Petrol smell in cabin

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warrior
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Petrol smell in cabin

Post by warrior » Wed Feb 19, 2014 5:21 pm

In the last few days when I have hopped into my wifes MX5 I have smelt a faint petrol smell.

The car sits outside in the sun, and it has been VERY hot the last few days. Could the heat be the reason why or is there something else I should be looking at?

Once the car is driven the smell quickly goes away.
warrior

Angreal
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Post by Angreal » Wed Feb 19, 2014 7:46 pm

I think it's more than the heat. Left my car in the sun and it didn't smell of petrol. As to what may be causing it I'm not sure.

Didn't Donovan have a similar issue last year with a fuel smell?

Snapfrozen
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Post by Snapfrozen » Wed Feb 19, 2014 7:58 pm

Has it had its charcoal canister removed? Fuel pressurizes more with heat I think, might be venting into the bay?

MrGrey
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Post by MrGrey » Wed Feb 19, 2014 8:28 pm

I was thinking that it could possibly be perished rubber somewhere in your fuel line, but if it was that then I would expect the smell to be relatively constant and not dissipate after a small period of time.

4A-GE
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Post by 4A-GE » Wed Feb 19, 2014 10:37 pm

Leaky filler?

warrior
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Post by warrior » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:36 am

Car is 100% standard, I don't think anything is leaking as the smell is not strong enough but will check those things over the weekend.
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marcellarius
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Post by marcellarius » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:50 am

http://revlimiter.net/blog/2012/07/how- ... es-i-hope/

No solid answers here, but some suggestions of where to look

warrior
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Post by warrior » Thu Feb 20, 2014 5:43 pm

Might check the one way valve like they suggest, and give it a clean out.
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Donovan
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Post by Donovan » Fri Feb 21, 2014 9:31 am

Angreal wrote:I think it's more than the heat. Left my car in the sun and it didn't smell of petrol. As to what may be causing it I'm not sure.

Didn't Donovan have a similar issue last year with a fuel smell?
Yeah, but mine was because of the numpty's that put my car together, blocked off the pressure release valve (the one that goes into the charcol canistor, which I no longer have) and the pressure build up in the tank was forcing itself out via any method it could, which partially vented into the cabin. This smell was all the time, leaving it parked up or driving.

I put in a new valve and ran a pipe straight from that out to the atmosphere, and that solved my problem.

So could be a stuffed valve or a block in the line maybe.

warrior
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Post by warrior » Sun Feb 23, 2014 9:53 pm

As I thought it was just the heat. I released the pressure in the tank (by taking off the cap) and today being a lot cooler there was no smell.
warrior

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