F355 smell of petrol help
Discussion
Hi,
Just recently got my 355 spider, when I picked it up I took it too the petrol station and filled it up full. When I drove away there was a very heavy smell of petrol comming from the car. I dropped the car off to the place I bought it, they had a look and said everything seemed to be ok.
I was driving the car today and noticed the smell of petrol gets worse if I accelerate hard or corner quickly. Is this just somthing that happens with these cars or is this a serious issue I need to get sorted out.
Any useful advice would be appreciated.
Just recently got my 355 spider, when I picked it up I took it too the petrol station and filled it up full. When I drove away there was a very heavy smell of petrol comming from the car. I dropped the car off to the place I bought it, they had a look and said everything seemed to be ok.
I was driving the car today and noticed the smell of petrol gets worse if I accelerate hard or corner quickly. Is this just somthing that happens with these cars or is this a serious issue I need to get sorted out.
Any useful advice would be appreciated.
We had this quite recently, The fuel filler pipe jubilee clip can break, this will allow fuel to escape form the filler pipe when the car has been filled up to the max.
You can see if its this buy lifting the engine lid and looking down the engine by from the fuel filler side, grab the pipe and it will probably turn - you can see quite clearly with a torch if its leaking.
Do not drive it until you have found the cause. this is my first check, if its not this it can be many things - have you had the fuel block recall carried out?
T.
You can see if its this buy lifting the engine lid and looking down the engine by from the fuel filler side, grab the pipe and it will probably turn - you can see quite clearly with a torch if its leaking.
Do not drive it until you have found the cause. this is my first check, if its not this it can be many things - have you had the fuel block recall carried out?
T.
hi there
a few years ago i had a major carried out on my spider by a very well regarded indie up here in scotland, and on the drive home i could smell petrol. i called indie immediately after short distance of 80mile drive home and was reassured it would be because of fuel filter being changed. the car had never smelled of petrol previously.
smell remained and called again when home to be told same thing.
drove it a few times after that and smell was present, and after a further call with indie i felt i was being fobbed off as i was 80miles away, and the reason had changed from fuel filter to maybe the smell of repainted cam covers due to engine heat!
i was pretty concerned and took it to a friend whom has a local garage, and after a 10 minute inspection found a fuel pipe had been kinked and was squirting out small amounts of fuel, and also a rather large 22mm spanner sitting in the undertray; don't know what was luckier...that the car didn't go on fire or the spanner never bounced up into belts area etc.
called indie whom reckoned it had nothing to do with them, and it wasn't their spanner either; i have to bite my tongue whenever it is mentioned how great he is on here.
i do expect better when i pay £3k for a service...only go to Ferrari at edinburgh now for servicing.
anyways, in a nutshell, a good place to start is to have the fuel pipes checked over, from where they start to where they finish.
hope it is a nice easy fix!
a few years ago i had a major carried out on my spider by a very well regarded indie up here in scotland, and on the drive home i could smell petrol. i called indie immediately after short distance of 80mile drive home and was reassured it would be because of fuel filter being changed. the car had never smelled of petrol previously.
smell remained and called again when home to be told same thing.
drove it a few times after that and smell was present, and after a further call with indie i felt i was being fobbed off as i was 80miles away, and the reason had changed from fuel filter to maybe the smell of repainted cam covers due to engine heat!
i was pretty concerned and took it to a friend whom has a local garage, and after a 10 minute inspection found a fuel pipe had been kinked and was squirting out small amounts of fuel, and also a rather large 22mm spanner sitting in the undertray; don't know what was luckier...that the car didn't go on fire or the spanner never bounced up into belts area etc.
called indie whom reckoned it had nothing to do with them, and it wasn't their spanner either; i have to bite my tongue whenever it is mentioned how great he is on here.
i do expect better when i pay £3k for a service...only go to Ferrari at edinburgh now for servicing.
anyways, in a nutshell, a good place to start is to have the fuel pipes checked over, from where they start to where they finish.
hope it is a nice easy fix!
