My Wedge Stinks!

[Ian B]

No, don't get me wrong, I love my 350i but I am getting a stong smell of petrol inside the car when driving along. There is no obvious dripping leak outside.

Anyone got any pointers as to the likely cause?

Thanxalot.

[firefox1712]

I had the same problem recently. Some people say it is the breather tube, but I think I need a new filler cap!

firefox

[jmorgan]

All ok under the bonnet? Had one that was an injector feed. About an inch long bit of rubbrt tube, but it didn't show itself unless the engine was running.

[Ian B]

Where's the breather tube? I could check that first.

How would a new petrol cap help? Surely if the seal on it was dodgy the fumes couldn't be drawn into the car.

[firefox1712]

You'd be surprised what aerodynamics can do!

My engineer checked it all over and said it needed a new cap! I don't know where the breather tube is but suspect it comes off the top of the tank?

firefox

[Ian B]

jmorgan said:

All ok under the bonnet? Had one that was an injector feed. About an inch long bit of rubbrt tube, but it didn't show itself unless the engine was running.

Everything looks OK at a glance but I'll do a more thorough check of the pipes.

[blaineuk]

tank breather pipes exit through the boot down either side.

[streaky]

blaineuk said:

tank breather pipes exit through the boot down either side.

Might explain the occasional strong smell of petrol in my boot after filling up - Streaky

[jeff m]

Overfilling the tank, but after a day it's ok again.

There are quite a few jubilee clips between the two tanks that could be the source. Get it up on a lift and look for a clean bit!
Or possibly the valve between filler and charcoal cannister. Not sure if 350 has this.


>> Edited by jeff m on Monday 12th January 23:13

[montegogt]

Mine does too if you fill it right up. I asked about this problem on here last year and it seems that it is usually fuel venting from the tank breather pipes. It was suggested that you can get a non return valve that will let air in, but stop the fuel venting. There is one on Fronteras apparently.

[anthonyjg]

On my 2.8 Tasmin there was a smell of petrol for most of the 20 or so years I have had it. The cause was a hole in the top surface of one of the fuel tanks, which showed as a 'damp' patch in the normal layer of filth. Got that fixed, together with a completely new set of fuel lines, including the filler cap hoses. Result, no more smells.

[350zwelgje]

Had the same problem. Problem traced to the rubber gator around the filler neck having perhished. It was possible for fuel to get "inside" the bodywork were the fuel smell only wears off (into the cabin only of course) in a couple of days.

Installed replacement, and filling up to the brim is no problem anymore (once got close to putting 60 litres in!!!). Also I now tend to "shake" the TVR to assure the other tank to be filled to the maximum as well to be prepared for a long journey.
Forgot to mention... replacing the gator was only a minor job during the full week I worked to replace all fuel lines (including the one's between the tanks). It is a long time ago, so only happy memories left.

Rob

[mrcrappy]

yeah i had this problem when i droe from lincoln to cornwall last year, in the end i ended up taking the top of the boot carpet out in a carpark ( this was afte tightening up all the jubilee clips to the fuuel hoses, filler etc) all it turned out to be was the pipe that runs from the filler pipe over flow to the back near side bumper( to let any fuel out if over filled) this pipe runs through the boot around the small shelf part, just bits of 3/8" plastic pipe pushed into rubber tube with no clips holding it, it absolutely stinks and is worse if the windows are open, if this is the case do not fill the car full of petrol and park on a hill because it will over flow in to your boot.

[Ian B]

Thanks for all the info guys!
You've given me plenty of things to check this weekend.

[streaky]

More reasons to worry about the eejits who casually toss lighted cigarette butts out of car windows. I saw two examples of this anti-social (and anti-Wedge) behaviour immediately ahead of me within 10 minutes of each other, about two weeks ago.

Some years ago, a friend had the upholstery of his immaculate MGA badly charred by a cigar butt tossed out of the passenger window of a lorry stopped alongside at traffic signals . Worse, the husband of a work-colleague had his face burned by a discarded cigarette butt that somehow got under the faceplate and lodged in the padding of his full-face motorcycle helmet .