I have a 93 Touring that has recently developed a gasoline smell in the engine compartment after driving. There are no noticeable drips, but mileage has noticeably decreased. The idle has moved up from normal to about 1000 rpms. Once the engine is shut off, the smell slowly disappears. Other than the fast idle, the car runs fine. Has anyone experienced this? What can be done?

Thanks,

Tom

 

Your first bet would be to remove the upper intake manifold, and prime the fuel system to see if your fuel lines are leaking. One of the most common areas is the fuel pulsation dampner located at the back of one of the fuel rails. IT has a tendency acound 80,000 miles or so.

 

Yeah, thats what I had a guy do when I wasn't running for ****. It turned out to be something else not even related to fuel, but that does sound like it could be the source of your problem.

 

I had the same thing.....so after my engine & turbo rebuild, it was still there....they said it was a leaking o-ring and replaced it.....how come I still smell the fuel?

After you shut down and walk around the front you can smell it for 5 minutes or so.

Need more info on this.

 

Thanks Flybye, that's where I'll start. It makes a lot of sense considering the circumstances surrounding the problem's occurrence. I really appreciate everyone's feedback and how quickly you responded.

 

I've heard that the fuel rail is a problem on the older FD's as well. Mine had a lead when I bought it (at about 94k miles), and I had a mechanic give me a warning about it being a fire hazard. When I got my engine rebuilt I had it taken care of then, but do be aware that any fuel leakage under the hood there is a serious fire hazard and should be taken extremely seriously. Don't burn up your FD

 

I'm telling you, if you smell fuel, DON'T drive it until you are SURE what the problem is and know it won't cause a fire.

The commonly failed component (aka Fuel Pulsation Dampner :p) is located on the SAME side of the engine as the exhaust system. I had a POOL of fuel on mine when I removed the upper intake manifold. That **** could have ignited at any moment. If you smell fuel, stop using the FD. We don't need to hear a story of someone's FD catching on fire!!

 

Has your car had the recall done? Call up Mazda with your VIN if you aren't sure.

 

The recall only replaces a few fuel lines, and not the actual pulsation dampner. It was done on mine. It Is a good idea to find out, though.

 

Here's an update for all who replied: I had a local dealer check out the car. They said there was no physical leak, but that the car was running rich and there were unattached vacuum lines. So, this does little to help me or calm my paranoia surrounding fire hazard. At least they didn't charge me.

To quote Jerry, "This car's been modified." Gee, Jer, what gave it away? The huge exhaust or the K&N's up front?

I wish my guys in Indy would open up a shop near Chicago. If anyone has a good shop within an hour of Chicago, please give me a referral!!!

 

Just rent a truck and haul it somewhere east or west of you. It's not that expensive to rent a truck, and as for the repair, well, do you want to burn down your car and be completely screwed?

 

After a whole lot of looking, by me and others, I found the source of the problem, which was twofold in nature. First, the car was running horribly due to a loose trailing plug wire. Second, there's a hose that connects towards the top of the oil filler tube, this was just flailing about and the odor was EXACTLY what I was smelling. I had the oil tube O-ring replaced, I bet it was never put back on. The car is running great and there is no more smell. I searched for these supposed "loose vacuum lines," and found nothing. The vacuum patterns have not changed since the problem began, so I'm having trouble believing that one.