i got a slight smell of gasoline when i turned the heat on, my evap canister was making a whining noise last winter, and i had a fuel unjector replaced a few months ago. usually, i associate a gas smell with injectors, my mechanic says engine's burn fuel alot richer in the cold weather. any help as to what's causing smell??? i opened hood, and it did'nt smell like it was coming from the engine, rather, in front of the engine. car run's fine>>> any help would be appreciated.

 

Your mechanic is right when he says that engines run richer when cold, however, I'm gonna say to look into the work that was performed recently. You said that you recently had an injector replaced, so I personally think that you may have a little bit of fuel seaping out from one of the supply or return lines going into the fuel rail.

I know that third gens have this going on, and its even in the stickies I think, but third gens have it cause of age. People say that they smell gas on start-up in cold weather. The gas leaks out and sits on the lower intake, and as it vaporizes, it gets sucked in the cowl and pushed through the vent, into the drivers' nose.

I also don't know why you would hear a whinning form the canister itself....The canister itself is filled with charcoal. There's nothing really in there that has a motor or something that would "whine". But the Maxima might be different and arrange their purge solenoids in it or whatever. But my advice to you would be to do a real good look see at the fuel lines and whatnot; especially where they connect to the rail, and try to peak at the injectors where they enter the intake to check for leaks there as well.

Good Luck
Anthony

 

actually, there's a little valve in front of the evap canuster that sticks apparently making that noise. my mechanic (of course he's gonna say this) says their's nothing wrong with a little gas smell especially if the car sits for a day or two. i disagree with this, i never smelled gas before but the fuel line check sounds like a good idiea. how much time to look foe this problem and how much $$$$$ to check??? thanks in advance>>>>

 

i got this same smell coming through my vents when i turn the heater on...but after the car has been running for awhile the smell no longer comes through the vents....is your cel on? mine isn't? Ive had this smell for about a month now. sick of it...

 

if it ends up being that valve on the evap canister (vent control valve) and you want to save money...go to the dealer, buy the valve yourself ($130 i think), and put it in yourself! i recently replaced that and i did it in my driveway, no jacks, only a wrench and it took me no longer than 5 minutes.

if its the whole canister thats bad, i think theyre around $500 plus labor.

 

i had the gas smell too..it was the evap canister...the evap canister isn't that hard. Pretty cheap too from the dealer. N you can't get it anywhere else tho. Also, its like 2-3 hoses and u have to pull off the sensor on the old one n put it on the new one. Got rid of my evap cel that way..but now it comes back on once in a while..go figure....but no more gas smell after i changed that...but don't ask me why the gas smell disappeared afterwards

 

ok, what is a cel??? im sure i know but i dont know that abbreviation. also, i had a minor fender bender 10 days ago and the smell was'nt there before that. is there a fuel line up front on driver's side on front of the block that could've been knocked loose??? jesus, this is drivin me crazy!!!!!!!!!

 

Does anyone know of a good source to buy a new cannister and valve? Thanks.