Warning! Gas Smell

[John Robinson]

Almost lost my car yesterday to a fire.

I started the car and when I left the house it was not running right. I drove for a couple more blocks and could smell gas really strong so I decided to go back home. When I pulled into the garage(Dumb move on my part) and shut the car down there were fumes rolling out from under the hood and the smell of gas was intense. I then noticed a wet trail coming up the driveway into the garage and when I smelled it it was gas. I crabbed my fire extinguisher and lifted the hood. the entire back of the engine was gas wet and it was pooled in the cavity's of the engine. I had to remove the gas cap to release the pressure to stop the gas flow.

The problem was the O" ring on one of the fuel feed lines had completely disintegrated.

On a side note I had to order the new O" rings because nobody around were I live carries them.

DO NOT IGNORE THE SMELL OF GAS. SHUT DOWN AND FIND THE SOURCE. IF NOT IT COULD COST YOU YOUR CAR OR HOUSE IF YOU PUT IT IN THE GARAGE.

 

[navy2kcoupe]

Good save none the less, John! Trust your instincts!
Andy

 

[boomdriver]

Good save...

I've had similar experience and thats why I carry a small extinguisher whenever I go any distance. I once smelled gas for a week but could not find the source. No wet spots...no puddles. Finally I see my steel line thats bolted to the bottom of the evaporator had come loose and was rubbing on the Exhaust Collector and had rubbed a hole in the steel tubing ! The fuel was spraying out and vaporizing almost instantly from the extreme heat around the exhaust collector...not a good feeling at all. Thats twice I should have had a fire and did'nt. Scares me thinking about a fine mist of fuel spraying on a pipe thats several hundred degrees. I guess the only reason it did not ignite was that it was low enough to be in the airstream from below the car. Higher in the engine bay where the fumes would have collected more and I'm sure it would have lit up big time.

I had a ford ranchero "lite up" going down the freeway when I was 19 yrs old.Fuel line broke to the carb and soaked everything in raw gas. Happened quick too...I never smelled any gas. Scared the crap outta me. People pulled up next to me on the freeway yelling and pointing so I slow down to hear them, and the flames whosh upward all around the front end at that point....I was out of there and over the K-rail before the car even stopped moving !
That was also my first experience with a rotten insurance adjuster that totalled the car (nothing left) and left me with close to $2000 owed to the bank still....He claimed it was arson...."fuel lines don't break".

Lesson learned. The insurance company is NOT your friend.

 

[roger longman]

Well done, John !......Roger.

 

[geekinavette]

Not to dramatize the thread or anything, but...

TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY

Especially with these Vettes...the body itself is quite flammable...

 

[John Robinson]

I was thinking of you when I started this thread.

 

[muddywaters]

A graphic reason that when I lay-up for the winter it's disconnect not trickle or battery tender. It's much easier to deal with a dead battery than a burned down house with a car in it. Just my .02

 

[Tuna]

A few years back, I had the dealer replace the fuel filter on my old '92 (along with some other work). When I drove it home, I smelled gas as soon as I got out of the car. Sure enough, gas was leaking from the o-rings on one end of the filter - guess the mechanic cut the o-ring a little when installing the filter. I got the car back out of the garage and drove it back to the dealer (might not have been smart but it didn't catch fire while moving).

New o-rings and a little more care re-installing the filter and I was on my way again.

If I had not noticed the smell, who knows what might have happened.

 

[John Robinson]

A few years back, I had the dealer replace the fuel filter on my old '92 (along with some other work). When I drove it home, I smelled gas as soon as I got out of the car. Sure enough, gas was leaking from the o-rings on one end of the filter - guess the mechanic cut the o-ring a little when installing the filter. I got the car back out of the garage and drove it back to the dealer (might not have been smart but it didn't catch fire while moving).

New o-rings and a little more care re-installing the filter and I was on my way again.

If I had not noticed the smell, who knows what might have happened.

I think Geekinavette knows.

 

[Tuna]

I think Geekinavette knows.

Yeap!

