everytime i turn on my heat/AC there is a strong smell of gasoline put thought my car , i looked under the hood but there is no visible leeks , i did an injector change about 2 months ago .. it's in the 5th spot though , how long can i go without checking , is there anywhere else that can be leeking aisde fomr the gas lines? help

 

Follow the rubber gas line to where it enters/exits the fuel rail. Most likely a old rubber line is leaking or the connector is loose. Also cheak the two rubber lines that move the fuel from one rail to the other. On the front side of the engine.

You also should check it BEFORE you start the engine or right when you start it. As soon as the engine warms up, it often heats up the lines and plugs the leak.

 

didnt we have a sticky about this last winter? not sure where that info went

 

We've had a sticky about this for probably 2-3 years. But since when does ANYONE read them? My god, to most it's just in the way of the forum posts

 

yea that is quite true. damn posting with a psp

 

lol the smell does stop after the car is warmed up , but before starting the car , there is no trace of gasoline on the floor , or on dripping on the engine while it's off , there is a strong smell of gas if i have the car on and the hood open comming from the left side of the engine , i dont see anything comming out of it but theres like a U shaped thing .. with an upside down U under it.. i think it's moving fuel from top to bottom , i dunno what it is but it smells like gas..maybe ill get a pic tomarrow

 

the gas will not be dripping. If it did you'd have a fire already. Look at the fuel rails. They will prob have stains from the gas. Right after you start the car the rails might be slightly wet from the gas. You dont even have to start it. Just put the key into the on position to let the fuel pressure build up and if you have the leak at the rails it will be wet already.

Check this link for a better idea of where the problem most probably is.

LINK

 

Do what alpicone recomended or just take it to pep boys or strauss... I did mines with strauss for less than $300...

BTW - the problem is with flat out old fuel hoses. in cold weather - due to natural physics - the cracks on the hoses allow fuel to leak. as the hoses warm up they expand and naturally seal the cracks. You will not see much evidence of the leak after the car warms up because the leaking gasoline simply evaporates. But if you just turn the key to the ACC position and take a look at the hoses under the hood with a flashlight, you will see the leak and the gas basically flodding the fuel line. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CONDITION! One that I endured for more than 5 years!

 

$300? He could buy the correct fuel line and replace them for less than $20. He has a VE so no rubber lines on the injectors.

 

I guess. I chose to pay the money because I had no conceiveable way of accessing the problem hose(s), much less the tools or patience. Sometimes is ok to spend some money and help the economy.

 

i have this same condition on my car....are there any recommendations for brands of hose? is there a goodyear-type silicone set out there that has been widely used with great success?

also, could it be the rich running condition that a cold engine operates under?

 

I got the hose at autozone. Im pretty sure it was goodyear. The hose that you need is 5/16 ID. Make sure you use fuel injection hose ONLY.

 

That hose is a generic fuel injection hose, you probably need 1' of it to do all the lines. I was being an idiot an bought a hose from Nissan for like $20. It is still in my toolbox as I found no possible way of replacing - too much to unbolt including the antifreeze lines that I felt lazy and gave up. I just ignore the smell on the cold days.

 

Im doing mine when I swap my injectors. Im pretty sure I could do it if I was changing the timing belt (for the pass side hose) and Im pretty sure I could just move the intake piping and some other small stuff and get to the driver side hoses. But since Im in there time for some cheap preventative mantience.

~Alex

 

anyone have a writeup on how to switch the hoses, i think ill take this challenge on , if i can get it done in 1 day .. thats like 8 hours for me since daylight time is short now...

 

Have you tried tightening the hose clamps???

Mine had the same cold fuel smell problem some years ago...It was leaking gas out of the top of this hose...


Fixed it by tightening the clamp...Then i tightened all the remaining clamps....That was 3+ yrs ago...No gas smell since...

 

did you take that picture like sideways , i got one of those claps on the left side of my engine , one upside down and one right side up..

 

 

yea, thats what im refering to lol, im actually missing one of the bolts from it , could that be a problem lol... is 1 enough to keep that thing from spewing gasoline?

 

To answer your PM about the gas lines. In this thread, It's mentioned that it could cost maybe $20 max for the fuel line. Probably more like $10. Just buy like 3ft of the FUEL INJECTION line. NOT just vacuum hose. Judging by your posts, I think that needs to be VERY clear. And just cut off and replace the lines. Normal logic. But maker sure the fuel rail pressure has been drained first. And make sure you buy fuel line that's close to the oem. OEM is in mm but there is an inch replacement.

Although you should probably go ahead and replace all the short runs of lines, you should confirm which one is leaking first.

Again, all of thise is mentioned in the stickies that you still need to read. Good luck

 

intake manifold needs to be removed for this?

 

Not sure why you are asking this. You have a VE30DE. All the fuel lines are easily accessed and no intake manifold removal is needed.

 

****it , that thing that greenmax pointed at was leaking , both the top screws were loose causing the clamps to not be tight enough

 

...

 

Congrats. Only SEVEN days to diagnosis

 

mine just started to leak as well, do you think it would be unwise to reuse the intake mani gaskets that have less than 1K miles on them and less than 1 month on them?

btw when removing upper intake, do you have to drain coolant or can you just plug some of the lines as you take them off?, and is there any specific torque procedure for it?

 

i migh just replace that whole peice at the end and buy some new clamps.