Ok, Ok, so this rates up there on the "no dumb questions list," but I just purchased my 69 convertible and the garage now smells with a strong gasoline smell. Is this normal or do I have a leak somewhere in my fuel line system? Thanks for helping out the new guy. D

I had the same gas smell. I changed gas caps and fixed the problem.

Gas smell's not normal, except maybe with furds. If you was married to my wife, you'd be sleepin in it on the street...lol.

Check everything... somethings leaking.

You may already know this, but if not here goes. In another life, I spent 15 years as a paid Firefighter so here are my $0.02. Gasoline is very dangerous because of its physical properties- it produces flammable vapors at temperatures well below zero F, and its vapors are heavier than air, so they can pool along the floor of your garage until finding an ignition source such as a water heater, HVAC unit, power tools, etc., with devastating results. So, of course every shop should have a good sized dry chemical extinguisher ( not the little beer can sized deals). But to avoid the need for the extiguisher, I would judiciously search for the source of the smell. A strong odor of gasoline sounds serious-I recall once during my career we were called to investigate an odor of gasoline in a residence, which was traced to the sump of a motor boat ( in a garage attached to the residence) where a fuel leak had resulted in several gallons of fuel to pool into the bilge. So, check every inch of the system, looking and feeling for the source. Look into the carb to see if fuel is pooling inside the throats. I would also recommend that all of this be done outside so that if you do have an incident, it does not extend to your home, and you can attack the fire from a safe area outside. Finally, good luck, and welcome to the site.

Rob

As everybody suggests, change the gas cap. Also, let the garage air out, use a fan. Hopefully, you don't have a gas water heater in the garage, as Fireman Rob stated, "Woulda been sifting through the ashes."

You might be able to use a newer, no more than 2 year old A/C electronic leak detector to help find the leak, once the car is outside. The l/det's "smell" hydrocarbons.

I have opened the garage! Yes, I do have an electric water heater in the garage, so I will get on this today. It looks like I have some leakage at the fuel pump. Can't tell if the pump itself if leaking or the hose and line to the pump.... Could also have a leak at the seals to the block. Does anyone know whether these lines are pressurized? Can I just unscrew and reattach these lines? D

They are only under pressure with the car running. DONT let the car sit in the garage until you have the leak found. The chance for explosion isnt worth it.
You can unscrew the lines, a small amount will drip out but not much. By the way, Welcome to Team Camaro smile.gif

I would immediately replace ALL the rubber fuel lines. The one going from the car's hard line to the pump inlet is often low enough to siphon fuel, so be quick with that one. The pump itself can only leak if the diaphram is puctured.

In addition to those under the hood, there is one at the front of the gas tank, on the passenger side.

Thank you for all your input! I have checked the gas cap (so did the State of Arizona when I passed smog testing this weekend). I can see visual leaking at the fuel pump, so I will attack the rubber lines and hard line connection to the pump first. Any words of wisdom on checking for pooling of fuel in the carb (Rochester Four Barrel Quadajet). D

I was just thinking about the carb deal- if the float level, stuck needle valve or something was not right, I have seen fuel percolate out of the vent tubes. If its running this is most likely not an issue, as it would run as rough as a cob like that if at all. The litle word of caution there is to try to keep the air cleaner on, as this will help to control backfire ignition of Carb fuel. I have seen many toasted vehicles where a good intentioned fellow was pouring fuel into the Carb with the lawnmower gas can, only to have a backfire ignite the whole mess- makes for a bad day!

Rob

For those running a fuel cell is there somthing that can be put in the vent tube to block vapors. I have no leaks in my system, all aluminum hard line and braided, but there is ususally a slight odor in my garage, not bad but still present. I am pretty sure it is from the vent.
Any ideas?

Thanks.

If you've got a black light, it can be handy for finding leaks. Gas leaks will show up as a brown to yellow dull area. Look for gas that may be running down from the top of the tank and evaporating before it hits the floor. It's also not uncommon to have a small leak that will accumulate on top of the tank, but not drip where you can see it. But hopefully, the black light may help you see the barely visible signs of a leak if there is one.

My gas tank rusted through on the top. If your trunk floor is rusty, consider dropping the tank and having a look.....

Yea, just don't look with a match.......... :eek:

my tank didn't rust thru till I tried to sandbalast it clean...lol.

Do I remember something about old q-jets leaking into the well in the center of the barrels? And rebuilt kits coming with plugs to stop it?