Does Your Car Smell Like Gas?

Does Your Car Smell Like Gas?

A strong smell of gasoline could be a sign of a major problem, or just a minor inconvenience. The first step into figuring out what’s going on, and if your car is safe, is to locate the source of the smell. Luckily, this task is usually pretty easy and you don’t need a bloodhound to get it done. Here is a list of reasons why your car might smell of gas, as well as suggestions on how to get rid of the odour.

Once the issue has been mechanically solved, you should get your car internally detailed by an automotive detailer. A professional detailer will be able to permanently rid your car of the annoying odour, and get you back on the road in style.

Exposure to Vapours and Spills

This is the most likely cause. While at the gas station, there are several ways for gas vapours and liquid to get inside your vehicle. Vapours can drift through an open door or window, or you could step in a small puddle of gasoline and track it into your vehicle. If your car smells like gas and you just returned from a fill up, open up the windows and see how long it takes for the smell to dissipate. If the scent doesn’t go away on its own, there might be an actual problem

Gas Odours in Old Cars

If you drive a vehicle made in or before the early 1980s, you may notice a scent of gas when you power down. This scent is caused by the “fuel afterboil”; a process that happens in the carburetors of the era. Carburetors made after the early 80s avoided this feature by using evaporative emission systems, so they shouldn’t produce any smell. Modern fuel injected cars avoid this problem completely. If your car isn’t fuel injected, or doesn’t employ evaporative emissions, the problem is more likely to be a leak or faulty fuel pressure regulator.

Gas Leak

Gas leaks can occur at any point along your fuel system, which delivers fuel from the tank to the engine. Check under your parked car for puddles Leaks occur at any point along the fuel system of your vehicle (the system that brings fuel from the tank to the engine). If you think you have a gas leak, check under your parked car for puddles that will indicate the existence and location of a leak. If the smell comes on strongly immediately after driving, you might have a leak in the fuel injection line (under the hood). Fuel tank vent hoses are also often the source of leaks, allowing unburned gasoline to evaporate out of the system.

Errant gasoline is a serious fire and safety hazard, so you should have your car repaired as soon as possible if you suspect a fuel leak.

Fuel Pressure Regulator

If your fuel pressure regulator isn’t working properly, you will not be burning an optimal mixture of air and fuel. If the combustion is too rich (too much gas), the unburned gas will be expelled through your exhaust. To see if this is the problem, all you need to do is stand behind your vehicle while the engine is running. If your tailpipe is the source of the smell, a faulty fuel pressure regulator is probably the issue.

It goes without saying… but if you plan on sniffing around your tailpipe, don’t get too close, and make sure not to breathe too deeply.

Solution

If you are experiencing a persistent gas odour, it is important that you get it fixed as soon as possible. So what happens if you identify the problem, have it fixed, but the smell remains? Once the issue has been mechanically solved, you should get your car internally detailed by an automotive detailer. A professional detailer will be able to permanently rid your car of the annoying odour, and get you back on the road in style. If you are interested in seeing what a professional detailer can do for you, give us a shout and we can help you today.