors and without catalytic converters, I think most cars of our vintage seem to always have at least a faint smell of gas.
 

Junky

Well Known Member
I would check the top of the fuel tank. I had a truck that when you walked by it you could smell the gasoline. Turned out to be the top of the tank had a rust hole about 1/2" diameter. Since it was on top, no leakage, and never got water into it, since it was covered by the body. Found it by filling it to the top, and into the filler pipe, and then it started leaking when I drove it up a steep hill. Drove the truck till the tank was just about empty, and I had a replacement to bolt it the same day that I removed the bad one.
 

Don Jacks

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 3
It sounds like you're running a cap for a sealed system.Good for over the winter storage but not for driving.Get a vented gas cap,problem will likely be solved.
 

IMBVSUR?

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
Yes I do hear that woosh sound. Like the air is pushing out. Is that normal?
My thought was to see if the tank is venting. If not, maybe when fully warmed up pressure would build. When shut down, that pressure is going to go the weakest place. I thought the vapors or gas smell might becoming from fuel being pushed by the seat or a loose area.
 

Junky

Well Known Member
It sounds like you're running a cap for a sealed system.Good for over the winter storage but not for driving.Get a vented gas cap,problem will likely be solved.

I thought the same thing, and was going to post it, but the phone rang, and it totally left my mind for some other place.. Old age...
 

ORO62

Well Known Member
It sounds like you're running a cap for a sealed system.Good for over the winter storage but not for driving.Get a vented gas cap,problem will likely be solved.

I just added a vented cap so not quite sure that's it. The venting I heard was when I went to fill up after having driven about 40 miles and on a near empty cap.
 

drc409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
It sounds like you're running a cap for a sealed system.Good for over the winter storage but not for driving.Get a vented gas cap,problem will likely be solved.
I went for a hour long drive Sunday and filled tank before returning home. I usually keep tank full during winter but only about half full during summer months when I drive car more often. I can definitely smell gas in garage now. I guess I never thought about it before. Thinking about switching cap to unvented when car sits a long time.
 

Don Jacks

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 3
The car's fuel system was designed for a vented cap.I would recommend using a non vented cap during storage to keep air out mostly due to the tendency for the alcohol that's in todays fuels attracting water.If you're running a non vented cap you might be creating a problem.
 

drc409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
‘Understand not to use an unvented cap when I drive car.

I only use non-ethanol fuel so minimizing gas smell (for my wife’s sake:)) is the objective.
 

drc409

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 2
I just take a 12" square of plastic food film, fold it a couple of times, and put it over the fill tube, and then put the cap back on. That way, I don't have to keep track of 2 caps.
Genius:applWhy didn’t I think of that!
 
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