Anytime friends come over, the first thing they say is "I smell gasoline". Sometimes I smell it, but unless it is especially strong my wife and I don't usually smell it all the time. In the garage, there is an odor, which I think kind of smells like old gas, or paint or undercoating. I thought it was the fresh paint on the engine or some undercoating that got slopped on the exhaust pipes cooking off.

There are no visable signs. No drips, the carb is freshly rebuilt and totally dry, no discoloring from seepage. I see no leak at the fuel pump, either end of the fuel line to the carb and it has a new tight rubber fuel hose to the line to the tank. I know this car has a crazy arrangement for capturing fuel vapors behind the rear seat and the canister up front, and I have never touched or service any of it. It doesn't seem to matter if it's a full or near empty fuel tank.

Any ideas or previous experience?

 

What about your gas tank vent lines? Is the odor stronger at any particular place around the car, such as toward the rear or toward the front? If the vent line or lines are missing, the odor might be more noticeable overall and strongest if you're standing by one of the rear wheels.

I'm just assuming that your car has open vent lines, but I don't know that for sure. My '67 Delta 88 does.

 

Simple fix: Get new friends.

Old cars sell like gas. If the gas doesn't bother you, it's nobody else's darn business.

- Eric

 

Any time I run Teepo and put her back in the garage, there is a gas smell. Always. Whether the tank is full or low it doesn't matter. It's just her smell, lol! I love it!

 

I'd start worrying if my cutlass stopped smelling like gasoline.

-Tony

 

Good suggestion MDchanic, for that and maybe other reasons too. But this morning when I opened the door to the garage, the smell was quite strong. I agree that older cars do have more smell than newer ones, but this one is much stronger than it used to be and much stronger than any other old car I have, past or present.

This seems to have gotten worse since I replaced a water pump and cleaned and repainted as much of the engine as I could reach without removing it. That included removing most of the accessories and disconnecting all the lines. Since then I had back surgery and am not supposed to be poking around with the car, and I am trying to follow that advice and let things heal. One thing I can check without too much bending, lifting ot twisting is the canister up front. I had that disconnected, so maybe I have a line off or split.

 

There are several fuel and vent lines above and behind the gas tank to the vapor separator behind the back seat.

There is one 3" line right behind the frame bend behind the right front wheel. This one is often forgotten; mine was original and in bad shape.

There are a couple next to the fuel pump, to and maybe from the pump and one to the charcoal can.

If all those are newish and not cracked and rotted, clamps tight, and metal lines not rusted through, then it might just be fuel evaporation from the air cleaner (from the carb). The latter is just normal for carbed cars of this vintage.

My garage has a very faint gas odor, which between two old cars and lawn equipment, I consider normal.

 

Check you vent lines and all of your fuel lines front to back. They could be starting to sweat. Not enough to cause noticable drips but enough to cause a smell

 

Geez...
Where can I find a woman who enjoys the scent of gasoline and hydrocarbons?

 

Huh, I just smell it from the air cleaner. My car used to smell like raw gas before I had the heads redone though.

 

I have a similar problem with my 1971 Supreme. I have only had it a few weeks. The wife hates the smell in the garage. Since I have only had it a short time, I am also following the suggestions to try to isolate and repair the issues. So far, no obvious gasoline leaks.
My valve cover gaskets are leaking and I will add them to my To-do-List.
To reduce the smell, I park the car in the drive way for a while before moving it into the Garage at night.
Then I leave the doors open until bed time to make sure most of the fumes have dissipated.

 

My 71' Cutlass smells like gas anyway.
(and I like it)
I think its an old car thing.
Same with me, I'd start worrying if it didn't smell.

 

A faint odor of gas is one thing. Being overcome by the fumes is another.

Miles71 needs to check his fuel and return (if present) lines carefully from one end to the other. He might even consider replacing anything that's old rubber, even if it isn't obviously leaking. He should also check the fuel tank vent lines to make sure they're actually present, and he should make sure the tank itself isn't leaking.

He may very well have done all these things, but these are the things to check.

 

Thank your suggestions Jaunty75.
I should have said the odder is strong enough to be of concern. It's not just a mild whiff.
The fuel gauge sender is bad. So when I have the shop replace the sender soon, I will also have all of the hoses in the tank area replaced. Under the Hood, all looks dry. I was able to tighten up 16 of 20 bolts on the Valve covers to reduce the oil leaks (I will replace the gaskets in the spring).
I plan on disassembling the vapor canister this weekend and see if there are any mice inside.
I replaced all 5 Water hoses last weekend. Soon I will replace all of the vacuum lines. I found that the vacuum lines are good, except where it actually attaches to the intake manifold. The vacuum lines have hardened from the heat and are cracking. This car is 90% original and am doing its first tune-up.
So my goal is to reduce the odder enough so my wife will let me keep it in the garage this winter.

 

The leaking valve covers shouldn't be the source of the gasoline odor unless you've got some serious problems.

Have you noticed anything at all about where in particular around the car the odor is stronger? Is it stronger as you stand near the trunk area, along one of the sides, or towards the front?

You might be better able to tell this if the car is outside and well ventilated so that there is no accumulation of vapors to make figuring out where they're coming from more difficult. If you're outside, the vapors are constantly being swept away, so the strongest smell would be right at the point on the car where they're actually being produced.

