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LXlimited
11-24-2006, 11:18 AM
hey guys! hope everyone has a nice thanksgiving. i was wondering if u guys can help me with my problem with my car. i smell gas inside my car once in a while. this usually happens at night & it last for about 3 mins of driving. i brought it to Honda but it turns out that the fuel filler pipe recall has been done already. i brought it to a shop already but there was no sign of fuel leak & the gas didn't smell at all. i was told that the charcoal canister may not be the one to blame & it cannot be cleaned. gas cap is still ok. fuel filters have been changed last year. i've done my search on this site & also done checking some hoses. i've notice a little rust on the fuel filler though. any ideas on why this is happening? i appreciate your help in advance!

2drSE-i
11-24-2006, 11:40 AM
hows your gas mileage? i know when i was smelling that shit my gas mileage was about 20....i replaced o2 sensors, changed distributor cap and rotor, and the smell went away and i got 28 mpg. does it only smell when its on? could also be a bad catalytic convertor.

LXlimited
11-24-2006, 11:53 AM
gas mileage is bad coz i mostly drive in the city. my o2 sensor was changed 3 years ago. are there two on LX? i only replace one. distributor cap & rotor were also changed last year. it only smells when its on. catalytic converter & resonator were changed recently. any more ideas?


hows your gas mileage? i know when i was smelling that shit my gas mileage was about 20....i replaced o2 sensors, changed distributor cap and rotor, and the smell went away and i got 28 mpg. does it only smell when its on? could also be a bad catalytic convertor.

2drSE-i
11-24-2006, 11:55 AM
...havent got a clue. yea theres only one on the LX. How bad is the mileage? maybe your carb is set really rich.

LXlimited
11-24-2006, 01:13 PM
about 15 mpg. how do i check if the carb is rich? thx 4 ur inputs!


...havent got a clue. yea theres only one on the LX. How bad is the mileage? maybe your carb is set really rich.

2drSE-i
11-24-2006, 01:14 PM
no problem man. Check the A/F screw on your carb, theres no way you should be getting 15 mpg. let me get some more technical advice for you

2drSE-i
11-24-2006, 01:18 PM
nevermind, just adjust your a/f screw. i dont really know where it should be, hopefully one of the carbeurated guys will post soon haha

bigman652
11-24-2006, 02:43 PM
the same thing was happing in my car i don't think that it is anything mayjor but i am just as clueless i want to know wut that smell is also

russiankid
11-24-2006, 04:46 PM
When i get a gas smell when im driving it is due to the gas cap being on a bit crooked, so unscrew it and screw it back in making sure it isn't crooked.

2drSE-i
11-24-2006, 08:53 PM
well id hope he didnt put the gascap on wrong as long as it sounds like its been happening. Adjust the a/f screw

w261w261
11-24-2006, 09:05 PM
I had two little problems with my car, and they didn't happen all the time, just off and on. One was a small smell of gas, and the other was a sound that was somewhat, but not exactly like a leaky exhaust manifold gasket. I sniffed around under the hood a couple of times, to no avail, and the little pffftt-pffftt sound never happened when it was convenient to check it. Performance was fine.

Today I smelled the gas and heard the sound..I didn't remember them being linked before. I pop the hood and what do I find? A spark plug was loose! There was the sound...and there was the smell of gas. Never had that happen before. The last time I changed the plugs I had to put a breaker bar on one of them to get it out. When I put the new ones in I put on anti-seize compound and torqued them to specs. Guess I should have cranked them in a bit harder.

Anyway, it's a long shot that this is your problem, but it was mine.

MessyHonda
11-24-2006, 09:10 PM
damn 15mpg...i get like 30 on my dx...

Vanilla Sky
11-24-2006, 11:52 PM
leaky fuel line inside the car? remember that there are fuel lines that run INSIDE the car on the driver's side. check all of the connections there and make sure you don't have any pinhole leaks or any weeping connections.

Blkblurr
11-28-2006, 01:29 PM
Have you checked for leaks around the base of the carb?

POS carb
11-28-2006, 01:40 PM
make sure the tank "wooshes" when you open the gas cap
if it does, you probably have a leak at the caruretor. If it doesen't, the problem is likely in the tank venting system (charcoal canister, vent pipe, fuel line)

Also, is this smell ocurring while the engine is off? Or only when driving?

KrazyKlown
11-28-2006, 01:54 PM
Hmmm, I have the gas smell inside my car too. When I open the hood I smell it from around the FI intake and Head/Valve cover area (soon as I shut it off). Some type of fuel device there around the lines?? Dunno, Its all new to me! Hope you find outwhat the culprate is....

LXlimited
11-28-2006, 01:59 PM
The tank “wooshes” when I open the gas cap. The carburetor is not leaking. This only happens when I’m driving every 2 days. I would only last for a few minutes and the smell will go away. I haven’t check the fuel lines or vent pipe. Where is the vent pipe located by the way? Have u ever tried cleaning the charcoal canister filter? Also it looks like the smell is coming from the fuel filter in the engine bay but its not that strong. That’s the only area in the engine bay where I can smell gas. Is that suppose to smell?


make sure the tank "wooshes" when you open the gas cap
if it does, you probably have a leak at the caruretor. If it doesen't, the problem is likely in the tank venting system (charcoal canister, vent pipe, fuel line)
Also, is this smell ocurring while the engine is off? Or only when driving?

LXlimited
11-28-2006, 02:03 PM
I only drive the car for 5 mins back & forth to the train station from my house. Its mostly stop & go driving. I’m not sure if 15 mpg is typical for this kind of driving. Are you getting 30 mpg city?


damn 15mpg...i get like 30 on my dx...

