Fuel Smell When Sitting

[Mike 92 XLT]

Recently the Explorer has started to smell like fuel inside the car after it's been sitting for awhile. I'll drive it for awhile, park it, come back, and the interior will just stink of gasoline. It doesn't smell like gas outside the car though. The smell will usually go away once I start driving (probably because I'm getting fresh air circulating through the HVAC system), BUT...tonight, I drove to a late class, parked, and came back two hours later. Car smelled, smell went away quickly after I started to drive. Drove over to my girlfriend's, parked for about half an hour. We came out to go to my place, got in the car, my girlfriend noticed the smell right away. Started the car, started to drive off, and for about ten seconds or so it stank of raw fuel. It smelled absolutely horrible. I've been digging around old threads and came up with this:

[here goes- most people replace the canister thinking it is bad that will cost you about 74 dollars (i believe) heres the route i took i replaced that little selinoid, which cost $26 from ford. replacing this solved my problem

why it works(theory)- the canister sucks in the fumes that your gas tank gives off while it sits at in the sun or where ever it sits. when you start your car the selinoid opens up to release the fumes into he intake manifold to be burned off. when the seliniod goes bad it no longer releases the fumes, the canister gets "full" and starts realeasing the fumes into the air]

Does this sound like what's happening to mine? The only other things I can think of are either the evap canister, or the FPR, but performance hasn't degraded, and neither has the gas mileage. Anyone know the PSI spec on the FPR so I can have my mechanic test it? Or is my canister bad since it isn't sucking in the fumes that the gas tank gives off while it's sitting (according to the quoted post above)? Or is it full since the solenoid went bad?

peace

Mike

 

[TDG]

Mike,
The strange thing is that you only smell it inside the vehicle and not outside. Seems to be small enough that it is not noticeable outside of the vehicle where there is moving air but builds up inside where there is little airflow.

The theory behind the operation of the system is fairly sound. If you haven't already done so I would check all of the lines from the fuel tank to the canister, if I remember correctly the vent line isn't as securely fitted to the fuel tank as the feed and return lines are. This is easier said than done thanks to the skidplate / frame relationship, the last time I dropped the tank / skidplate in my 92 it was a pain in the butt. I would also check and make sure the rubber hose on the filler pipe to the fuel tank is intact and tight, chances are that if it wasn't you would be spilling gas when you fill up. Basically just the common sense stuff, if you smell gas it has to be coming from a hole or a broken whatever.

When the FPR goes south you will normally get a check engine light and the EXHAUST will reek due to the abnormally rich condition. (At least mine did)

Also I think the proper fuel system pressure at the manifold is between 35 and 45 psi.

Good luck,

Tim

 

[Mike 92 XLT]

Thanks for the info Tim

A little update. Last night when I drove my girlfriend back to her house, the car smelled fine (it had been sitting for about five hours). Smelled fine when I was driving. I pulled over to the curb in front of her place, and sat there for a few minutes idling in park, and I started to smell gas again. So I opened the door, and I could smell fuel outside the car, around the engine area. So there is a gas smell outside the car, but only when it's running. Once you park it for a little while, you can't smell it outside anymore, just inside. Does this help any?

peace

Mike

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by Mike 92 XLT
Thanks for the info Tim

A little update. Last night when I drove my girlfriend back to her house, the car smelled fine (it had been sitting for about five hours). Smelled fine when I was driving. I pulled over to the curb in front of her place, and sat there for a few minutes idling in park, and I started to smell gas again. So I opened the door, and I could smell fuel outside the car, around the engine area. So there is a gas smell outside the car, but only when it's running. Once you park it for a little while, you can't smell it outside anymore, just inside. Does this help any?

peace

Mike

I have almost the exact problem on my 99 sohc. I want to check the evap can. but cannot find it. I have looked everywhere, HELP, please....

 

[TDG]

Aldive, For your vehicle I think it is located in the back somewhere, don't hold me to this but I know there was a thread on here that discussed the location. Chilton says that it is located in the engine compartment OR along the frame rail, however it doesn't say where so hopefully someone who has found the thing on the later models will post a reply here.

