Do all spiders smell of fuel?

[baltobernie]

Probably. See "What is It?" post above.

[bradartigue]

The charcoal canister / vapor recovery system should not be confused with a performance zapping emissions control system. It isn't. I spent a good bit of time finding the right canister for my 70 because I hate smelling gas fumes. Get it hooked up correctly and the smells really stop.

On ANY of the cars you may have a malfunctioning "3 way" valve in the trunk...last time I looked they were selling on ebay for about $1 each.

[baltobernie]

Would you mind sharing the part number and any other particulars of the correct trunk canister you've found?

[pope]

Only the Spiders built in the 70's do.

[punes]

I have the same fuel odor with my 79 Carbed. I noticed that when I fill the tank and especially on hotter days, there was a small leak at the fuel sending location on the tank...now I add that rust is not an issue with my car but there was some seepage and bubbling and the sending unit on top of the gas tank...loosening the gas cap would prevent the fume build up .

[stupidsongs2]

I'll bet it's just a very small leak that isn't dripping. Gas is a tricky bitch, just a few drops will evaporate cleanly after a few seconds and stink up a whole house. Follow your nose and start replacing fuel lines.

[Raybo84]

My 84 does exactly what John decribed on this topic last summer. Fuel smell at the trunk, vacuum when opening the cap. Funny enough - my fuel smell issue did not start until I replaced all the hoses, including the filler neck hose. By now I have done this twice, double clamped the filler neck, have no visible moist spots but it stinks up my garage. I can blow thru the line to charcoal canister, have a new filter in there and the check valve in the evap line is also open. It shows tank written on one side and is installed correctly. I tried replacing it with a simple connector which did not make a difference. Is it normal that it is open in both direction but with a variing resistance? Any suggestions? Was there ever a resolution on John Frawleys 82? I did not see a post.

[sjwcougs]

I also have these smells in my '81 fuel injected. Do the FI models also ahve these "charcoal cannisters" that have been mentioned above? My clothes often smell of exhaust or something. It's hard to tell. It only is noticeable when the car is running. fuel leak?

[pope]

yes the 81's have a black plastic oval canister on the fender well.

[jimincalif]

My 80 FI spider also has a strong gas odor in the trunk. So far I've replaced the 3 short hoses from the tank to the liquid-vapor separator in the trunk with no improvement. Overfill hose from fuel fill to tank looks almost new and is in good condition. All clamps are tight on these as well as the pickup and return lines. I took the guard off below the fill pipe and inspected, this large hose looks good and no noticeable fuel smell from it.

I'm suspicious about the single hose that goes from the liquid vapor separator. It exits the trunk with the pickup and return hoses, goes to what I think is a one-way valve, then clamps to a solid line forward before connecting to the charcoal canister.

This hose is different from the others, it is (or was) clear, like aquarium tubing, instead of the black rubber type. Is this original or maybe changed by a prior owner? Maybe this is not fuel-rated stuff and is permeated with fuel? There are no visible cracks. Any reason I can't replace it with black hose rated for emissions and vapor systems? Other suggestions?

Thanks

Jim

[baltobernie]

I had one clear hose, too, when I changed them all out. Yes you can use regular fuel line when replacing this. Use extreme caution working on the one-way valve, they are brittle plastic and only available as salvage. As others have mentioned, a couple of drops of fuel can stink up a car (and an entire garage). When everything is working correctly, there should be a slight positive pressure in the tank. After consuming a full tank of fuel, you should often hear and feel pressure when unscrewing the cap.

[jimincalif]

I had one clear hose, too, when I changed them all out. Yes you can use regular fuel line when replacing this. Use extreme caution working on the one-way valve, they are brittle plastic and only available as salvage. As others have mentioned, a couple of drops of fuel can stink up a car (and an entire garage). When everything is working correctly, there should be a slight positive pressure in the tank. After consuming a full tank of fuel, you should often hear and feel pressure when unscrewing the cap.

Thanks for the info and the warning on the one-way valve.

When I am driving the car and stop to refuel, I get a whoosh when I open the cap. But if the car has been sitting for a while, no whoosh. I was hoping maybe the clear hose was the wrong stuff and the source of fumes. It really doesn't look like it needs replacing, still seems pretty pliable, no apparent cracks, and when I run my hand over it I don't get any fuel smell on it. Will probably go ahead and replace it.

[lanciahf]

Jim,


Did you ever cure your gas smell? I'm having the same problem. Where is the one way valve? Did you ever solve your problem?

Thanks,
Ralph

[jimincalif]

Hi Ralph,

No, I haven't solved the problem yet, next I'm going to replace the vapor hose from the liquid vapor separator out to under the car, that's where the valve is. If I get ambitious I might just replace the fuel supply and return lines at the same time. The vapor line is 5/16" not sure about the others yet, do you know the size? Would like to get new stuff before I climb under there.

This would just leave the fill pipe elbow and the overflow hose, the elbow is outside the trunk and my odor is in the trunk, and the overflow hose looks new, and I've looked for any sign of cracking or decay and found none. The only other source of vapor left would be the gasket around the tank gauge sender unit. Do you know if this is something that can be easily cut from gasket material? What is the right material for a gas tank? should any sealant be used?

Re the valve, it is under the car near the fuel pump, you can see the three hoses (vapor, fuel supply & return) exiting the tank area through grommets. The supply goes to the pump, the return goes to a solid fuel line and the vapor goes to the valve device then to a solid line.

Jim

[lanciahf]

Hi Jim,

Below is what I did in my failed attempt to rid the car of gas smell.

Replaced all the feed & return fuel lines with FI rated Fuel Hose.(Hard Lines are fine)
New Carbon Canister
New Fuel Tank Sending Unit gasket. (Gasket is rubber and I think I got it at IAP)
Double Check connection at bottom of filler hose.
New rubber for three hoses from tank to three way valve, swapped three way valve with another one.
Swapped Gas Tanks.

I guess the last thing on the list is the one way valve. The smell is definitely coming from the trunk area. I wonder if the one way valve can be substituted with a type from another car. Maybe I should just bypass the valve and run a straight hose and see what happens.