Raw Gas Smell

[davebitch]

[b] [b]Hi</span>

[DSHornet]

Your dealer is lying to you. Weather is irrelevant. A strong gasoline smell is NOT normal on modern cars!

Do you get a CEL (check engine light) after using about a half tank of gasoline? If so, you might not be getting the fuel filler cap tight enough after filling it at the local gas station. At any rate, the cap should ratchet a quarter turn when it's tight enough to seal well. The tank should be sealed so the engine can draw a slight vacuum in the tank. If it can't, it will give you a CEL.

Are you packing it full when you fill up? Don't - the gas needs some expansion room in the tank. When the pump nozzle starts cutting off automatically, just pump another half gallon or so and let that be it.

If you packed it full several times in the past, the charcoal canister may be full of raw gas, which is not good because it is supposed to collect fuel vapor when the car is parked and allow the engine to draw the vapor from the canister when it's running.

Then you might have a part under the car damaged from road debris. If it's leaking enough to cause a very strong smell, a look under the car may be all it takes to find the source.

[ddix1026]

i agree, you shouldnt be smelling a raw gas smell. i know on cold mornings, there is a "smell" to the exhaust when i turn the wife's Tuc on, but it certanly doesnt smell like gas...

[davebitch]

[b] <span style="font-family:Arial Black"> Thanks guys for the replys. My tucson does not have many km on it. When i go for gas an the nozzle stops i do not try to put any more gas in the tank. i will be calling the dealer ship about the gas problem this monday. And leave it with them an let them cold start it hope it does the same think generally does every time. All keep you updated if i do get to the bottom of it many it will help some one else. I would describe the smell as choking it is pretty strong. it was a showroom car so maybe somebody was srewing around with it. thanks again dave </span>[b]

[time2waste]

Hi Dave,
I'm wondering if you figured out anything.
I've got a 07 Tucson V6 in northern alberta that does the same thing, and i get the same run-around by the dealer.
They're position is that ANY problem will throw a code and if there is no code there is no problem.
No garage and the whole area smell like fuel (exhaust) on cold start up, even gets into my house furnace intake.

Is this normal (as the dealer says) for these vehicles in cold temperatures? How can i document the problem so a dealer needs to look at it?

please help, thx

[duke]

today's cars run leaner fuel mixtures shortly after cold start (form +-40°C); until then, and specially at start up, the mixture need to be richer, in order to a= start (the colder the temperature, the richer the fuel mixture has to be), b= to speed up heating of the catalytic converters and O2 sensors (which also have a build in heating element), and of course heat up the engine as soon as possible for closed loop operation. Most cars have the short-lived smell at start up (even my 2007 Sonata 2.4), because the cold catalysts are not operational. I found, that different fuel brands have an altered smell result at start up.