Smell Of Petrol Avensis 98 1.8gs

[E makwana]

Hello All

I can smell a strong smell of petrol on the rear driver side of my avensis 98, is is my fuel filter? can some one tell me where the fuel filter is located within the Avensis? or is it something else. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

regards

EM

[jamesholden]

The fuel filter is in the engine compartment. If you can smell it after it's been standing a while it could be the petrol tank or associated hoses starting to leak.

[E makwana]

The fuel filter is in the engine compartment. If you can smell it after it's been standing a while it could be the petrol tank or associated hoses starting to leak.

Hello James

Thanks for the quick reply, there does not seem to be a drip on the driveway or any other visible signs of a leak. could it still be a leak?

Regards

EM

[peterc.lewis@blueyonder.co.uk]

Had exactly the same problem on my 98 GS quite recently.

It is worth checking the fuel filter but as this is in the engine bay it is unlikely to be this .

Prime candidates are a leaky tank or split or holed fuel line my guess is the tank.

The smell on our car got gradually worse and eventually traced it to a very small hole just above the seem of the tank. Solved it by removing the tank and patching the hole . I think I posted the whole saga here somewhere so do a search first.

If money is a factor AND you are a competant mechanic AND you have an area that no one is going to walk past with a !Removed! in their hand AND you have a lot of time AND you have access to a well ventilated work area then you might consider doing this yourself.

If any of the above are not true then a garage will probably do it for £400ish all in.

If the hole is on the top surface or half of the tank it will only drip when the tank is full and the system pressurised. If you drive it and then take off the fuel filler cap and do not get a hiss then the tank has most likely go a leak.

I'll leave it at that in case I just repeat what is in the post.

This is a dangerous situation and you will want to resolve it as a potential fire or explosion is a risk here.

Also , if you are going to do it yourself then read the post and get your hands on a haynes manual if you can. The fuel system operates under pressure to removing parts from it without following the depressurisation guidelines can be vey dangerous.

If this didn't help let me know and I'll give you more details (if you can't find the post on this forum).

cheers,

Cheers.