LXlimited
11-28-2006, 02:04 PM
i'll try to adjust the a/f mixture this weekend if i don't find any leak.


well id hope he didnt put the gascap on wrong as long as it sounds like its been happening. Adjust the a/f screw

POS carb
11-28-2006, 02:13 PM
and is it raw gasoline (like the smell at the gas station) or unburned gas exhaust (like muscle car smell)

You may be lucky and just have a leaky connection at the fuel filter. There really should be no smell of gas there. The float adjuster screw sometimes leaks if you mess with it (flathead screw right above where the fuel line plugs in). Put some paper towel around the fuel filter and check it after a few min of driving, leaking fuel will stain the paper a dark yellow (and will smell of gas of course).

The a/f screw doesn't need to be messed with, i think by doing that you are only masking the problem. Plus, this would only solve your issue if the gas smell is coming out your tailpipe. You should adjust it after you are sure everything is in good working order.

PS - No, I never tried to clean the charcoal canister either.

MessyHonda
11-28-2006, 04:04 PM
I only drive the car for 5 mins back & forth to the train station from my house. Its mostly stop & go driving. I’m not sure if 15 mpg is typical for this kind of driving. Are you getting 30 mpg city?


i do both...on city i get like 25mpg and on freeway i get like 34mpg

LXlimited
12-17-2006, 12:29 PM
i finally had a chance to do some checking about the gas smell. i put some paper towel around the fuel filter & there was no stain on the paper towel. i checked the base of the carb but there's no gas either. i sprayed some carb cleaner to the carb to see if it will help. i also checked the inside the car underneath the pedals but there's no sign of gas leak there. the smell is like muscle car gas smell. i smell gas every other day but this usually occurs at night. i also notice the my radiator fan doesn't turn on but the car doesn't overheat. could the cold weather cause the gas to smell & the radiator not to turn on? please heelp! thx!


and is it raw gasoline (like the smell at the gas station) or unburned gas exhaust (like muscle car smell)
You may be lucky and just have a leaky connection at the fuel filter. There really should be no smell of gas there. The float adjuster screw sometimes leaks if you mess with it (flathead screw right above where the fuel line plugs in). Put some paper towel around the fuel filter and check it after a few min of driving, leaking fuel will stain the paper a dark yellow (and will smell of gas of course).
The a/f screw doesn't need to be messed with, i think by doing that you are only masking the problem. Plus, this would only solve your issue if the gas smell is coming out your tailpipe. You should adjust it after you are sure everything is in good working order.
PS - No, I never tried to clean the charcoal canister either.

Cheeseburger
12-17-2006, 12:52 PM
make sure to close ur legs when driving.....

w261w261
12-17-2006, 05:00 PM
I have a Volvo that had a leaking hose coming out of the gas tank. It made it smell in the car too. If you have a carbed car, I think it has a fuel filter inside the left wheel well. Stick your nose down there and see if you smell anything. Maybe put the car up on a lift and see if you can see or smell something.

MessyHonda
12-17-2006, 08:58 PM
maybe the car runs rich when cold

2oodoor
06-10-2011, 07:03 AM
actually ran across this thread on a google search...
I found something on another forum, 87 accord that had a fuel leak under the carpet. The fuel line runs INSIDE the car.
I removed my back seat (hatch) and found both access covers were off. Not sure why but it looks like they slid off somehow. No obvious leaking anywhere on top of the tank though.
I still have a slight smell only in the afternoons so I will be looking at the lines inside the car.

old accord guy
06-10-2011, 01:20 PM
ROODOO2,

My 89 LXi had corroded fuel and vapor lines under the drivers side threshold and behind the left vertical trim panel. Remove the threshold and the panel and roll back the carpet. There are 3 lines in there. One 5/16 high pressure fuel line and another vapor line the same size. Don't know what the 1/4 inch line is for. My vapor line had corroded almost all the way through. Sleeved them with high pressure rubber F-I fuel line. Good luck.

2oodoor
06-10-2011, 02:57 PM
thanks old accord guy...
a lot of guys here have already gutted their cars and reconditioned the interior, so they would have run across this if it were their problem with fumes in the car.
I have not done this to any of mine as of yet.
This problem has not been covered much that I found here, and I actually ran across the info in my previous post on a hybrid Honda forum. The guy said he had been smelling fumes a while in his 87 Accord and could not figure it out. One day he thought he left his window down and soaked the carpet on the driver side, turned out to be gas puddling up under the carpet.
He had just quit smoking as well he said.
yikes

greentee76
06-11-2011, 09:01 AM
I had the same issues with those lines rusting out under the carpet where they make the bend to go along the door rail. I was smoking in mine also. Glad I didn't drop one. lol
I just had the brake lines rust through on the passengerside under the back seat. Took a while to find as no fluid would show on the ground. Sitting in the seat pumping the brakes I actually heard the leak. Removed bottom of rear seat and found about a pint and a half of brake fluid under it. ha

profquad
12-16-2018, 02:53 PM
Sorry to zombie this old thread, but I've been getting this exact issue recently, with no visible leaks or anything. Started getting 17mpg as opposed to my usual 29. Wondering if the OP ever comes back and could illuminate what this means. Replaced O2 sensor, no change.

Oldblueaccord
12-17-2018, 02:02 PM
Check the ECU for a code there must be a sensor that is out that is way to low MPG.

The fuel lines do run thru the car I think on the drivers side and there is a rust spot someplace. The fuel filler neck can rot as well. Barring any leaks like that I would think your car is running to rich.

profquad
12-19-2018, 02:28 PM
yup OldBlue got 12 flashes. EGR lift sensor.. sounds pretty relevant!