Smelling gas fumes

[Jonnyb]

Thought i would turn to a forum since i have no luck at the garage.

About 3 weeks ago i started smelling gas when ever i was around my car. At first i thought it was just me, so i kept an eye out for drips and leaks, even going as far as parking in the furthest parking lot were no one parks at my work to see if i could spot anything leaking, nothing.

One day my friend mentions that HE can smell gas. So i bring it to a garage to have it looked at. He hoists the car up and checked everything , no leaks any were. He couldn't even smell the gas as i was standing right beside him smelling it lol. I left it with him over night and the next day he calls me in , he has smelt the gas by this time but is stumped as to where it might be coming from.

He told me from what he can see its coming from the charcoal canister, but not 100% sure and didnt was to start replacing things on my dollar without knowing what it really is. He called Mazda and they said its impossible for it to be the charcoal canister. So he was at a loss of what it could be because every part of the fule system he checked was fine. He even hooked it up to see if he could get any codes , but the only thing it returned was p400 i think " warm up catalyst out of range " or something like that. But i knew that was all ready there.

One thing i have noticed from searching on these forums for the same kinda issue is that i dont smell it in the cabin, which every thread i read with " fumes" could. Even with the heat on high and fans on full. It only seems to be out side the car.

Any ideas would be great.

 

[pasadena_commut]

Loose or leaking gas cap? Ok, it probably isn't, since if it was your car would most likely have thrown a CEL by now. Still, worth a check as it is the easiest thing to fix.

After that, start at the injectors and work back to the tank.

 

[Jonnyb]

I know one thing that the mechanic did do was force compressed air through the system to check for any leaks but still couldnt find one. He said he thinks the charcoal in the canister some how got saturated with fuel and its what is giving the fumes off.

 

[jtlinna]

Just something to check.. Did you or the shop go under the back seat and open the fuel sending unit inspection panel. Mine smelled for gas. Turns out the sending unit had a small crack in it.

JT

 

[Jonnyb]

not sure ill have to ask him , but for my own curiosity is that accessed from in the car or under the car? Where you smelling fuel in the cabin or just outside?

 

[beh]

You can access that panel from inside the car, it's underneath the rear seats. The carpet has a cutout, and there are four VERY soft screws holding the panel on. Mine was leaking, and it stunk in the car, and in my garage.

 

[jtlinna]

Mine didnt smell in the car.. just outside..

JT

 

[Jonnyb]

so i took a look under that access panel and it looks like everything under there is wet with gas along with alot of rust. Is this normal?? could this be the problem?

 

[JDMJNKY]

Should be dry last time I checked mine it was dusty as hell.You sir have a leak.

 

[Dermen]

A few people with the issue and how to fix it can be found here
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123718385-Has-Anyone-Had-Their-Fuel-Pump-Cover-Leak

 

[Jonnyb]

sweet thx for the link.

 

[P5 Fan]

I had the same leak under the seat with only 130,000 kilometers (not miles) cost me 400.00 bucks (CDN)

 

[JDMJNKY]

I had the same leak under the seat with only 130,000 kilometers (not miles) cost me 400.00 bucks (CDN)

Good god why soo much? Couldn't you do it yourself? Isn't that hard.

 

[pasadena_commut]

so i took a look under that access panel and it looks like everything under there is wet with gas along with alot of rust. Is this normal??

My bet is that the rust led to the leak rather than vice versa. Gasoline leaking onto metal does not promote rust except, slightly, by dissolving off the protective paint. You need to figure out why that part is so rusty. Do you have a water leak that ends up pooling at that spot? What else is rusty back there?

 

[Jonnyb]

I'm not too sure I havent really looked that much. I bought this car about a year and a half ago with 159,000km on it. It had never been rust proofed and didnt see it at the time but it had alot of hidden rust that popped out after the first winter of owning the car. Last summer I spent $2500 bux getting all the major rust spots ( mainly around the rear ww's and windshield columns) and a fresh new paint job. I got it Krowned last winter and ill be doing it again come this winter.

I had the same leak under the seat with only 130,000 kilometers (not miles) cost me 400.00 bucks (CDN)

Oh man,400 CDN not liking the sound of that, did you take it to the dealership?. I was thinking of trying this my self, i dont have much experience working on cars but im always willing to give it a shot. Only thing that makes me hesitant is everyone talking about how soft the 8 screws are. And i would really hate to strip one of them.

 

[Dermen]

I need to check mine, it doesn't smell but the rest of the car is rusting so I can't imagine this part not being rusted. If it is I want to replace it before it is a problem.

 

[Jonnyb]

turns out my sending unit was cracked!! mechanic told me ther is no after market part so he has to go though the stealership and its $580.

 

[the_glassman]

Could this lead to a random misfire code?

 

[P-Funk!]

turns out my sending unit was cracked!! mechanic told me ther is no after market part so he has to go though the stealership and its $580.

Get a used one! That is waaaay tooo much.

They don't fail often. Most issues are just the top access panel seal leaking.

 

[Jonnyb]

Could this lead to a random misfire code?

At the time i was having this issue i was not getting one.