Certainly it ought to be possible to determine at least whether or not the odor is coming from the gas tank area or the front/engine area. My money is on the rear end. If you're going to have the tank dropped, anyway, to replace the sending unit, that's when the leak will have the best chance of being discovered.

As far as how severe the odor is, I think your wife is the canary in the coal mine here. If it stinks enough for her to wrinkle her nose and want to leave the garage, then it is not the "normal" odor put out by cars of this vintage. There is a problem that needs to be corrected.

 

UPDATE I found a very spongy rubber hose in my fuel line that was just wet enough to cause major gasoline smell, but no obvious leak. I replaced the hose with new fuel line rubber and it seems to have gone away. I say seems to have gone away because the a little of the gas was getting in the frame, and I think until that totally dries and airs out, there will be a little odor. It is now about 95% better.

The hose was behind the right front wheel, just as it went into the boxed frame. Is the steel line supposed to have a short, 3 inch piece of hose there, or has someone repaired a leaking fuel line? It was the fuel line coming from the tank, as it poured gas out until I managed to squeeze a new piece of hose on the fuel line ends.

 

HA!! I am glad someone else got to experience this fun and fuss also!!
Yes, it is supposed to be there, and it is often forgotten. Mine was original, with "SWAN GAS" stamped on it...

That is the main fuel line, so gas will siphon out when disconnected. I ended up with half a quart on the floor and half in the catch tray.

 

I struggled getting the new hose on. Since my back surgery, I'm not supposed to be crawling around under cars, so don't tell my wife. The end that goes into the frame is hard to hold, and the other end pours the gas out. I half filled an oil change pan, soaked my right arm and the tee shirt I was wearing before I got the hose on. That damn gas burns (not flames) when it gets on a large area of skin. But at least the STRONG odor is gone. When I fully recover, I am going to replace all the other hoses to the tank and the vent system.

 

Neither of mine smell like gas ever.

So I can't say I agree.
Some people are just willing to deal with more then others IMO.

 

And depends how sensitive people are to the smell. My GF complained about chemical odors I could not even detect! It was a battle when i was doing my resto.
I had to tell her deal with it or leave - nothing I could (or be willing to) do about it.
Most of it has dissipated by now...

 

That's because yours are really just new cars wrapped in old sheet metal .

Tastes lousy, too, and the taste stays with you all day.

I've never been nearly as bothered by the taste or the burning, as I was by the b|+ching of female persons around me when I've walked in the house soaked in gasoline -- "Why, no, I had no idea that I smelled like that - it's red-hot news to me. Why the &*%$ do you think I'm coming in to take a *^%#^ shower?!?"

- Eric

 

Eric,

Hence my dream of one day having the following installed in my garage.

1) Urinal
2) Shower Head
3) Beer Fridge.

I'll never have to come in the house, ever again

 

Wife is very fume intolerant and constantly complains about it. I can sympathize.

 

Well, if your garage has a window, there's #1.
If you've got a garden hose, you've got #2.
And you live in Montreal, so 9 months out of the year, you've got a beer fridge the size of all of Canada right outside your garage door!

- Eric

 

All women have good noses. My wife wasn't at home when I fixed it, and because of back surgery I wasn't supposed to be crawling under the car, although laying on my back wasn't hurting my back. But to be safe, I threw all my clothes in the washer, then the dryer and I'm home free!

 

You can only do so much in a urinal...........
Just put in a real John and your dreams can be conquered. Don't forget the TP...

 

you guys make me laugh, lol!! It's good to know you found the gas leak. I should have Teepo's lines gone over sometime. It would probably be a good idea.

 

Looks like I found the gas fumes problem.

One of the vent hoses on the back of the tank was cracked clean through.
The hose is only about 3 inches long and is 75% separated. I will try to attach a picture. It seems that when the tank was full, fuel would slosh out this hose and pour down the tank. This is why the odors have been minimal the past few weeks since I made a point of not topping off the tank.

Now I have 3 items for the shop to do, Heater Core, Fuel sender and All hoses in the tank area.

I did find the fuel hose that runs between the fuel pump and the metal fuel line in the frame. The gas hose has some slight abrasion on the hose from rubbing against the Heater hose. When the fuel pump was installed, the mechanic forgot to re-attach the clamp on the fuel pump side. I will also have this hose replaced since the tank will already be off the car.

Note: all of these hoses are 40 years old.

Thank you everyone,

 

Wow. That'll do it! Glad to hear that you were able to pinpoint the problem.

 

A little RTV and some duct tape = Good as New.

- Eric

 

Garden Hose - Check!
Window - No window... But i do have a sawz-all....
Beer Fridge - Doesn't stay long enough outside to get cold

I actually have a case of beer chilling outside on my porch right now, heh.

Also, in other news, i changed my avatar. Some kid walked past my driveway yesterday whilst i was changing the oil and said "LOOK MOMMY! It's a BANANA BOAT"

Not sure how i feel about driving a banana boat.. I guess i can't blame him, it IS yellow after all.

 

I had a similar problem with the gas odor. It was actually the gasket for the filter housing on the carb that the fuel line screws into. It would not leak when running, only after the car was off for a few minutes. It would drip onto the intake manifold and evaporate since the intake was still hot. I replaced the gasket and all is better