Also check the unions from the fuel filter to the fuel rails.
I believe the 355 suffers from the same poor union design as the 348 and is subject to a recall.
go onto club scud and have a search for "fuel smell" or "fuel recall" or something like that
I had mine done after a recall notice was sent to me... 15 years after the car was released!
I believe the 355 suffers from the same poor union design as the 348 and is subject to a recall.
go onto club scud and have a search for "fuel smell" or "fuel recall" or something like that
I had mine done after a recall notice was sent to me... 15 years after the car was released!
There's a few things I would check. Nothing difficult but you;ll have to do some clambering around.
1. Where the fuel filler goes into the tank, there are 2 plastic pipes. One larger one (for the filler) and one smaller (breather). Check the jubilee clips for these as stated (both ends).
2. The pipes themselves are only cheap plastic which go hard and brittle over time. Check both of them carefully for any small splits or cracks. If you can't see anything, try and see if the smell of fuel is present all the time or only when you fill the tank. If it goes away when you've only got (eg) half a tank, I'd put money on it being one of those two pipes. If / when you replace them, avoid the same cheap factory rubbish and get some good quality rubber fuel hose.
3. Check the unions where the fuel filter joins the fuel lines. (nearside under the engine frame). The banjos can sometimes leak.
4. Check the braided fuel lines where they join the fuel splitter block. It's the aluminium thing at the top of the engine near the firewall which has lots of braided lines running in and out of it. Sometimes the fuel lines can wear through due to rubbing or the divider block can crack.
5. Next, check where the fuel lines connect to the fuel rail (17mm spanner if I recall correctly).
6. Finally, check you don't have a leak around the injectors or fuel rail. If you shine a torch in there, you might be able to spot the leak.
If its only after you fill up, I'll put money on either 1. or 2.
If it's not that, you;ll have to start digging around the fuel pump(s) and fuel lines...
1. Where the fuel filler goes into the tank, there are 2 plastic pipes. One larger one (for the filler) and one smaller (breather). Check the jubilee clips for these as stated (both ends).
2. The pipes themselves are only cheap plastic which go hard and brittle over time. Check both of them carefully for any small splits or cracks. If you can't see anything, try and see if the smell of fuel is present all the time or only when you fill the tank. If it goes away when you've only got (eg) half a tank, I'd put money on it being one of those two pipes. If / when you replace them, avoid the same cheap factory rubbish and get some good quality rubber fuel hose.
3. Check the unions where the fuel filter joins the fuel lines. (nearside under the engine frame). The banjos can sometimes leak.
4. Check the braided fuel lines where they join the fuel splitter block. It's the aluminium thing at the top of the engine near the firewall which has lots of braided lines running in and out of it. Sometimes the fuel lines can wear through due to rubbing or the divider block can crack.
5. Next, check where the fuel lines connect to the fuel rail (17mm spanner if I recall correctly).
6. Finally, check you don't have a leak around the injectors or fuel rail. If you shine a torch in there, you might be able to spot the leak.
If its only after you fill up, I'll put money on either 1. or 2.
If it's not that, you;ll have to start digging around the fuel pump(s) and fuel lines...
Hi Guys
Thanks for your help
Are any of you going to Auto Italia at Brooklands I could do with somone looking over my car that knows a thing or too so that I can take it back to the garage I bought it from and get it fixed. The latest problem is the wild noise it make when I reverse it out of the garage when cold. It sounds like a couple of saucepans banging together.
Any help would be really appreciated.
Thanks
Wendy
Thanks for your help
Are any of you going to Auto Italia at Brooklands I could do with somone looking over my car that knows a thing or too so that I can take it back to the garage I bought it from and get it fixed. The latest problem is the wild noise it make when I reverse it out of the garage when cold. It sounds like a couple of saucepans banging together.
Any help would be really appreciated.
Thanks
Wendy
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