Gas odor inside & fuel milage?

[lovetoski]

I did a bunch of R&R on my emission system last summer/early fall. Replaced some stuff, including all the vacuum lines. Tested the charcoal canister, and it failed the "blow" test (outlined in the emissions manual). So I bought a used one from cruiserparts.net. I tested it before install, and it passed.

My around town milage has been about the same since then, but my hwy milage has been around 12-13, instead of ~15. Since I replaced some other emissions stuff around the same time, it's hard to be specific about cause/effect.

However, this I know - before replacing the charcoal canister, I never had a fuel smell inside the truck. Now I do. Not sure what's up. Since the charcoal canister passed, maybe it exposed another problem - which in turn caused the fuel smell?

Could it be that too much fuel is evaporating, and hence reducing my hwy milage?

I know that without a clear line of cause and effect, it's hard to diagnose this kind of stuff, but I'm hoping that somebody might have some personal experience in this area to give me a hint or two as to where to focus my search.

Thanks in advance!

 

[bigbertha]

hmm

you might want to check your fuel pump for sh$ts and giggles. same thing happened to me when I replaced some rotted hoses. When i restarted and drove, I got a gas smell inside cabin and poor mileage. Turned out to be a pretty good fuel pump leak. few bucks later, all is well.

 

[chitown40]

Was your fuel pump leak external or internal?


I'm having similar issues as lovetoski and have an occasional gas odor (not 100% gas, smells like stinky cat also). I've suspected a failing fuel pump, but everytime I check the carb sight glass it is right in the middle of the window leaving me to believe that the pump is pushing adequate fuel to the carb. I've heard that the pump can leak internally and spill fuel into the block, but I have no firsthand knowledge of this being a possibility. My cannister also passed the 'blow' test, but I do have a decent spare one that I thought of swapping in. I also have a good low mile fuel pump, but I hate swapping in new parts on a whim for ones that are working well.

 

[Pluton]

Did you guys w/ gas smell inside the cab make sure of where the smell is coming from? Don't rule out gas smell coming from the rear: the filler neck area. Just a thought.

 

[Timoss]

The gas cap is often the cause of a gas smell. Replace with OEM. They're cheap and a normal service item so you should replace it if you haven't recently anyway...

Tim
88 fj62 TLCA

 

[swagdan]

I guess a good question would be: When do you smell the gas inside? During or shortly after filling the tank at the gas station? Intermitently? All of the time?

My '87 is in need of replacing the gaskets around the filler neck, so when topping off, if I overfill and splash gas over the neck it drains by the cracks in the gaskets and pools in the fender well....causing gas smells for a few miles. It usually disipates rather quickly and I've pulled the fender drainage plug for now. Ever since I've discovered this, I've been careful not to overfill. Someting to check anyhow.

 

[CardinalFJ60]

if coming from the rear

If you think it's coming from the rear, also pop the interior panel on the PS of the cargo area. There's a lilttle box back there with about 5 or so nipples and hoses. I had an 85 FJ60 where they had rusted through. check for loose/cracking hoses, or rusted nipples. (heh, I said rusted nipples)

HTH

 

[craigv]

I have had problems with gas smell inside and found out that the fuel/air mixture was to rich caused by a faulty sensor coming from the catalytic converter. You might check to make sure the CAT is working and the sensor is sending a signal to the engine.

 

[bigbertha]

pump leak

my leak was external and you could smell gas inside the cab and outside if you sniffed around after starting her up. it wasn't obvious from outside, but it was definitely gas. oem pump replacement wasn't expensive. The gas cap was brand new, so that definitely had nothing to do with the smell, hoses and evap were fine as well.

In my 62 i got a gas smell due to rotted hoses and a clogged evap assembly. I ended up trashing the old tank which was rotted as well, and replacing with a MAF long ranger all new hoses and a new evap assembly. that MAF tank is awesome.

Now my 62 gas gauge is on the fritz and i can't find the grounds the location has changed with the new tank. I'll have to wait until it gets warmer togive it a better look.

