73k miles, every once in a while when i have the heater on (i have the digi climate) 75 degrees and up i'll get a gasoline smell in the car, mostly coming from the floor vents-i thought it was other cars in front of me leaking but its happened maybe three times now, anybody ever had a problem or experienced anything similar? I'm not leaking any gas, and it goes away when i hit the recirc button

 

does it happen when the car has been running for 10-15 minutes, until its warm, or does it do it when its just cold? if its just when the car is cold it might be a leaking fuel line near the manifold(this happened on my 94 max when i had it)

 

Because it's getting cold, the fumes from the cars sometimes smell like gas.

 

hmm i hope thats it, just other cars... it does it when its warmed up and cruising down the road

 

ok, i asked you that becuase my 94 maxima did that too. when it was cold it would leak fuel onto the manifold and when it got warm it would stop becuase the hose would expand. you might want to check for leaks anyways just to be sure. our 86 and 94 maximas both had fuel line leaks onto the manifold but we didnt catch the 86 until it was too late

 

whaddaya mean too late lol

 

it could be that may be on start ups that the car is runnin richer due to cold weather. Or maybe you have a cracked line that is leaking a little. My boys Altima was doing that and it famous for the 3rd gens.

 

or maybe a little exhaust leak under or near the hood thats coming up in the car!

 

my 3rd gen is doing it now ! LOLZ

 

Its an easy first step that will most likely fix the problem. Cold weather is notorious for causing contraction of the rubber of the fuel lines allowing a small leak to start. Tightening the clamps will usually work to bridge the gap. If not, replace the fuel line and the clamps. Make sure to use clamps that are the appropriate size and are made for fuel injection hose...NOT wormgear clamps. If you replace the fuel line, don't forget to relieve the residual fuel pressure in the lines or you will get a surprise.

 

Ditto. And maybe next time you smell it you may want to pull over, shut the car off, leave the key on and look for a leak then, if you haven't already been doing that.

 

ok, i did that a few months ago when it happened in summer, but its not like an unsafe thing right? i mean i know its a gas leak but not something i should be driving a rental for until i fix it?

 

So I saw this on TV yesterday. Turns out there's an evap system for the fuel that sends fumes into the intake manifold to burn the unburnt fuel.

 

Should it become bigger and hit your exhaust manifold, it could be considered in the "unsafe" category then.