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petrol smell

10K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  fivemoons 
#1 ·
hey guys
ive been getting a strong petrol smell inside the car of late but the strange thing is i only get it when the tank is over 1/2 full.
so far ive replaced a petrol filter and found a hairline crack in a petrol line but alas still the smell.
can anyone post any ideas on where to look or hopefull if someone has had the same problem how to fix it.
i have an EF XR8.
 
#3 ·
cool there is a possable cause but how can the problem be fixed.
i havent filled the tank past the first pump cut off and the petrol small was the strongest ever yesterday and the tank was on 1/4 full.
the car is still under warranty so hopefully any ideas i get from you guys will go towards the fixing of the problem while it is still under warranty.
 
#5 ·
Just a thought, check the seal for your fuel pump on the top of the tank. If yours is a sedan, you can access that by removing the cover inside your boot, if theres traces of damp fuel marks or anything this may be your problem. Not very common, but if fuel slowly leaks round there, it sits around the top and does smell.
 
#6 ·
Yeah, that happened to me a while ago - changed the fuel pump and didn't screw the locking ring down properly. Every time I went round a corner the car stank of petrol.
 
#9 ·
Very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very common problem on ef v8's, mines had it too.

in mine, its allmost certainly the charcoal canistor, or a siezed purge valve. theres an O ring on the piece that inserts into the top of the canistor with all the hoses on it. Replace it, or glue the bastard inplace with heaps of glue. Fixed mine.
 
#10 ·
This is a common problem on "E" series falcons when they get a few years on them.What happens is that the carbon canister after a period of time can no longer filter the fumes from the fuel system to an acceptable level and what you can smell is fumes from the canister venting out and going in your heater/fresh air intake. What you do is locate your carbon canister(inside LHF inner guard).You get a 5/8 plastic 90deg elbow and about 4 to 6 foot of 5/8 heater hose.(any good auto parts store will do).Sit the elbow on the large vent of the canister and cut just enough hose to cover the elbow and vent(about 50mm).Attach the rest of the hose to the other end of the elbow and refit the canister to its mounts.(be sure not to kink or squash the hose)Then route the hose along the underside of the bumper (or wherever it doesnt foul on anything)to the driver side of the vehicles inner wheel arch.This will allow any fumes from the canister to vent away from the fresh air intake on the passenger side of the car.
 
#11 ·
Vent box

Running the hose trick was done by ford as a warrenty fix, but I am sure it was only for wagons.
Check the vent box under the glove box. Does it work when you go from fresh to recirc. If not replace it. It solves 9 out of 10 smells by not letting them in.

Chrispy
 
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