Whilst excellerating, when I get up to around 2000 revs I get a raw fuel smell inside the cab, crazy as this sounds its like its coming through the a/c vent, it doesn't matter if I go hard or if I build up the revs slowly. Even weirder, if I lift the bonnet and rev the engine whilst the car is standing parked there is no fuel smell at any revs nor is there any sign of fuel leakage.:W: Can anyone help
Whilst excellerating, when I get up to around 2000 revs I get a raw fuel smell inside the cab, crazy as this sounds its like its coming through the a/c vent, it doesn't matter if I go hard or if I build up the revs slowly. Even weirder, if I lift the bonnet and rev the engine whilst the car is standing parked there is no fuel smell at any revs nor is there any sign of fuel leakage. Can anyone help
Hi mate, you may have a lose fuel line on the tank that what happen with my 2 seater. If your car is a two seater then you will need to remove parcel shelf and inspection plate on passenger side it will reveal fuel lines, not to shore where the inspection plate is on 4 seater. Hope this has help Laurence
The obvious solution would be to trace all fuel lines from the tank to the engine. If there's no smell in the bay, it could be the seal between pump and fuel tank or the hoses from the pump have gone off. Look here and it gives you a pretty comprehensive breakdown: http://www.z32photoguide.com/fuelsys.html
There are multiple places where fuel leaks can occur. Main thing would be to check all fuel lines clamps and do a tighten if possible. The normal leak in the "bastard" hose. Its the one under the throttle linkage connecting between the two fuel rails. Then would be to check the injectors for seepage from the upper O-ring.
Thanks gimpie and MikeZ32, I appreciate the replies. I have double checked all fuel lines from tank to engine bay and all looks good and dry. I can cruise down the highway, travel through town traffic for hours without any fuel smell, it only occurs when I throttle up around 2000 revs then the smell disappears, as I mentioned earlier this only happens when driving, I can sit in the car and max the revs out whilst I'm parked and not get any fuel smell at all
I actually had a look at the canister from the back after removing the radiator overflow container and it looked OK + no strong fuel smell. Maybe I will have to take the front bar and intercooler off to have a look at the vacuum lines that go to it. My only hesitation is could a problem with the canister cause a fuel smell only when driving in the mid rev range + the canister stores the fuel evaporation from the tank when the motor is not running so I figure if the canister or vacuum hoses were faulty and the car was sitting out in the hot sun you should be able to smell the fumes?
I can't see any signs of seepage or dampness + I had new injectors, fuel filter, fuel lines in the engine bay and a new rise & fall fuel regulator fitted about 9 months ago. I can poke my head under the bonnet and rev the engine out to the max without getting any concentrated fuel smells, its only when I'm driving down the road and I hit around 2000 revs. I can drive all day without any fuel vapors in the cab as long as I stay under 2000 revs.
I forgot o ring on the fuel tank, maybe broken or missing $18-$20 from Nissan had to replace one of them too on one of my zeds.
I'm actually starting to think that air from the engine bay is somehow making its way to the air-con intake vent, the problem is more pronounced when the air-con is on?
is the car a TT? They have 3? speed pumps in them. Maybe you are noticing it more when the pressure comes up? (When putting injectors and aftermarket pumps you usually disable this feature)
Yes its TT, not sure what this 3? speed pump is, if your talking about the fuel pump in the tank well mine is genuine. I have replaced the regulator with a rise & fall reg to handle the extra boost and the injectors are hi-flow but are not working to full load, turbo's also hi-flow with bigger actuators. None of this explains when the car is parked and you rev the motor there is no fuel smell in the cab or under the bonnet, seems to me the force of the outside air flow thats created when I'm driving somehow is forcing fumes from the engine bay into the aircon ducts as the smell in the cab is 80% more when the aircon is on, but why do I get that whiff of raw fuel when the revs reach around 2000. Its weird, I can not reproduce the fuel smell when the bonnets up and i'm revving the engine
Reading through the thread it sounds like you have a leak in the engine bay and you are getting fumes into the cabin. Physically inspect and tighten each and every hose and clamp -there are alot.
Thanks rob260, I have checked, from the fuel tank to the engine bay and the carbon canister and all looks good and dry. funny thing is, if I put the bonnet up and stick my head in the engine bay and rev the crap out of the motor I can't get it to produce the fuel smell, only happens when driving and only around 2000 revs it comes in. The fuel smell is definitely coming in via the A/c vents, logic 1- its 80% more pronounced when the A/C is on, logic 2- the whiff of fuel that occurs when approaching 2000 revs is cold not a hot fuel smell at all. I think I need to see if there is a break down in the A/C air intake
I had a similar occurrence - Z32 TT '92 and my mechanic tracked it down to a fuel line that had hardened off a little and the clamp wasn't tight enough any more. The fuel pump delivers at high pressure to a limiter so that at high demand, there is njo lag and the pressure is there. When the pressure is required the flow is clear, when not the flow is reduced but the pressure on the pump side of the limiter is higher and if it can find a way to vent a little it will. He tightened the clamps on the whole system and the smell went. It was just at "town" revs that I got the smell and his explanation was logical. My old Z31 had a similar problem but it was high ks. In that the fuel pressure difference found out all sorts of weaknesses. Hope that helps a little. Best regards MGR Ron
