Fuel leak under hood?

[jacob0401]

Is raw gas smell normal coming from under the hood? I was checking fluids this morning and there was a pretty strong gas smell. Is this normal? Should there be any raw gas smell from under the hood?

 

[notfred]

Running rich?

 

[Black88GTA]

Is it an old car? Carburetors smell like raw fuel when they need to be rebuilt....

 

[Heisenberg]

On a modern fuel-injected vehicle, I would say no.

 

[jacob0401]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA
Is it an old car? Carburetors smell like raw fuel when they need to be rebuilt....

The car is 1992 Nissan Stanza.

So I should go get it checked out?

 

[d3n]

Could be the fuel line is working its way loose. Park on concrete somewhere and after its sat for a wile run it for a few mintues and roll it off the spot. Look for clear drips behind what was one of the front tires on ethier side and smell for gas.

 

[MedicBob]

Originally posted by: jacob0401

Originally posted by: Black88GTA
Is it an old car? Carburetors smell like raw fuel when they need to be rebuilt....

The car is 1992 Nissan Stanza.

So I should go get it checked out?

Yes before it starts on fire.

 

[Black88GTA]

Originally posted by: jacob0401

Originally posted by: Black88GTA
Is it an old car? Carburetors smell like raw fuel when they need to be rebuilt....

The car is 1992 Nissan Stanza.

So I should go get it checked out?

Quick check on partsamerica.com shows your car as having a 2.4L fuel injected I-4. So it's not a carb. As someone said, it could be a fuel line working loose, or bad injector o-rings, allowing fuel to work past them. At any rate, your engine / exhaust gets very hot when it's running. Highly combustible liquid leaking in the vicinity of very hot metal objects = bad. Take it to a mechanic NOW.

 

[QuitBanningMe]

Check the connections/hoses to the charchoal/vapor canister.

 

[flot]

Well, I am going to second everyone's opinion that you should get this checked out as soon as reasonably possible. It sounds like a fuel leak. If you are reasonably handy, this is easy to diagnose yourself - find the fuel filter, which is usually in a reasonably accessible location. Now work forward and backwards from that. Pay extra attention to any fittings where rubber and metal lines come together. Looked for cracks in the fuel hoses, wet/damp spots, CLEAN spots, etc.

The best way to check is to turn your key to the "on" position a few times in the morning (but do not start) and then remove the key and go poke around under the hood. Turning the ign to "on" in many cars will pressurize the fuel system. (you'll hear the fuel pump running under the car for a second) A lot of times it is easiest to see a wet spot on a hose or whatnot rather than sniff your way around. You may simply need to go around tightening all the fuel line clamps with a screwdriver and you'll be good to go.

Just becuase you have a fuel leak does not mean that your car is in emminent danger of blowing up or anything like that - but there is obviously some potential danger there and yes you should check it out. I wouldn't smoke while I was doing the checking out though. 🙂

PS: It is not unreasoanble for a 92 car to be developing cracked fuel lines... this falls into the category of general maintenance because it's just plain old. 🙂

 

[vegetation]

Check fuel lines under the hood, uses rubber hoses that can degrade over time and cause a small leak. An easy do-it yourself type of job too.

 

[funboy6942]

Originally posted by: MedicBob

Originally posted by: jacob0401

Originally posted by: Black88GTA
Is it an old car? Carburetors smell like raw fuel when they need to be rebuilt....

The car is 1992 Nissan Stanza.

So I should go get it checked out?

Yes before it starts on fire.