Strong smell of fuel

[Podge72]

Hi guys and gals,

I have had an issue with a strong smell of petrol fumes. I have had the exhaust checked and re-sealed which doesn't seem to have made any difference so was wondering what/where to check next. It doesn't seem to be leaking into the cabin.

The fuel consumption seem high to me too so maybe this also has a bearing on what the cause may be. My previous 325 seemed much better on fuel than this one and is exactly the same model (i.e. 325 Touring). I have also recently added a fuel additive to clean the injectors etc but no joy.

Any ideas where to check next.

Cheers

[Duke137]

Tank leaking? It's a common problem due to age that the tanks go round the filler neck or seam sometimes other places too.

[Grrrmachine]

Check all of your rubber hoses. Start at the fuel filter, check every jubilee clip, and move forward along the sill. At the bulkhead, the solid metal fuel lines revert back to rubber, and are prone to cracks and dribbles.

Make sure both ends of the rubber hoses are seated and sealed properly; one at the FPR, the other at the fuel rail. From there, look at each injector in turn; they should all be dry. If one is wet, it's either not sealed on the fuel rail, or not seated properly into the head, usually caused by a perished or loose O-ring. Any sign of dampness around an injector should be investigated immediately.

If you can't find any leaks there, then you'll have to open up the rear seats, undo the rear seat belt clips to lift the carpet, and open up the access plates to the fuel tank senders and pump. Check that the senders are seated and sealed correctly by their rubber O-rings, and that the fuel hoses are clamped tightly into place. If there are no leaks here, then it looks like you have a failing leaky tank, which should be replaced.

HTH.

[clipper]

Check all of your rubber hoses. Start at the fuel filter, check every jubilee clip, and move forward along the sill. At the bulkhead, the solid metal fuel lines revert back to rubber, and are prone to cracks and dribbles.

Make sure both ends of the rubber hoses are seated and sealed properly; one at the FPR, the other at the fuel rail. From there, look at each injector in turn; they should all be dry. If one is wet, it's either not sealed on the fuel rail, or not seated properly into the head, usually caused by a perished or loose O-ring. Any sign of dampness around an injector should be investigated immediately.

If you can't find any leaks there, then you'll have to open up the rear seats, undo the rear seat belt clips to lift the carpet, and open up the access plates to the fuel tank senders and pump. Check that the senders are seated and sealed correctly by their rubber O-rings, and that the fuel hoses are clamped tightly into place. If there are no leaks here, then it looks like you have a failing leaky tank, which should be replaced.

HTH.

Just like to add: don't check just by looking, some leaks are just not visible, run your hand / fingers along all of the pipes and around all joins, as petrol evaporates quickly you will notice it as soon as any gets on your skin. Thats how I found a leaking connection to my fuel rail which I could never have seen.

Also check the big fat breather hose that connects to the top of the filler neck near the expansion bottle. They're reknowned for corroding and becoming detatched allowing vapours out.