I have recently noticed for a little while a strong gas smell in my car. I sometimes can smell it in the inside of the car. And it is more noticeable on the outside driver side of the car. I have replaced all fuel injector hoses with new ones in the fuel rail and its not coming from there. And there are no leaks as far as I have seen underneath the car or in the engine compartment. My homeboy even noticed it when i pulled up to his house last night of the gas smell while he was standing outside the driver side door. ANyone experienced this?

 

Check the filler neck. The tube that goes from the gas cap to the gas tank. If that's not it, check the gas lines. You have a leak.

 

do a search, theres dozens of threads with the same question in the 3rd gen section

 

Like everyone said, its definitely a leak.

I'd check
-filler neck
-lines under car
-fuel injection hoses (ie, fuel filter, injector rail, ect)

 

Yeah i just fixed this problem too, the little hose from the filler neck had a crack and it leaked out gasoline endlessly. It was a cheap $1.30 fix for me buying the hose at autozone. GL

 

I would check the gas tank vent hose

In my experience, the vent hose cracking/breaking is more common than a leak in the actual filler neck.

The vent hose is under the car beside the driver side rear wheel. It's 3/4" or so (don't remember the size exactly) rubber hose about 8-10" long that runs right beside the filler neck into the gas tank. Normally the rubber cracks right where it meets the gas tank, and so it causes a gas smell, and if it's bad enough even causes a leak there when the tank is full or near full.

 

definitely sounds like your vent line as James92SE pointed out. It runs just parallel to the filler line and is right behind the brake assembly. Also, if you haven't already, have your fuel filler neck replaced by Nissan for free under the open campaign.

Both my 3rd gens had the same symptoms and replacing the vent hose (part# A7726-85E00 $33.18) fixed em both.

 

Thanks I will check it out in the morning, cause I got off work last night and got ready to park the car, and soon as I openend the driver door I still smelled the gas. Gonna look at that hose first thing in the morning.

 

I havent had my fuel filler neck replaced by Nissan Yet. Is this under recall?

 

Yes there should be a recall. I had that done in 2003. They had to order the part from Japan! No charge of course Just take it to your dealer and have them run your VIN to see if it's been done.

 

It's always best to run your VIN at the dealer when getting service....you never know what kind of freebies are out there.

 

wait so if the metal were to be rusted out where the seat belt is, would they still weld in new metal?

 

Recall/law or not, I'd highly doubt any 3rd genner would be able to get a dealer to fix either seatbelt rust or the gas filler neck at this point in time (20 years in)...

Last I heard a guy on here a few years ago couldn't find any dealer to agree to fix the seatbelt rust. He tried a ton of dealers and none would touch it, even though seatbelts supposedly have a "lifetime warranty". There might be a better chance of getting the gas filler neck itself done, but I'd be very surprised

Remember, dealers inspect/diagnose the issue, then determine what/if any "corrective action" should be taken (if that includes recall stuff, etc.). I mean, a rusted out 20 year old car - they're not going to "determine" that the rust is due to the recall problem. If they find any rust on the rest of the car, then you may be SOL, as they can just "determine" the gas filler neck/seatbelt rust isn't attributable to the recall problem as evidenced by the presence of rust on the rest of the car

 

are you talking about the seatbelt rust under the back bottom seat cushion? i have that too, doesnt matter really now because i have the back seat ripped out for my harnesses but i was surprised to see it when i took the cushions out

i just grinded the rust out myself, but yeah as far as i know seatbelts are lifetime warranty

 

The seatbelt rust normally talked about here on Max.org is where the rear upper seatbelts actually mount in the trunk (behind the strut towers). If the gas filler neck rust is bad enough, it normally rusts out the whole panel where the driver side rear seatbelt mounts, thus making the seatbelt kind of useless since it's not attached to anything sturdy

 

ah i thought you meant the actual bottom of the back seat itself

i still cant figure out how 3rd gens always get the rust at the rear wheelwells where the back doors meet, 1 winter after fixing my rust there it came back somehow equally as bad as before. at least its not as bad of a common spot as some Hondas have

 

It rusts on the rear door sills/wheelwells because that's where the drain lines cone out right near there, and over the years crap gets caught all in there and rusts it out

 

I dont think I have ever seen a 3rd gen Maxima, or any gen Maxima for that matter, in New Zealand with rust issues. They just dont rust here. I have seen the odd one with panel damage that has surface rust where the paint is scratched or missing, but never one with rust holes or the likes.

