Alright, guys, I need some help. I smell a gasoline smell coming through the vents, at times, and then, when I shut the engine off and get out, the smell is really strong outside. I did search, and found some stuff, but I'm wondering if you all have any other ideas?

It's giving me a headache, and I'm skurred the car+house is going to explode :cry: Thanks in advance!

 

Anybody?

 

is your truck getting hard to start? could be a leaking fuel injector O-ring.

when i did my head gasket/timing chain job after i bought my '91 pickup, it was fine until about 2 weeks afterward when my truck started getting hard to start after it sat, and i'd notice a gasoline smell in the cab. turns out that i pooched out one of the o-rings and it was leaking fuel.

 

I think its just a second gen. problem. My 92 smelled of gas all the time, even after I had fuel lines replaced, now my 95 smells, mostly near the filler neck. I really don't know...

Lamm

 

Lamm, that was my first thought, too, but it's gotten worse...

Kyle, it's not hard to start...but could it still be the o-rings even if it starts fine?

 

Hmmm, maybe the charcoal can for the fuel return line. If its clogged your unused fuel could be leaking out through the return line connection and seals.

Lamm

 

Sorry, that was me.

 

I had a similiar problem. Couldn't open the vents, smelled really bad at a light or after I stopped. I took of the intake and injectors and found the previous owner must have done some work there also. They had left a few of the copper washers off the fuel rail connections. One pair was doubled up on one side of a banjo bolt. Anyway, a few new washers later and the problem was solved. One tip, if you get into investigating and remove the intake, be careful with your cold start injector line. It is just plastic which gets realy brittle and is easy to break, expensive to replace. I learned the hard way.

 

Check the dampner on the back of the passenger side fuel rail. Its a little diffucult to see but you can reach back there with the engine running and see if its wet or if it smells like gas.

 

charcoal canister is my vote.

 

The same thing happenned to me a few years ago. It turned out to be the o-rings on the fuel injectors. I still remember my clothes smelling like fuel after driving a short way.

 

This doesn't really sound like your problem, but just to toss out a whole different idea... a guy I worked with had a bad fuel smell. (85 22RE) We couldn't find a source, but his exhaust sometimes smelled like gas. I checked the oil and it smelled distinctly of gas. He used cleaner (2 parts, one bottle in tank and one sprayed into intake - something like seafoam) and it helped for a while. He finally took it to a shop and they found the problem. He had a bad injector and it was washing down one cylinder. Luckily not much damage was done. I've seen a bad injector cause major problems leading to the need for a rebuild. (Warped head, rod knock, bad stuff...)

 

Thanks for all the ideas, guys. It's going to the shop this week...

 

so what was it? I have a 94 runner doing the same thing.....one of these days i need to look at it....

thnx art

 

I had the same problem w/ my 87. When i took off the rear bed in place for a wood fladbed i found the problem. Were the fuel is drawn from the tank it was rusted and leaking pretty bad. i got a replacement part for about $40 and i dont have the problem now.

 

More than likely it is the fuel dampner. Very common problem and easy to replace

 

My 99 Landcruiser is going in tomorow for similar problem. I smell gas outside on drivers side while running or for a few hours after I shut it off. dont smell it inside. I will let you know what they find. My guess is nothing. I'll have to figure it out on my own.

 

I had the same exact problem a year ago. When I would start my truck in the morning I would get the smell of gas coming through the vents. After a little search; the problem was the fuel Dampner. It's located on the back of the fuel rail; I found if you started the truck in the morning, then immediately shut it off, pop the hood and reach behind/under the back of the pedlum (sp?) my hand would come out cover in gas.

I know most of you know this, but this morning when I started my truck I smell the gas again. Sure enough I reach behind and the fuel dampner is leaking again. Just as a note I got my fuel dampner from Napa, so it wasn't a genuine toyota part.

I was wonder if this a recurring problem or just crap after market parts?

osr436

 

The EVAP system? Evaporative emissions. When you 'top off' your fuel tank, you can actually force raw fuel up into the activated charcoal canister, which is only supposed to hold fumes. Once it's saturated, it's finished and cannot be restored. Perhaps your charcoal can is full, perhaps it's leaking. If I recall correctly, the charcoal canister is supposed to purge the fumes it's collected into the intake at some point during driving. I don't know, I'm just rambling. Maybe one of those lines/hoses is old and cracked? What's the general condition of the rubber under your hood? Has anybody done any major work on your vehicle to coincide with this issue? Are there any other fuel related symptoms? We need info!

 

I have the same problem with my '92 except I only smell fuel on startup when the truck is cold. And I only smell the fuel in the winter time so I assume its related to a leaking seal of some sort. It hasn't gotten bad enough for me to fix it yet but I would sure like to know if its an injector or the fuel dampener. It has made me keep a fire extinguisher in the truck at all times just in case.