Hey guys, since I can't search, a little of your expertese would be appreciated. This morning I went out and started my car, 91 GXE, and then came out 10 minutes later. When I got in the car, there was a strong fuel smell. I also noticed that the car runs great, but when I come to a stop the car is vibrating a bit. Nothing bad, but it's definately there. Any thoughts?

 

I'm going to take a guess that it could be an injector with bad O-rings making it leak. OR it could be a vacuum hose detached from somewhere. I'm not sure about the VG but on the VE there is a black canister about the size of a popcan, with two vacuum hoses going to it. This has something to do with excess fuel vapors or something and if one of those hoses comes of, the fumes may just float around in your car. Just a few guesses. Also, check your fuel lines and look or smell for leaks there. Hope this helps.

 

Thanks Rosamax. I appreciate your help. I just pulled the car into the mechanical unit at work. As soon as I put the hood up, you could smell raw gas. What was discovered was that the rubber hose that connects to the fuel rail is leaking where it connects. There is a small c-clamp with a tightening screw on the rubber hose. We're going to try to tighten the clamp after lunch. If that doesn't work, then the intake is going to have to come off and replace the hose. I'm really glad that it isn't the fuel injectors though.

Another question. Would this cause the vibration/slight rough idle? It's not terrible, but it is noticable and annoying. Thanks guys.

 

The lower fuel pressure from the leaking hose may cause that depending on how much it was leaking. Was it vibrating before the fuel line episode?

 

It started last night when I went out to dinner. Then it went away for the most part. It was back again this morning. The fuel problem is fixed now, thank goodness, but it still vibrates a bit. I know the car won't be perfectly smooth, I would never expect that, but it does vibrate you when idling in gear. There are 94K miles on it and it was tuned at 67K. I see in the manual that the plugs are due every 60K. Have you found that to be the case or do you think that they should be done every 30K? Thanks.

 

Leaky fuel hose. Will leak when cold and seal up when warm. I'd trace and fix it asap. Problem is VG engines have some hoses UNDER the intake manifold.

Wait until the car has sat overnight. Open hood and start car. Then carefully look for a seaping hose to hard line connection.

 

You're absolutely right Jeff. That was the exact problem. Fortunately, the line that was leaking was the front one on the drivers side and the mechanic was able to fix it without taking the intake off. I'm really glad for that. I've heard that it's a pain in the butt to get the intake off. Thanks for your help.

 

I have horrible gas mileage, like that of a Ford Expedition. 18 mpg on the highway. I can smell a faint gas smell under the hood while the engine is running. I wonder if bad injector(s) would cause this gas mileage to be this bad. And the fuel line is not leaking.