E30 Zone

Hi all ive got a strong smell of im not too sure what it can be most probably fuel coming into the car, in stand still traffic it can be sickening. Any ideas of what this can be I cannot see any visible fuel leaks and most the fuel likes look like they have been replaced on the car its a M20b20.

I hope to hear back from you guys soon

lifted the back seat to see whats under it?

Have a look under the bonnet for the high pressure fuel hose spraying fuel through a pin hole leak with the engine running. These can be extremely difficult to spot, but a clue that a leak is present is if the car takes somewhat longer to start than normal after being parked for a while.

Under the rear seat its all fine, fuel tank caps are in place as they should be. ok thanks Brian ill check for that but it start perfectly so highly doubt a leak so confused at this point any other suggestions guys?

Does it smell like exhaust fumes or raw fuel?

Check the fuel hose connections at the Fuel rail and pressure regulator, these are prone to the rubber hardening due to heat and can leak when cold but seal up again as the engine warms up, provided it hasn't caught fire by then.
Have a good look under the bonnet with a cold engine start.

you don't want fuel spraying on the alternator





RIP 325i cab

Bloody hell, mine's got those symptoms.

Do you have a breather return hose on the top of the fuel tank, right hand side ( looking from the back ) they often look fine but are split underneath where you can't see, usually enough slack to cut the end off and make good.

Just a thought

Paul

Brianmoooore wrote:Have a look under the bonnet for the high pressure fuel hose spraying fuel through a pin hole leak with the engine running. These can be extremely difficult to spot, but a clue that a leak is present is if the car takes somewhat longer to start than normal after being parked for a while.

^^^ that one if its really strong smelling and your MPG is terrible. my one was a leak out of there onto my exhaust manifold , replaced that straight out as soon as that happened...

or if it seems to come from more the passenger side when your stationary, check the hose that comes from the fuel pump / tank that runs under the engine then up. had it replaced recently on my M20B20 touring when i'd had enough of trying to track it down after 6mths and got a garage to look at it

had a similar problem a couple of months ago , it was a loose fuel pipe just above the thermostat , quick tighten of the screw problem fixed

Fuel filter leak under the car?

If it smells even stronger around the filler cap area, suspect the vent pipe which connect to the top of the neck. They get brittle and come off.