BigSexy181971

Hey guys need some ideas on what this could be

I have a overwhelming fuel smell in my car but only once in awhile. It doesn't seem to be consistent with anything. I can go weeks without the smell and then the smell will come back for a day or two. Sometimes it will occur in the morning, other times not and then not again for the entire day or two. Sometimes when I park the car at the gym then not. The time of day doesn't seem to matter. I have looked underneath the car and there is no fuel anywhere. I have had the car in the shop, but low and behold the smell wasn't present so they told me there was nothing they could do. Of course not right

I don't know what to do. I am getting frustrated though. PLEASE SOME IDEAS...

CatCam

1. What year is the vette??
2. What level is the gas tank when you get the smell?
3. Do you smell the gas just in the car or can you smell it standing outside the car as well?
4. When you smell the gas, is the car parked level or on an incline?

DeeGee

My first guess was you had an 04 but I see its a 98. The 04s have had problems with cracked crossover pipes on the tanks.

I took a look at the book and there are a few connections that could leak.

Start by examining the fuel filter connections next to the exhaust system. Thats a common culprit.


The main fill pipe routes from the cap to the tank. There’s a connector at each end of the fill pipe. One of the early problems was slow filling and GM redesigned the fill pipe to get a better flow.


1. Fuel filler hose
2. Vent pipe

Next check the fuel sender, the aux fuel rear return pipe that connects the jet pump to the left tank and the aux fuel feed rear pipe that connects the left tank to the jet pump at the fuel sender. The FLVV hose routes to the EVAP canister. Finally the crossover pipe connects the two tanks but that’s at the top of the tank so I guess it would be hard to see from below.


1. Auxiliary fuel return rear pipe from the jet pump to the left tank.
2. Fuel return rear pipe.
3. Fuel feed rear pipe at the fuel sender

If the leak doesn't show until the tank is getting full that would be the time when the fuel is starting to fill the right tank via the crossover pipe. It may give a clue.


1. Left fuel tank EVAP pipe.
2. EVAP pipe quick-connect fitting.
3. Right fuel tank EVAP pipe.
4. EVAP pipe quick-connect fitting.
5. Tank crossover hose
6. EVAP pipe quick-connect fitting.


I've never looked in there so not sure how easy it will be to see all these connections but I'd guess you'd need to get the car up on a lift.

HTH

BigSexy181971

Whoops sorry guys.
The car is a '98 Auto
The level in the tank can be anything from almost empty to full
The smell seems to be only in the car
It doesn't matter if the car is on an incline forward, backward, or on a level area.


Also, thanks for the great write up DeeGee I will start my search this weekend when I can get the car up in the air.

85alusion

Probably not your problem but mine (2000) is in the shop now and they found where some idiot put two sheet rock screws through behind the passenger seat (probably for an Amp my guess) into the tank. Lucky they can patch it.

GRUNIE

^^^That's not the first time I've heard of this. What a bunch of

joshtownsend

Stock tune on the car? Maybe running rich at times?

BigSexy181971

The tune is stock and the car now has about 117xxx miles. I don't ever really get on it either. I drive like an old man mostly with 50/50 city/hwy driving and my mileage has went down 2+ mpg over the past few months. Sounds like it is time for a tune after I look under the car this weekend.