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Gas smell - BAD.

31K views 77 replies 26 participants last post by  Catsailr27 
#1 ·
Howdy,

Just got my 05. Enjoying every moment of it. Though, I do have a question.

I mentioned this in another thread and did a search and found that overfilling the tank can result in a gas scent. I do not think this is it however. Does anyone else have this issue or an idea of WTF is going on?

The smell seems to be coming from the front of the car. It is a strong petroleum scent. My eyes water and burn as I'm driving. My throat is sore from driving it with the fumes.

If I roll the windows up with the top on, the smell diminishes to nil. If I crack the window, it's back again at any speed.

It's stronger at slower speeds, but very detectable at highway speeds also. I stink like gas/oil when I get out of the car after driving.

Ideas? TADTS
 
#3 ·
Well for starters it can't come from the front of the car unless you are following a gas truck. :)

I would start by looking, or rather smelling, the injectors and where they sit in the fuel rail. Next would be under the coolant bottle and the fuel line connector that is secured there.

With the car off, turn it on and off a few times to pressurize the fuel system, but don't start it. Then just go around and follow the fuel line and smell, look, feel to see if there are any leaks.

You might be able to check the entire fuel line system if you pulled the air box out as the lines run under there as well.

When you crack the window I'm assuming it's the driver side and not the passenger side?
 
#6 ·
Exhaust leaks in the Elise smell like gas, not exhaust. I have had this very same thing happen and ,yes, it also made me nauseous. Certainly could be a fuel leak as these fumes or any others in the engine bay get sucked right into the cabin. Unless it's a high volume leak, I doubt if enough would vaporize to make you sick. That said, I was driving down the Ohio Turnpike in the late '70's in a 3 year old BMW 2002 and my wife started whining that she could smell gas. I ignored her until I couldn't take the nagging anymore then pulled over and lifted the hood. There was a steady high pressure stream of gas spraying right on the exhaust manifold. The wife still reminds me of that one...dave
 
#8 ·
That's a rough one... Thanks for sharing.

I can believe the exhaust leak but not the fuel leak at this point simply because of my mileage. I drove 262.4 miles before refueling and put 8.31 gallons in. Wouldn't it show up in economy if this was the issue?

I have opened the hood while the car is running and can't confirm any sounds, smells, or visual displays of gas leaking. I would think that after letting it idle for 10-15 minutes it would have left a puddle in the garage. Then again, it may be a small leak that only happens when the pedal is somewhat depressed.

I hope it is a simple fix. I will enjoy it that much more if they could help me with this one item. :D
 
#10 ·
exhaust: You can usually hear them, but if not you can feel them on your hand. but, you have only moments on a cold system before it gets hot. start on the most likely spots, or closest to engine before heats up.
 
#13 ·
It's oily, but VERY much like gas. My eyes are still watering and burning from my ride this morning. rotfl

My clothes stink too. I left the windows down so I didn't feel too woosy or tired this time.

What a smelly situation. My car has bad gas. I thought my wife's gas was bad enough - now my car has it too. And what's worse? It lingers longer than my wife's bad gas!:eek:
 
#14 ·
If it's a strong gas smell then I personally wouldn't drive it until I found it. Leaking injectors has burned more than one car to the ground before. It's even more likely in cold weather on cars that use hose clamps to secure the lines as the rubber hoses shrink allowing fuel to leak around a loose clamp.

My wife doesn't like to ride in my Exige because it "smells like a motor" inside. But it doesn't smell like gas at any point during my driving.

Exhaust doesn't smell like gas.
Oil doesn't smell like gas.
Gas smells like gas. :D

Pull the injector cover off and see if your fuel rail is leaking, other than that like I said earlier follow all the fuel lines around and find where your smell is coming from. Don't forget the passenger side and the charcoal canister too.

Or if you can't find it take it to someone that knows Lotus' and get them to locate the leak for you. Or tell you to man up and it's a normal smell and your nose is just too sensitive. rotfl

Really don't want to read a post from you about how your Elise burnt to the ground... :(
 
#22 ·
Well, I don't have an option as it's my daily driver. :panic: I don't want it to burn down either, considering I just got it. :sad: That's also my conundrum. I just got it and I want to drive the hell out of it. It's a trip. :D

I'm sure Lotus of Scottsdale will be awesome about the whole thing and get it handled. :popcorn: Andy struck me as a very thorough, OCD type of mechanic. A great thing to have around these parts. :nanner:

If it's something where I've got to man-up, I'll be surprised. My wardrobe stinks too much. :confused:
 
#18 ·
I have the same issue right now....although I did upgrade to a 255 fuel pump. This is on top of the BWR s/c.

My gas smell is quite strong, but more noticeable on WOT - which then smells like pure gas in my cabin...I think it might be a fuel line or injectors?
 
#25 ·
Well, it turns out that there are quite a few OTHER things wrong with my car...

