Alright, i get a bit of a fuel smell under heavy load, and only sporadically... no smell under the bonnet and priming the fuel pump doesn't do anything.
check valve in the brake booster is intact, checked and fine.
so, i know the smell is coming from the catch tank and/or charcoal canister.

i also know that the purpose of the catch tank is to collect any small charcoal particles and stop them from entering the UIM - and that the reason this purge system is there is due to the need for all emissions to exit via the catalytic converter.

my question is: when i put my engine together i initially routed my fuel lines incorrectly and fired a whole lot of fuel into the catch tank - could replacing this fix my issue? or do i really need to replace the charcoal canister?

how much does a charcoal canister run for?

 

I recall an old school method of leaving the cannister out in the sun a few days to allow the gas to evaporate. I've never done it, but I've heard that it works rather than replacing it.

 

let me tell you, people kept telling me FPD this fuel injectors that. I replaced my carbon canister and over the course of 3 weeks straight at every fill-up put a bottle of SeaFoam into the fuel tank. The fuel smell went away and I have had no more problems with the fuel smell issue.

Let me tell you, replacing the carbon canister is a bitch and a half to get too. I found it more of a pain than replacing my fuel filter.

Good god mazda not all of us are 5 foot 1 with girly contortionist hands.

 

The condition that you describe (fuel smell under heavy load) leads me to believe that it could be the fuel pulsation dampner. I replaced my cannister about a year ago, and yes, it is a pain in the **** to replace. My symptoms were fuel smell on shutdown originating from the driver's side wheel well (strongest area). Smell under the hood was not apparent. If the smell seems to be originating from this area of the car, then the cannister is your likely culprit.

 

mine is a JDM... so passenger side gets the smell first, then it comes across to driver's side.
there are no puddles on the top of the block or anything, and visual of the FPD comes up fine.

fortunately, i'm not too far off being a 5'1 contortionist with girlie hands! Mazda made this car just for me! <-- please don't take this seriously!