Toroman

I recently just purchased a 1983 Toronado and there seems to be a a bad fuel smell when the car is parked in the garage and I can't find any leak anywhere. The engine is a 5 liter or 307 not sure where the problem exist but wondering if anyone here may have run inot this. I have checked for fuel economy and it does appears that it is using alot of fuel I get about 300 KLM to a tank or around 11-12 MPG. The car is rated to exceed the 20-25 MPG range. The It runs real nice when warmed up but does have some hesitation when cold at the stop signs. The fast idle does seem a little high but does come off when warmed up. Any ideas out there???

66luvr

You could have a fuel leak, it can be so small the fuel evaporates as fast as it hits the air/leaks out. They can be hard to find because they do not drip, they really stink up the garage. I wonder if the fumes could be concetrated enough to ignite in the garage, certainly hope not. These small leaks sometimes leave a dark stain at the leak site. You need to get it up in the air and examine the system closely, hopefully you will find it. Could be a rusty tank also.

Good luck,
Mike

Toroman

Thanks Mike
Good Idea I'll put it on the hoist this weekend and check the fuel tank for leaks. Seems to me the smell is stronger under the hood but can't see anything leaking for the life of me????

M-14

Remove the air clear & look closely at the carb. The fuel pump is mounted on the engine, they can leak fuel too.

Alex72cutty

When I got my cutlass I had the same problem. After a week of troubleshooting I gave up and took it to the shop. It was the short rubber lines that come from the gas tank. Something you might want to look into if you have an old rusty gas tank.

Rickman48

Could also be the flex line from the solid line to the fuel pump.
As far as your warm-up time, when the heat riser fails, often the passage under the carb gets clogged, and doesnt allow hot air circulation, opening the choke.
Seized heat risers are very common.

Toroman

The choke does come off ok, the fast idle seems to be set pretty high and I think I should adjust that down? After the engine warms up a bit I can kick the throttle and it will idle down to a nice idle. But I dare say the idle probably is around 1500 RPM's when in fast idle does that sound normal??
I looked around under the hood and can't see any signs of fuel leak. I will check the gas tank and lines under the car this weekend to see if I can spot anything.
I had someone mention to me that maybe the carb is dumping fuel down the carb when the car is shut off but not quite sure how to check for this?? Also there was mention of the charcoal fuel canister and I'm not sure really how this would fail and what I would look for in that??