Charcoal Canister

[markintheair]

Hi y’all,

So I’m nearing completion of my 81’s full restoration. I’ve had the car for nearly 20 years now and the PO had the emissions stuff removed. So the three fuel lines on top of the fuel tank to the vapor/liquid separator were plugged, remaining lines removed, charcoal canister removed, no smog pump etc. All that was left was the fuel supply line and the return line. I’ve smelled some fuel on and off during my years driving it but always kinda took it for granted.

I’ve read that the charcoal canister can help with the smell. I’ve installed a new supply line, return line, also replaced the filter + pump etc. Would you guys recommend finding a (quite expensive) canister as well? Should I get the three lines on top of my tank reconnected? Or is it just better to forget about it?

I’m completely in the dark here.

To add: I’m in the Netherlands, so it’s not a legal requirement to have it installed in the car.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Would you guys recommend finding a (quite expensive) canister as well? Should I get the three lines on top of my tank reconnected? Or is it just better to forget about it?

Where do you smell the gas? In the engine compartment or the trunk? To be honest, getting all the parts and vapor lines working as they should is not super easy, so I'd just forget about it unless the smell is really a problem.

If you do want to put in a charcoal canister, I'd suggest finding the diagram that shows how all the lines and tubes and such are hooked up, between the canister and the tank.

-Bryan

[markintheair]

Hi Bryan,

It's only noticable in the engine compartment. Also, not continuously. Maybe now I've changed all the fuel lines/injectors etc. the smell is already gone, might have to just drive around a bit to see how she'll handle.

The thing is that in Europe, I can't seem to find any parts related to the emissions systems

[18Fiatsandcounting]

It's only noticable in the engine compartment. Also, not continuously.

Another source of fuel smell on the FI engines is the 4 short hoses that go from the fuel rail to the injectors. Over time, these start to weep fuel. The injectors themselves can sometimes leak from the body. Both are simply issues related to the age of the hoses/connectors/injectors.

Other than the fuel smell and a slight loss of gas, I don't think it causes any real problems unless the leaks are serious enough to be a fire hazard.

-Bryan

[markintheair]

Yeah that's a good suggestion as well. I've replaced all injector seals and fuel lines between the rail and injectors as well. One of them leaked quite a bit last year actually. Hopefully that's enough to keep the smell away.

I also seem to recall vaguely that I could smell fuel inside the car when my tank was nearly empty. Any idea what that might be? Just to rule out any hazards.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Did you replace the various hoses that go from the tank to the metal lines going up through the transmission tunnel? These can start leaking with age. There is also some sort of pressure relief valve in the trunk, and also a liquid/vapor separator, so those are other possibilities. Along with their respective hoses. I'm not as familiar with the newer cars (FI engines), so I'm not much help here.

-Bryan

[spider2081]

I think the metal fuel line from the fuel pump and the metal return line to the tank are routed under the driver side carpet below the door. Its not too uncommon for these lines to get rusty and seep fuel.

[markintheair]

Yeah the lines are indeed routed under te driver side carpet. I've changed them, here's a picture from last month:



Thanks for all the help! I've decided to just forget about the canister/smog stuff for now. Maybe when I bump into a kit for a decent price I might reconsider.

I just want to get her on the road this spring!