Strong petrol smell in the cockpit

[paul430]

And it's getting worse.

Been there for a while but today it's so bad I've had to open the windows while I'm driving. Can't see any leak under the bonnet, or under the car and there doesn't seem to be a striong smell in the boot.

Do the fuel lines run through the car??

Any ideas?

Thanks Paul
4.3l L reg

[tvrbob]

If it's an overpowering smell in the cab then it is usually from the boot

[monkeypilot]

Look near the rear of the engine on the driver's side, there's a flexible fuel hose. Mine went once and the car STANK of petrol. Fixed by my friendly mechanic for £50 parts & labour.

[dadamsv8]

Same here just had mine replaced with braided hoses as they run close to the engine therefore get very hot and perish.

Please be careful if you have a leak in the engine bay it could very easily catch alight trace the pipes and check as mine was a small hole but under the pressure of the pump it sprays everywhere

[dc53]

my dad had the same problem with his we found out that the smell was coming through the small vents in the back of the cockpit as the fueltank is behind as you will know but then my dad brought some smmall speakers to cover the holes and now no smell

[TVRwhoa]

I spoke to an independent about this too the other day - apparently in the passenger wing there is a purge 'pump', anyway, if you find you do stop start traffic etc then you start to get a really strong smell of petrol, as soon as you go over 3500 rpm apparently it purges and empties it of petrol - can't remember what he said it was for, but if you haven't gone over 3500 i.e. stop/start or short journeys (like me) then you can begin to notice it.

Perhaps someone else on here can shed some more light on this, but apparently for me thats what it was - hope this helps - nothing to worry about - but check the other suggestions just in case it is something else

[SwanJack]

monkeypilot said:

Look near the rear of the engine on the driver's side, there's a flexible fuel hose. Mine went once and the car STANK of petrol. Fixed by my friendly mechanic for £50 parts & labour.

Same here as well.

[herbie hammer]

Had you just filled up?

I had the same a while back - turned out that the jubilee clip that holds the pipe from the fuel tank to the filler cap had slipped and when I filled up, petrol was leaking down the pipe into the boot - result was wet carpets and a petrol smell!

Worth a look

HH.

[tvrbob]

herbie hammer said:

I had the same a while back - turned out that the jubilee clip that holds the pipe from the fuel tank to the filler cap had slipped and when I filled up, petrol was leaking down the pipe into the boot - result was wet carpets and a petrol smell! Worth a look HH.

Ditto

[chimleic]

Got a smell of fuel in the cockpit and outside the car. Seems to be some fluid (can't tell if its petrol or not, as is raining heavily anyway) on the concrete under the bonnet.

Simple flexible fuel pipe leak? Anything else to consider?

[spend]

TVRwhoa said:

...there is a purge 'pump'...

A search for 'purge valve' in here may at least fill in a quiet moment

Dave