Q45 Gasoline Odor???

[gletsch]

I have a 1991 Q45It has been smelling of gas latelyOutside the car, and inside the cab

I had all 8 injectors replaced and all hoses under the plenum

Inside the car, the gas smell has stopped

However, outside the car, and most noticably when the car is in the garage, the raw gas smell is VERY MUCH there.

My mechanic has no clue. He says his sense of smell is pretty bad from working on cars all these years. But, my whole family notices it.

ANY IDEAS as to the origin?

Thanks for all and any help with this matter.Glenn L

[elwesso]

My guess its a fuel hose under the plenum.

[Q451990]

It's also possible that you have a leaking upper o-ring on one (or more) injector. There are two o-rings on each injector... if the top one leaks, it lets fuel escape from the top of the rail... if it's a bottom one, that cylinder gets too much fuel and can potentially hydrolock.

I would suggest parking outside until you find the problem

Heath

[goody90q45]

Both Wes and Heath have offered good suggestions as a leaky hose or injector o-ring can stink up a garage pretty quickly.

I'd ask your mechanic if he pressure checked (leak and decay) the fuel rail after the new injectors were installed to make sure everything was seated correctly. It's a lot easier to get to the small fuel leaks with the plenum off.

What you can do is get a flashlight and check it out yourself. Be patient and thorough and follow the fuel lines from the firewall, to the filter, to the fuel rail and beyond as they dive under the plenum. Look in the valleys under the plenum for standing fuel. Tape a q-tip to a long screwdriver and sample any free liquid to see if it's fuel. If you do spot a leak your next challenge will be working a screwdriver in there to tighten a loose clamp. I found three separate leaks under the plenum in the first few months of ownership and finally cleared up my fuel odor. The fuel lines leak more in cold weather so it's easier to find them on a just-started engine.

As far as injector o-ring leaks, do the same with a flashlight looking at the top of each injector at the fuel rail for gas leaks or wet spots. You may have to take off the front center shroud to see all eight.

I'm putting my money on a leaking lower injector o-ring. Raw fuel odor, hard starting (from your other post), and I bet your acceleration is poor and your MPG are way down. If it is an o-ring hopefully your mechanic will stand by his work and take care of it. I've had the same symptoms on two occasions with two different injectors.

Let us know what you find. Good luck.

[yodawill2000]

If its a lower ORing you will smell gas in your oil.At least I sure did. Drove me nutzo.

[gloucester Q]

it happened to me once. leaking fuel hose under the plenum. i think i originally used off-the-shelf hose to replace the lines, and they either didn't hold up well or i didn't tighten the clamps as i should, but you could really smell gas if you stuck your head between the block and the firewall. and it would collect, just a bit, in the valley. so, took the plenum off again, got oem hose, tightened it all up, and gas smell gone.

[gletsch]

Thanks for all the quick repliesI will try the Q Tip and flashlight routine and I am printing these replies out and going to the mechanic so he can sort this problem out once and for all

Kind regardsGlenn L

[Q451990]

I didn't see your other post about hard starting. IF you have a flooding condition (lower o-ring issue) you should be able to see black smoke puff from the exhaust after it finally starts. In my case the hard start was more evident after a hot soak. Re-starting the car after sitting for a few minutes, or over night, was fine... but starting it after an hour or two took longer.

What kind of injectors did your tech. use? OEM or remans? My problem was due to reman. injectors from Python injection. The eventual solution in my case was to pull them all and put OEM injectors in.

If you're actually smelling gas - I suspect you have a more severe problem than mine was.

One thing to ask your tech. is if he lubricated the injector o-rings when installing them. This is a critical step... using vasoline, di-electric grease, etc... you have to make sure they don't pinch!

Heath