 

[lovetoski]

So, you'll have been most helpful...

I did replace my fuel pump last summer, and because one of you mentioned it, checked the bolts - which were a bit loose. I think this could explain both the smell and poor milage. You can get a fuel smell from just a little fuel, but I'm down 2-3 mpg on the hwy, so a "leak" makes sense.

In addition, after reading the posts, I do have a habit of topping off the tank (since a tankful doesn't last too long...). I noticed the smell for sure 2 days ago when I last filled up.

Not sure about the filler neck. No obvious leaks inside the 1/4 panel, but the rubber gasket around the top of the filler neck is old/cracked. Think I'll just replace the cap (non-OEM) stop topping off, and see what happens.

I'm guessing it was the fuel pump...

Sounds like a lot of us have had this problem.

 

[Cruiserdrew]

Pluton and Timoss are exactly right. If the gas cap is bad, or the filler neck has bent metal preventing a good seal, this will cause major gas smells inside the truck. To fix mine I had to install a new filler neck and all of the emission hoses in the rear quarter panel. The new filler neck is $, but it looks like a work of art.

 

[mrsvle]

Also, remember there has been a fuel tank recall on the FJ60's. If you still have the original fuel tank this could be the problem. Have you had the tank replaced per the recall?

Matt

 

[lovetoski]

Pluton and Timoss are exactly right. If the gas cap is bad, or the filler neck has bent metal preventing a good seal, this will cause major gas smells inside the truck. To fix mine I had to install a new filler neck and all of the emission hoses in the rear quarter panel. The new filler neck is $, but it looks like a work of art.

In inspecting this area, it's clear that some of the hoses and gaskets are old - cracking for example. What parts did you replace exactly? Can you offer an estimate of what you paid? I'm not sure that this is the primary place the odor is coming from, but it maybe a secondary area. It may be an "issue" that needs addressing, and I want to put it onto my list...

 

[Cruiserdrew]

In inspecting this area, it's clear that some of the hoses and gaskets are old - cracking for example. What parts did you replace exactly? Can you offer an estimate of what you paid? I'm not sure that this is the primary place the odor is coming from, but it maybe a secondary area. It may be an "issue" that needs addressing, and I want to put it onto my list...

The hoses are quite cheap, but there are 5 or 6 of them. If you open the rear quarter panel, you'll see a plastic maniflod with hoses of different diameters attached. The large one was cracking in mine and takes 5 minutes to replace. The smaller evap hoses were good. Be careful with the plastic manifold. It looks brittle. Unfortunately, that was not the source of the smell.

I also replaced the large filler neck itself-the one you pump the gas intop, and the main fuel pipe (rubber) that connects it to the fuel tank. The lip of my filler neck was slightly bent from 20 years of fuel nozzles and wear. I want to say the filler neck was $175 and the rubber pipe was $20. I just ordered everything from Cruiserdan and don't remember exactly what it cost, but the new filler neck completely solved the problem.

 

[Cougar]

Also, remember there has been a fuel tank recall on the FJ60's. If you still have the original fuel tank this could be the problem. Have you had the tank replaced per the recall?

Matt

I was not aware of the recall. Does anyone have the recall information? I have a '84 fj60 and I am wondering about the gas tank.

 

[brett76]

I was not aware of the recall. Does anyone have the recall information? I have a '84 fj60 and I am wondering about the gas tank.

just call a dealer and give them the VIN and they should be able to tell you if youve had it.

 

[dominic]

Hi, I bought my Landcruiser (100 series) three years ago and always had a strong petrol smell. Practically everybody suggested the charcoal canister being the problem. The smell was really noticable towards the rear and as the canister is in the engine bay, I thought that that couldn't be the problem. I was also apprehensive about spending so much money and finding out that it wasn't the problem.
SILLY ME! I eventually bought a new canister (two minutes to change) and it's totally cured! I can't believe that I ruined three years of enjoyment in my LC!
Anyway, happy ending.
By the way, to compare the symptoms you may be having: It was more noticable as the tank emptied and more noticable when cornering.
Definitely try the canister.