Raw gas smell - 2013 Limited 2.0

[2013 Pearl]

Smelling raw gas fumes in the cab while running AC or Heater. If on the recirculation setting it is better, but still there. Started last spring and is at it's worse now. On occasion I can smell gas outside when I get out of the rig after driving it. I searched all over with eyes and nose and cannot find a leak from tank to pump and at the fuel rail and injectors. The smell is strongest on the passenger side under the hood but not strong enough to pin point it. Seems to be most obvious with a cold start. Owned since new. Up to date with all recalls, seviced regularly and all common issues have been addressed.

Here is what I have done so far.
Dealership A diagnosed the upper PCV hose, which is common. I am not smelling a crank case smell...but I replaced it anyway since it was leaking oil. Not fixed...

Called FoMoCo and they recommended going to another dealership and opened a case for me. Dealership B diagnosed a bad injector seal, oil separator, timing cover reseal and valve cover gasket. I was a 63B in the Army so DIY when I can. I ordered OEM parts and replaced these myself. I did not do the valve cover since it was not leaking and the timing cover was done under warranty prior and not leaking bad enough for me to take that job on. I did the injectors and oil separator. I did not notice any sign of fuel leaks at the injectors but the oil separator was indeed leaking really bad. I blew the case with Ford since I did the repairs myself but could not stomach the estimate. Not fixed.....

Months later to date and not driving the rig due to the gas fumes and concern for safety. We have dumped too much into this car for maintenance and prefer to repair it and keep it, but I am stumped on what to look at next. Hoping someone may have a similar experience and solved the problem? Thank you kindly.

 

[2013 Pearl]

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I read the recall documentation for 13S04 where there was a fuel delivery module issue. FoMoCo states my rig is not included in the recall. It was built in February and the recall states vehicles up through March are included. I just scheduled an appt. to have the gas tank dropped for an inspection at the dealership. Hopeful this is the culprit. I see no visual leaking anywhere where I can trace from the tank forward so maybe it is this cracked module out of sight on top of the tank. I will report back after this appt. to share the findings.

 

[2013 Pearl]

I read the recall documentation for 13S04 where there was a fuel delivery module issue. FoMoCo states my rig is not included in the recall. It was built in February and the recall states vehicles up through March are included. I just scheduled an appt. to have the gas tank dropped for an inspection at the dealership. Hopeful this is the culprit. I see no visual leaking anywhere where I can trace from the tank forward so maybe it is this cracked module out of sight on top of the tank. I will report back after this appt. to share the findings.

Quiet out there.... Closing the loop so others may benefit from this post on root cause. The Dealership found that the mechanical fuel pump for the 2.0 was faulty and cause of the raw fuel smell. They are replacing it this afternoon and I will reply once more to validate the fix after driving it a few days.

 

[2013 Pearl]

Final update. The fuel pump replacement did not fix the problem after all. That was a waste of six hundred bucks and time. We parted ways after a seven year relationship with Pearl this week. Great rig but the last two years had us for over 4K in repairs. Biggest out of pocket repair was when the dealership replaced the steering rack last year since it started locking up. My VIN was not included in the recall for the faulty electric steering rack even after escalating to FoMoCo.