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Hi \i have a 72 cutlass 442. The carb is a holley the fuel pump is a 2 opening(in and out) . I smell fumes in the rear of car and once when i stepped on the gass while parked and shu the engine off gas leaked from somewhere over the rear axle ontot he tailpipe. is there a fuel return i am missing or a rear canister? there is no front canister
thanks Zacc
Welcome to the site Zacc. If you are missing the front cannister, it will be part of the smelly problem. Its job is to absorb some of the vapors and while the stand pipe allows vapor to return to a liquid and back to the tank.
Like Eric mentioned, in the back, there are many small hoses from the tank and the stand pipe area and likely back to where the front cannister would have been. These old rubber hoses need to be changed likely. Yea, its a dirty job just be prepared.
A couple of pics to get the idea of what is there. Notice the nipples for hoses on the gas tank ( by the guys hand and foot) and of course the stand pipe connections. Be sure and use fuel line rated hose, not some kind of vacum hose. Big difference.
On my car, there was a short section of rubber fuel hose connecting to the metal line coming out of the tank to the metal line running forward to the engine. That short rubber section was dry rotted and leaking.
On my car, there was a short section of rubber fuel hose connecting to the metal line coming out of the tank to the metal line running forward to the engine. That short rubber section was dry rotted and leaking.
Good catch Fun71. That little piece could be a problem too. I would suspect it would cause drivability problems as well, if it were in really bad condition.
In reality, a rubber fuel line in a 45 year old car is probably in bad condition.
On my car, there was a short section of rubber fuel hose connecting to the metal line coming out of the tank to the metal line running forward to the engine. That short rubber section was dry rotted and leaking.
Funny. Mine was on the other end. The short rubber hose from the fuel pump to the metal fuel line was the culprit. When the engine was still cold, it had a small leak and then I'd get the gas smell. Once the engine warmed up, the leak sealed and the smell went away. It drove me nuts for about 2 weeks before I tracked it down.
Hi Eric/Fun thanks for the replies...you guys are great yes I have the standpipe with 3 rubber hoses going in and 1 hose coming out (i guess eith back to the tank or to enging compartment through rail . this is capped off in enging compartment near frame rail . sounds like tank needs to be dropped and all rubber lines replaced . is the costly job to be done by mechanic?
Best to use up as much fuel from tank, there's two straps holding tank in place. Hit the bolt threads with some rust penetrate, can cut hoses by tank or un-do connections. Lower tank and disconnect fuel gage and ground wiring. Remove nuts from straps and remove tank. Have some rags and coffee cans on hand. Mechanic should be able to do in hour or so with new hoses on hand. MAW change fuel pickup while apart.
Just a thought. Invest in the good fuel line, the stuff that can handle this ethanol. It is not cheap but if your going though this much to fix it do it right.
72 cutlass fuel line problem
