Stupidly strong fuel smell in the cabin.

Post Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:05 pm

Hello zone.

Last week or so I've had a fuel smell inside the car.
It started off small and has got stronger and stronger and was awe full on my 15 min drive home from work this aft.

The engine is a m40b18.

When I got home I popes the bonnet straight away and looked for damp patches or leaks and felt all the fuel lines around where the jubilee clips are and couldn't feel anything.

After a closer sniff about it smelt the strongest by the inlet 'fanny-mould'

Going to take it in bits tomorrow after work for a closer inspection.

What do you expect I will find?

Any hints and tips on what to look out for?

Could this be an air leak problem?

Post Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:09 pm

The fuel rail runs under the inlet manifold. It wouldn't surprise me if the fuel hose has perished, most likely at its end where it screws to the fuel rail, and at 3bar it's spraying fuel all over the top of the engine.

Post Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:16 pm

I shall check that first tomorrow after the trip to work and back.

I had the whole of the inlet side off about 6months ago and everything looked solid and normal but I could have missed something.

Thanks for the response

Post Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:21 pm

dirtee-herbert wrote:I shall check that first tomorrow after the trip to work and back.

I had the whole of the inlet side off about 6months ago and everything looked solid and normal but I could have missed something.

Thanks for the response

Sod that mate. I'd check before the journey to work. Otherwise you may have a camp fire on the way.

Post Tue Oct 08, 2013 8:32 pm

I'd love to check now but the garage has an old rover p90? In it and I have no light out side.
I get up too early to early to do it in the morning. I have a small extinguisher in the car.

Haha sod it I'll bike to work and back

Post Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:40 pm

Could it simply be a perished rubber pipe on the fuel pump under your rear seat bolster? Pretty darn common, strong & worsening smell in the cabin happend to me exactly as it has u and best of all it costs zero pennies to fix....all that's needed is a stanly knife.

Worth spending 5 mins checking before you look any further bud...

Post Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:36 pm

That shall be the second place I check man. Cheers. But it's defiantly coming from the engine bay from what I can figure. I've been wrong lots before tho haha

Post Thu Oct 10, 2013 11:32 am

Hello

Thought I'd up date this thread.

I had no luck finding a faulty perished fuel pipe last night so I delved deeper and suspected maybe a perished O ring or faulty injector .

I pulled them out and couldn't see anything obviously wrong with them. The O-rings felt very dry and hard. Is this right?

So I didn't know what to do and after having a word with my dad I've decided to order a full set of re-furbed injectors that have been flow tested and matched and everything off mr injector online and I'm going to replace all the rubber fuel hoses under there. All for good measure and for the sake of preventive maintenance if it does nothing else. Plus the new injectors might help my economy, it can't hurt.

Can anyone help me with the pipe sizes I am going to need?

Also thinking about checking if all my sensors are working correctly while I'm in there.
Any advice on this also greatly appreciated.

Post Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:49 pm

dirtee-herbert wrote:
I pulled them out and couldn't see anything obviously wrong with them. The O-rings felt very dry and hard. Is this right?

No, they have hardened with age. O rings should never be reused in theory. Certainly not when they are a couple of years old or more.

So I didn't know what to do and after having a word with my dad I've decided to order a full set of re-furbed injectors that have been flow tested and matched and everything off mr injector online and I'm going to replace all the rubber fuel hoses under there. All for good measure and for the sake of preventive maintenance if it does nothing else. Plus the new injectors might help my economy, it can't hurt.

Refurbed injectors are probably the best bhp and/or MPG per £ that you will ever spend on your car.
Don't overlook our own tame injector rebuilder in the traders' forum. As far as I can make out, a fraction of the prices charged by who you're looking at.

Can anyone help me with the pipe sizes I am going to need?

8mm bore. Use best quality hose. I've had aftermarket hose fail after a very few years.

Also thinking about checking if all my sensors are working correctly while I'm in there.
Any advice on this also greatly appreciated.

Check out the throttle position switch properly (not just listen for a click), possibly drill a drain hole in it, and check that it is adjusted properly, after checking that the throttle stop hasn't been interfered with.

Post Thu Oct 10, 2013 11:36 pm

Thanks mr mooooooooore

I'll let you know how it goes. I never thought of looking in the traders section for injectors. I've already ordere a set off mr injector. DOH!

Post Fri Oct 11, 2013 2:39 pm

I had a fuel smell on my m40, on start-up On a cold ish day I pulled over and could clearly see fuel dripping out the rubber pipe going to metal ones hidden under the manifold, it was dripping onto the gearbox

Post Sat Oct 12, 2013 2:19 pm

alexdejonghe wrote:Could it simply be a perished rubber pipe on the fuel pump under your rear seat bolster? Pretty darn common, strong & worsening smell in the cabin happend to me exactly as it has u and best of all it costs zero pennies to fix....all that's needed is a stanly knife.

Worth spending 5 mins checking before you look any further bud...

i had this and replace with nice new one which cost pennies.

Post Sat Oct 12, 2013 4:12 pm

Hello again

Thanks for the responses. I think I am go check the area over the tank for good measure now after all of you had this problem.

I ordered my injectors on Thursday morning at about ten and they arrived in the post next day. Extremely well packaged and they look like new. as I would expect.

I got chance to fit them last night after work. and whilst I was on with it I replace all the fuel hose and clips at the front of the car. I also cleaned and tested the ICV using a 12 v battery and it clicks very positively and I got lots of crap out of it using carb cleaner and the air gun.

I also tested my TPS and got the readings described in the wiki. So I drilled a drain hole in the bottom of it to prevent it getting bunged up in the future and left it as it was.

I then re-set the ECU by disconnecting it for an hour and a half then let the car idle for 15 mins and tested for air leaks using carb cleaner and all was good.

I then drove it 22miles in to leeds and the difference in the car is brilliant. it might just be a placebo affect because i was expecting it to be better but the idle is smoother and the throttle is a lot more responsive and it pulls smoother all the way through the rev range.

AND THE FUEL SMELL HAS GONE!!

so I'm pretty chuffed.

Thanks for the advice.