I went for a drive in the mountains yesterday, and upon returning I noticed that I could hear the fuel-pump (or what I assume is the fuel-pump) whining from the rear of the car, when I was sitting in traffic. When I got home and turned off the car, and the fuel pump stayed on for 10-15 seconds and then eventually turned off. The car smelled strongly of gas, and gave off that smell almost continuously while driving. I know these cars tend to have a gas smell, but I don't know how much is too much. The car was also idling pretty rough when I got back home. I ended up turning the idle up a bit (it was around 500 rpm), and I've got it around 800 rpm and it seems to be running better now. I'm also getting pretty poor gas mileage (around 15 mpg), so I'm wondering if there's a problem somewhere. Does any of this sound familiar or bad? The fuel-filter was replaced when I purchased the car (at around 6,000 miles ago).

 

12A? Change filter again, look closely at one you take off. Knock it on white paper towel and inspect what comes out,may tell you where to start looking for problem. Start and warm car,shut off,remove air cleaner and look at fuel levels in both windows on fuel bowls,should be same about 1/2 way up window. Post back with what you find.

 

If you have a 79-80, the pump is supposed to stay on whenever the ignition is on. Rcirculating fuel system.

 

Thanks guys, I've got an 83' GS. I ordered a new fuel filter but didn't have time to install it yet this weekend. I did notice that the car feels a lot better after turning the idle speed up. It doesn't run rough at lights, and I didn't notice as much fuel smell while I was driving in the mountains today. I'll post back once I've made the change.