 

[93Rubie]

I installed a Auto Fire Extinguisher in my car this year a precaution. Mounted it to the passenger seat frame at the front of it. Easy to grab and use. I think a yearly inspection of fuel lines and fittings is in order. Better safe than sorry.
At least in both cases here no one got hurt. Geekinavette, at least you didn't have you or your house up in flames. Yikes. I remember when you posted that, did you ever find another Corvette by chance?

Be safe out there.

 

[XLR8]

Thank heaven you caught it in time John! Your guardian angel was watching over your shoulder that day!

I thought of Bill also... and Gerald's beautiful white C4 going up in smoke and flames in his driveway just a couple of months after he (and his Vette) survived Katrina. :cry

Take care guys!
Jane Ann

 

[geekinavette]

And let's not forget the member that lost his beautiful yellow C4 on the way back from CF in Colorado...sorry the name is not coming to me.

No I am still a "geekwithoutavette"...but someday I will have another one! Recently picked up a Jeep toy to play with tho.

Bill

 

[nbradway]

Raw fuel smell in cab

After a 120 mile drive I smelled raw gas fumes in the cab and what appears to maybe be coming from the vents. I changed the filter and inspected almost every line. However, the following day drove the same distance and the smell came back especially while executing turns or running over bumps. Any ideas??

 

[boomdriver]

After a 120 mile drive I smelled raw gas fumes in the cab and what appears to maybe be coming from the vents. I changed the filter and inspected almost every line. However, the following day drove the same distance and the smell came back especially while executing turns or running over bumps. Any ideas??

Its happened to me in the past and turned out to be fuel rail "O" rings leaking from age & alcohol contaminated gasoline...The few drops create a strong smell that gets blown directly up the vent screens below the windshield. From there the smell gets pulled into the cabin vent system....

This time however, I'm NOT seeing any wet spots around the fuel rail, or anyplace else on the intake manifold area...And I seem to smell gas around the rear driver side almost stronger than anyplace else. Still not finding a wet spot, but the smell is there. I'm thinking the fuel vapor recover system is leaking someplace. It seems like its not constant. Stronger than other times...sometimes not at all. Like the vapor system works....on & off. There IS a metal fuel line running from engine bay to fuel tank along the driver side to the tank that IS the vapor line. It has a short section of hose clamped to the tank fitting. These steel lines are good for rusting out and/or getting dinged & leaking because they are fairly exposed under the chassis.

Might be something to look at. I've seem other vapor recover systems that would stink like a bucket of raw gas if the hoses & lines were not in good shape.

I do NOT know if the charcoal canister has a limited life, if it "wears out" or gets too saturated to handle any more fumes , but that may be something to look at too. I KNOW that mine tends to blow coal dust out the vent by the head-lite and keep a layer of coal dust in that corner of the front end with the lowered headlamp & charcoal can..

 

[nbradway]

Its happened to me in the past and turned out to be fuel rail "O" rings leaking from age & alcohol contaminated gasoline...The few drops create a strong smell that gets blown directly up the vent screens below the windshield. From there the smell gets pulled into the cabin vent system....

This time however, I'm NOT seeing any wet spots around the fuel rail, or anyplace else on the intake manifold area...And I seem to smell gas around the rear driver side almost stronger than anyplace else. Still not finding a wet spot, but the smell is there. I'm thinking the fuel vapor recover system is leaking someplace. It seems like its not constant. Stronger than other times...sometimes not at all. Like the vapor system works....on & off. There IS a metal fuel line running from engine bay to fuel tank along the driver side to the tank that IS the vapor line. It has a short section of hose clamped to the tank fitting. These steel lines are good for rusting out and/or getting dinged & leaking because they are fairly exposed under the chassis.

Might be something to look at. I've seem other vapor recover systems that would stink like a bucket of raw gas if the hoses & lines were not in good shape.

I do NOT know if the charcoal canister has a limited life, if it "wears out" or gets too saturated to handle any more fumes , but that may be something to look at too. I KNOW that mine tends to blow coal dust out the vent by the head-lite and keep a layer of coal dust in that corner of the front end with the lowered headlamp & charcoal can..

I went through everything. Even what you suggested. NOTHING... Recently on a short drive with the windows up I didn't even smell it. No clue.