Mike92XLT, dude that's a weird one. never I've had any fuel smell problems, but I can see that they also are a pain in the butt to find. Next time you start smelling it with the engine running pop the hood and see if you have any small leaks, mostly around the fuel injectors and the FPR. The fuel rail will maintain pressure after you shut the engine off, so if you did have an injector seal that was "dripping" you might smell it after the engine is shut off. If the drip is small enough it wont build up enough to drip on the ground and may be evaporating off of the intake manifold, since the intake manifold stays fairly cool it normally won't make the fuel catch fire. (not saying that it couldnt happen) Then again I've seen fuel hit exhaust components and not catch fire. (not saying that it hasnt happened) If you have a lot of dirt on down in the fuel injector well this could also soak up any drips that may be occurring. Just a wild shot but I did break a fuel injector seal on my 92, and having 40 psi of fuel spraying all over your engine is not a comfortable feeling. On the other maybe your canister is shot, it really shouldn't be. Fords service interval on the canister is every 120,000 or 10 years according to chiltons and most of our 92s are getting close to these numbers. Anyway man good luck to ya hope I helped a little bit. By the way I notice you have LA down as your location, you still out here?

Tim

 

[aldive]

Originally posted by TDG
Aldive, For your vehicle I think it is located in the back somewhere, don't hold me to this but I know there was a thread on here that discussed the location. Chilton says that it is located in the engine compartment OR along the frame rail, however it doesn't say where so hopefully someone who has found the thing on the later models will post a reply here.

Hey, thyanks for the help. I have looked EVERYWHERE and can't find the darn thing.

I wonder how dangerous the gas vapor smell might be? Any thoughts////

 

[TDG]

Aldive, I'd say you are pretty safe, however common sense does come into to play so I wouldn't challenge this by lighting up on your back bumper. Most carbureted vehicles with out evaporative emissions controls always have some kind of gas vapor smell lingering around them. Reason being that carburetors are prone to wet soak or hot soak (cant remember if that is the term for it, been awhile) and most of the manufactures just vented the vapors off into the atmosphere, now imagine if we still did that today with all of the vehicles on the road. Anyway my point is that even though you drive a nice modern fuel injected wonder that ain't supposed to smell like gas, I've never heard of anyone doing any damage with a vehicle that does smell like gas.

Disclaimer: If any of the above happens to be incorrect please post pictures in the before/after or Whoops sections. J/K

Tim

 

[Mike 92 XLT]

Hey Tim

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it. I'll be back in Los Angeles in late April (can't wait to be back in Cali). Just killing time (i.e. attending college) here in Ann Arbor for eight months of the year. I'll be sure to check everything once I have a spare minute away from my studies. Of course, knowing this car, it'll either somehow fix itself or all of a sudden become a thousand times worse. I've got almost 128,000 miles on it, so that would be right around the right time to replace the canister, but I think I'll do the solenoid first since it's cheaper. If it does blow up, I'll take pics for everyone .

peace

Mike

 

[TDG]

Man I quit my 6 digit job cause they wanted to send me up where you are, I guess if I'm gonna be broke what better place to do it than in LA.

I'm assuming that you are gonna bring the exploder (pun intended) back to LA, if so you can BORROW what ever you think might need to save a few bucks at the parts counter. I never drive my 93 cause it's in mint condition and I don’t want these IDIOTS bashing it around on the highway.

If it does blow up we would like to have some MPEGs. And maybe a couple of shots of you looking like Wiley coyote, oh yeah and I want all of your xtant stuff, and the right to drag your truck somewhere off of the I15 and use it for target practice.

But seriously, be safe and be careful of the fumes. Let me know when you get back.

Tim

 

[BGN]

I have a similar problem with fuel smell on my 91 and my mechanic says after presuure testing that its the fuel tank, more specifically its the gasket (or whatever is on top) which I guess has become corroded. Now I have to wait until he can get the tank and a sending unit from a local junkyard.

Barry
91 Explorer Sport
182,000 miles