They are inspecting the gas / antifreeze smells right now.

Apparently, my front clam is defective. There is a piece glued to the bottom of the clam to hold in the front headlights and the glue has eaten the fiberglass away to the point of rippling it. We thought it was an issue with the Star Shield, however, it isn't. After Andy contacted Lotus, they immediately recognized the issue, told him what is wrong, and are now sending a new front clam out this way. They'll be replacing the Star Shield too when the new one gets painted.

My new rubber has been installed. WHOOO HOOO!!! no more spinning spinnies...

The stock exhaust is back on there (I like the Stage II but it hurts my ears badly @ highway speeds)

Andy is out testing the gas smell and the Antifreeze smell right now. He says that he didn't find any coolant or gas spilled and the coolant level has not changed, so It is probably something minor. When the front clam gets replaced, he says he will have a much easier time diagnosing the issue if he finds anything after his drive.

I am so grateful I got a car with a warranty still left on it! I will be purchasing an extended Lotus warranty in April before this one runs out.

By the way, this has in no way diminished my enthusiasm for the car. I am thoroughly enjoying my Lotus experience and I can't wait to get my car back!
 
#26 ·
So you think the smell was coming from your exhaust?

If that much unburned fuel is getting through the engine then that might be an indicator of a serious power train issue. I kind of doubt that it was doing that though otherwise you'd have a check engine light on and be seriously lacking in power.
 
#27 ·
Yeah, running fat is never a good thing.

I still smell it Bane, but it is considerably less potent with the stock exhaust on. My eyes don't burn anymore and I'm not yawning every time I open the window or take the top off. Maybe you could meet up with me when you're back in town to see what I'm talking about.

By the way, I saw the new header and high flow cat prototypes for the Elise at PPE yesterday when my buddy had his stock exhaust replaced on his MR2 Spyder there. Beautiful piece.
 
#29 ·
If you doubters and nay sayers will refer to my original post on this IT'S AN EXHAUST LEAK!!!!! Yes, an exhaust leak in an Elise DOES smell like gas and make you sick and make your eyes water, etc. etc. etc. Glad you solved it and are enjoying your Elise. (I had the same problem)...Dave
 
#32 · (Edited)
To be sure I am not crazy, I brought my car to a kind forum member who was willing to drive mine and let me know if he smelled anything.

He did smell exhaust. He also had a headache halfway through our ride.

When I had my Stage II on, the car was worse.
 
This post has been deleted
#33 ·
#34 ·
My car sounds like yours, in that there is a strong gas smell, but I don't think it can be the exhaust. It would have to be pig rich at part throttle, but it passed smog with only 7 PPM HC three weeks ago.

I think mine has to be a charcoal canister hose, or gas cap. I would think the smog check would have found those, but unburned fuel has to be coming from somewhere.

Also, mine gets like this when it's good and hot, which again makes me think fuel in the tank evaporating. Is yours temp related?
 
#35 ·
You know, I never checked... I know that when I drive with the windows up, I'm good to go. If I drop a window, I can instantly smell it. If I hit the throttle the scent diminishes a bit and then returns stronger.

I usually drive to work with the car buttoned up... Yesterday, I went for a ride a lunch to go pick up a friend to get his new car. When I returned to the office a half hour later, I was sick to my stomach and my head was pounding. Windows were down for that trip.

I think I may just put the hard top back on until they can sort it out... :(
 
#36 ·
Exhaust leaks are pretty apparent (the exhaust note will be really raspy)... especially if the smell is that bad.

I still vote for a fuel leak somewhere else. You do keep a fire extinguisher in the car right? I'd be worried sick (no pun intended) if I had to drive around like that.
 
#37 ·
the1sen,

Here's a link to a thread discussing deleting the charcoal canister. It'll give you some ideas and you may want to nose around there for your leak.

http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/f3/fuel-tank-mods-57697/

There are plenty of other threads noting occasional problems with the canister, some that might be causing your gas smell. It's definitely not a normal condition for our cars. Keep checking-you'll find the source of your leak.

Tom
 
#38 · (Edited)
thanks Tom - not so sure of what to do because none of the gas threads mention a fix.

The only thing that sounds plausible is the plug where the cables enter the passenger compartment are not sealed and are sucking in fumes/gas whatever, from the engine bay when opening a window. I don't smell anything in the engine bay with the car stopped or with the windows/top buttoned up.

I'll try that and hope. But no one has reported any other possibilities. It's not fun to drive your car and vomit afterward, or catch a headache each time.

yeah, I know, i'm a puss
 
#41 ·
also have the same issue ..also tried bringing mine to the dealer..no luck..they could not figure it out..
they actually think its normal..go figure...
:rolleyes:

This is not normal... you shouldn't smell anything from the engine bay with a properly running engine. The exhaust will stink in an enclosed area of course but if you stick your head into the engine bay with the car running you shouldn't smell anything.
 
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