996tt smells of fuel

[Nobbles]

Started yesterday, I notice a smell of fuel when the car is ticking over. The tank is less than a quarter full, fuel cap closed. I have done nothing out of the ordinary...

Any simple checks?

[Mutt]

Light a match?

Sorry, can't help. It's not petrol on the carpets is it? From a forecourt.

[keep it lit]

remove the o/s right front inner wheel arch liner and check the pipes & connectors to the fuel breather cannister (largeish black tank). they have a habit of leaking or breaking at the bottom.

[monkfish2]

and see if mice have eaten the blue plastic elbow that comes out of the top of the tank, cheeky buggers will eat anything. There should be no petrol smell at all.

[Nobbles]

OK _ will check under the wheel arch...

[zeb]

keep it lit said:

remove the o/s right front inner wheel arch liner and check the pipes & connectors to the fuel breather cannister (largeish black tank). they have a habit of leaking or breaking at the bottom.

+1 for this, sure i've read it on here a couple of years ago

[Nobbles]

Had a look under wheel arch, found the cannister and the pipes but all look OK, a grey corrugated plastic pipe was not exiting out of the bottom of the lining through the hole, which now it does. Off to fill up with fuel and see.... I have a couple of hours drive tomorrow, lets hope it was that pipe... and that I don't have flames coming out of the car down the autoroute....

[VonSenger]

Nobbles said:

Had a look under wheel arch, found the cannister and the pipes but all look OK, a grey corrugated plastic pipe was not exiting out of the bottom of the lining through the hole, which now it does. Off to fill up with fuel and see.... I have a couple of hours drive tomorrow, lets hope it was that pipe... and that I don't have flames coming out of the car down the autoroute....

Be warned, this happened to me. I drove my old 996 turbo to work in London ignoring the smell which had gotten worse over the week. parked the car up and noticed a huge puddle of fuel at the back of the car, left hand side. called the aa and they found a split fuel hose which chafed on the left hand side of the fuel rail. huge leak, had i not stopped i would have set fire to the bugger.

[Porkupine]

Put of interest. Does insurance cover this sort of fire? As it is more mechanical related rather than accident related I woul doubt they do...am I right?

[VonSenger]

Porkupine said:

Put of interest. Does insurance cover this sort of fire? As it is more mechanical related rather than accident related I woul doubt they do...am I right?

Of course they would, unless youre third party only.

[Nobbles]

OK trip back from the petrol station, no smells 10 minute drive. It was within the ten minutes that I noticed the smell previously. Will keep an eye out...

[Rockster]

Nobbles said:

OK trip back from the petrol station, no smells 10 minute drive. It was within the ten minutes that I noticed the smell previously. Will keep an eye out...

There is a gasoline leak. No way should you smell gasoline at any time -- unless you overfill the tank and gas runs over and out and through a drain to the ground (I check this drain is 'open' when I wash the car using a bit of water to ensure the water drains from the fuel access panel basin to the ground).

Anyhow, just re-routing a hose isn't going to make a gas smell go away.

Do not park the car near the house or in a garage until you get the leak fixed.

Sincerely,

Rockster.

[fioran0]

The hose the OP moved/adjusted was the corrugated drain hose for the fuel filler opening in the front wing.

[Nobbles]

OK did the trip, nothing untoward.... no fire no issues, fantastic blue sky 18 degrees, clear autoroutes. Nice. Although I do have the start of a cold so cannot smell anything..... Each time I stopped I checked underneath etc.. Could it have been an outside smell (I hope). Will know more when my cold goes...

If it is a fractured pipe, it would only leak with the engine running?

[davek_964]

VonSenger said:

Of course they would, unless youre third party only.

It might involve an argument though. I knew a girl who's car caught fire while she was driving it. The (fully comp) insurance refused to pay out, saying it was due to a mechanical defect.

We didn't stay in touch long enough for me to know how it was resolved.