Mysterious Gas Smell Inside the Car

[LXlimited]

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]

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]

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]

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

[LXlimited]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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

[Vanilla Sky]

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]

Have you checked for leaks around the base of the carb?

[POS carb]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

make sure to close ur legs when driving.....

[w261w261]

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]

maybe the car runs rich when cold