 

I wonder why its the vent hose that cracks instead of the filler neck hose? The filler hose sees gasoline more than the vent hose does I had to replace the vent hose on both of my VE's

I noted a hint of rust near that area where the rear seatbelts mount, not much at all that made me worry but i scraped/filed/wire wheeled out the area and covered it all in POR15 rust paint and then sprayed with rubber undercoat on top of it.. aint no rust going to happen there anymore

 

IMO I think the vent hose cracks because if you look at it where it connects on the tank, it seems as if the hose is really a SMIDGE too tight, and it's not a perfectly straight shot to the car, it's kind off cocked, sort of constantly "stressing" it. It usually starts to crack right at the ridge/bulge that is created with the hose on the gas tank. I think it just permanently kind of stretches it where it connects, plus it's s little cocked, so when the rubber starts to dry out it cracks right along that "stressed" area

 

Wouldn't it be better contacting Nissan Corp instead of the dealer in hopes of getting a 20+ year old vehicle repair under a recall. Call Nissan Corp and have then run your vin, explain you're a struggling student, single income parent, etc and let them know the Max is your only means of transportation and you're concern with your families safety when driving the car.

The dealer has to sell it to Nissan Corp for reimbursement, so why not circumvent them. Good luck.

 

Everytime I go to the dealer They tell me that no recall information is showing up at all. I went there yesterday to see if the fuel filler neck was replaced on my car, gave them the VIN, and they tell me that nothing is showing up under the VIN or that the VIN wont go through? Im lost at this point even though my car has been in the south most of its life, and the fuel filler neck is not rusting, how can the VIN not go through?

 

Did we fix it yet?

 

So what did U do 2 resolve this problem? Use compressed air to blow the crap out or what? I have this problem on driverside front/back, the front driver side get wet under floor mat, even though there's no body rot and in the back under the seatbelt the seat get's damp.

 

I did this

http://forums.maxima.org/3rd-generat...-rust-0-a.html

 

what have you "bean" eating lately..........

 

Going to replace the vent hose today, It seems to be a wet spot right near where the hose meets the gas tank like everyone said.

 

Check fuel rail assembly and lines for leaks....keep a fire extinguisher in your vehicle.....JIC

 

BOOM!!!

 

Well Ive been looking for this line. I see there is one right next to the fuel filler line under the car. It seems like its metal though? The rubber hose that connects to it, and then goes to the gas tank, is this the vent line? From the looks of it it looks like a PITA to remove and replace, looks like its about half inch to and inch in width. Is this the correct hose? I will post a pic later.

 

I have the smell on my 92 SE but can't see any leak. Is it just fuel vapors tha come out. Where is the vent hose most likely to crack?

 

I love the Ford website, instant recall information.

Nissan, have to complete this form, no huge deal, have to wait though.....

http://www.nissanusa.com/apps/contactus/recall

Guess I could always call

 

Well I found the leak and it is in the vent hose that goes between the tank and the metal tube that runs up the filler pipe. There is about an eighth of an inch crack in the hose right near the rear clamp that is on the tube on the filler tube.

I oderded the part from the dealer - about $32. Seems like a lot but I figured that as hard as it is going to be to replace the darn thing, I might as well use the right hose.

I am 72 and laying on the ground under the car isn't as much fun as it used to be. Does anyone know how much the dealer would charge to put the new one on?