Gasoline/exhaust smell in cabin

bngl3rt · 6 July 2012

...but only when running the A/C on window defrost.

Wtf?

I have a small exhaust leak in my CT header that needs to be welded next time the header comes out, and I have not used the window defrost function on my NSX before today.

Just weird because all the bits related to A/C are in the front of the car, and all the bits related to gasoline and exhaust are in the back.

Any theories? Anyone ever experience this before?

bngl3rt · 7 July 2012

Ok, it's definitely a gasoline smell.

Something else happened today that was weird. The gas needle was nearly all the way in the orange - usually at this point I fill about 12 gallons and change. However, I started filling and then latched the trigger on the gas pump, and it clicked off after only about a gallon, then again after two gallons etc.

I understand this shutoff system is based on back pressure from inside the tank. I am wondering if a lot of fuel vapor has built up inside the tank and is causing unusually high pressure (including a leak of some sort which could explain the smell).

Any ideas, Prime?

Jacob_Seattle · 7 July 2012

I am at a loss for what the problem could be. I just want to say that you may have two un-linked problems. This is not uncommon. I would check for fuel leaks (very common with the injector seals) and if you don't have any pooling or similar you should be ok. I would then drive around a bit to use some of your fuel (with the windows down). And then try another gas station. Sometime the pressure systems go bad and it was most likely the pump at the gas station rather than your car. Try to reproduce the results at another station to conclusively know. GL

But don't drive the car if there is a real fuel leak. A smell and vapors are one thing; but an actual leak can lead to fire. Use extreme caution.

bngl3rt · 7 July 2012

Jacob_Seattle said:
But don't drive the car if there is a real fuel leak. A smell and vapors are one thing; but an actual leak can lead to fire. Use extreme caution.

Uh oh...

Just now on the way home it also started lurching if i went above 4-6k rpm (depending on what gear I was in)

Tach momentarily drops to 0, ABS light flashes, car lurches, and then everything goes back to normal. The engine does not shut off.

I'm thinking some sensor (throttle position?) or possibly a fuel pump problem? Maybe a phantom short in the electrical system somewhere?

My poor car. I'm worried :frown:

bngl3rt · 7 July 2012

I should also note that there are no fluids leaking out of the car when it's left to sit for a while, so if gasoline is leaking/pooling, it must be somewhere else. I have checked the engine bay for any obvious signs of leakage/hose damage etc but looks normal.

Where could gasoline be pooling? I understand the tank is right behind the passenger cabin rear firewall. Could the gas tank have a leak through/under the firewall into the cabin?

bngl3rt · 7 July 2012

Also, my car used to be supercharged. I'm not sure what, if anything, was done to the injectors when the SC was removed.

Maybe it's time to bite the bullet and set up some RDX injectors...

EDIT: Increasingly convinced, given that my car used to be CTSC, that one of the injector o-rings is cracked. How do I check this? I definitely don't want a fire.

Stephen@NCAutoUSA · 7 July 2012

How long have you owned the car? How many miles have you put on it since purchase? How long was the super charger removed?

I'd jack the car up, get underneath with a flashlight, gloves, googles and start poking around. Maybe even a hose so you can put it directly around a spot and take a big sniff to get to those hard to reach places. Just make sure you don't inhale liquid.

I'd definitely though get underneath and poke around at the very least just to rule out some stuff. The smell of gasoline inside the cabin is a little odd. Maybe take a few pictures of your engine bay and post them up because something may be not have been reconnected correctly and that's why you smell gas.

bngl3rt · 7 July 2012

I've had it for about six weeks and have put 2k miles on it. I just started smelling gas yesterday.

CTSC was removed by the previous owner who drove it another 150 miles after removing the CTSC to make the ODB computer happy so it would pass smog. It has been rock solid since then.

I'm gonna take the injector covers off and try starting the engine to see whether I can see anything.

bngl3rt · 7 July 2012

Removed the injector covers and the car to "on" without starting it (as this supposedly runs the fuel pump momentarily). I heard a leak but didn't see it (and smelled fumes straight away). Injectors are an easy fix, hoping the leak is there and not further down closer to the tank

bngl3rt · 8 July 2012

All better, it seems.

In the daylight it was much easier to spot fuel gushing out of the right front injector. The ring had in fact collapsed, and following the installation of a new one the smell is gone and the car is also idling smoother.

Tried to get some pictures but none of them came out because of the lighting.

Teej · 8 July 2012

bngl3rt said:
All better, it seems.

In the daylight it was much easier to spot fuel gushing out of the right front injector. The ring had in fact collapsed, and following the installation of a new one the smell is gone and the car is also idling smoother.

Tried to get some pictures but none of them came out because of the lighting.

I'm just glad you were able to isolate and deal with the issue

bngl3rt · 8 July 2012

Teej said:
I'm just glad you were able to isolate and deal with the issue

Me too. Was pretty worried about my little car there for a second! Amazing how one little rubber o-ring can be the difference between life and fiery death.

Just ask the crew of the Challenger (sorry, that was tasteless)

Gasoline/exhaust smell in cabin

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