My sister came in today and starts causing a comotion saying man its smells like gas around your car, so i got out and went to see and well it does smell like fuel from the car, i really get the smell from the left side of the car, could it be the fuel pulsation dampner? might be time to replace it, or is it normal for our rotaries to be a little stinky? how can i confirm that its the fuel pulsation dampner if it does turn out to be the case?

 

Bump

 

i can't tell you if it's the fpd, but i can tell you that you shouldn't be smelling fuel unless you got no cat.

 

check fuel line first. also, was fuel line recall done on your car? usually FPD starts leaking and smelling under acceleration, not after it's parked.

 

I am not sure if the fuel line is done but my FD is a 94 wasnt the recall already done on the 94's? this smell i get isnt right after i have driven the car and parked it, its when the car has been sitting for a bit, like overnight or a day... what fuel line should i be focusing on here, any suggestions?

 

i have a 94 as well and i get the same thing. Once its been sitting in the garage for a few hours after ive parked it, you start smelling gas

 

I would recommend taking a lighter and inspecting it a close range. JUST KIDDING!!

The FPD is suspect, as well as fuel lines, even fuel injectors, etc. You really need to track it down before you drive the car any more or that puppy could catch on fire. It has happened MANY times........

Let the car sit for a few hours outside with the hood open to let any residual gas evaporate, then, on a calm day start it again and let it idle for a minute and then shut it off - you don't really want to get it hot. Sniff around and you should be able to get a good idea where the leak is coming from. Odds are it will be under the UIM - duh.

Make sure you have a good fire extinguisher IN HAND while you do this - have someone else start the car with the driver door open.

You should be able to call Mazda Corp. with your VIN and they can tell you if the recall was done - if not, a local dealer should do it for free. If it was done it is entirely possible that this could still be the culprit.

Seriously - don't drive it any more until you get it fixed!

 

Fuel Pulsation Dampener is a good bet. I just had mine replaced, and you could tell it was faulty because the nipple was wet(leaking). I no longer have a fuel smell.
Also, i've heard of the charcoal canister going bad, and not absorbing fumes any more.
Listen to everybody's fire warnings, as they are absolutely true. KD had 4 cars in the lot right now that are FPD fires.
You would absolutely be wise not to drive the car.
Good luck.

 

Thanks for the replies guys, well i pretty sure the recall may have been done because my car is on its second motor which was a reman from mazda, so i am pretty sure the recall has been already done. I think i am going to go ahead and investigate the fuel pulsation dampner, now i wont be taking off the upper intake manifold, but was wondering if thier is anyway to see visable from the driver side that the pulsation dampner is infact leaking, what i am basically trying to say is is their anyway i can view the pulsation dampner other than removing the UIM? i just wanna see if its leaking can that be visably possible?

 

I would like to chime in and say I have a similar problem. I have the fuel smell, as well as some blue smoke coming from the passenger side of the UIM (between UIM and turbos). ErnieT checked my car over and spoke with Demetrios, they came to the conclusion that it was the FPD. Would youguys concur?

I have ceased driving the car and have the FPD on order from Mazdatrix. Also, I have an appointment to take it in next week to the Mazda dealer. Should I tell them to LOOK at anything else while doing that and the tuneup so that it will not cost money (unless there is something that needs to be changed).

 

wow, didnt know it was so common. i was just down there adjusting my foglights and i could smell gas coming from the mouth of the car. i have a 20k mile engine, but no cats.
can i check the fpd without lifting my uim?
thanks, rajeev

 

yeah man I didn't think it was this common either. I also have that fuel smell from under my hood and also from the front of the car and drivers side. I'm assuming that fuel is the main problem in 3rd gens. I hate it...
I wish you could check the Fuel pulsation damper without taking anything off. But to check it right, your going to have to remove the Throttle body , intake manifold, ACV, Vacuum hose rack, solenoids. In other words, it's a mission!!! I'm in the process of all this. I'm changing the o-rings from the injectors. I minus well just install silicone vacuum hoses now that everything is off. Anyone else doing this are that has done all this before?

 

I just brought my **** to Dave(KD), and said HELP!

 

That's all well and good if you don't feel like driving your 7 this year. Most don't drive it in the snow, and he is booked throught the end of July. So you might get a month or 2 in of driving it until next spring.

 

I know, he is totally booked. definitely a tough situation.