Dryslick13

2001 C2 Cab manual. Car driven almost daily. Today drove car about 40 minutes. Parked it and drove again about 45 min later. Noticed gas smell when I was driving with windows down. Fuel tank not full. Never had gas smell before. Parked and checked for smell and none at gas cap or under the hood. Seems to be coming from left rear wheelwell area. No signs of leak on floor. Runs good. No CEL. Any ideas of what I should check?

TexSquirrel

I would check the fuel line.
It connects to the fuel rail on the driver's side.
Maybe it is leaking and running down near the wheel well.

Just to clarify, you're smelling it from outside the car, correct?
It's not something you're detecting inside is it?

Paul Waterloo

The left rear is the location of the fuel filter just inboard of the front end of the coolant expansion tank, do some sniffing around there.

Paul Waterloo

You can see it, the round cylinder in these pictures:

sweet victory

Not sure if cabs are different than coupes (or maybe difference in year models), but the fuel filter on my 01 is in front of the transmission.

Also, did you replace the coolant expansion tank recently? Very easy to knock that fuel line fitting at the front of the fuel rail. (Front being the side the serpentine belt is on)

Dryslick13

Yes, smelling it on the outside. I sniffed around under the hood and didn't smell anything. Will try again. It has been sitting for about an hour now.

TexSquirrel

I thought they dropped the fuel filter before 2001.
Do all the 996.1s have fuel filters?
My 2002 996.2 doesn't have one.
I'm not sure that's an improvement.

sweet victory

They actually removed inline fuel filters after 2001. If 2002 or later, you need to replace the fuel pump assembly.

Here is a pic from Pelican Parts showing where the inline filter is. Middle of the car, in front of transmission.

Dryslick13

Pretty sure my filter is under the car like the pictures above. Expansion tank hasn't been replaced. Re-checked under hood, trunk, gas cap, wheel wells and still only smell it around Left Rear. Now garage has heavy gas smell. Is it safe to drive? My Indy guy is 50 minutes away.

Dryslick13

Just talked to my mechanic. He said it is probably one of the fuel lines that are plastic and probably cracked. Recommended not driving it. Will hope I can make it to his shop without going up in flames. Or would it be worth using my AAA towing service?

sweet victory

Hmmm. If it's something in the evap system, you won't get a CEL till you complete a drive cycle. You could check to see if you have a pending code stored in the mean time.


I would probably park outside if the garage has a heavy gas smell.


EDIT: you posted before I saw your second comment. Probably best to let him take a look at it if you don't have a smoke machine or other way to diagnose the issue.

Dryslick13

Will be parked until I get a chance to run it to the shop. Got the garage door open a bit to vent the fumes. Thought about parking outside but expecting a snowstorm tonight.

Porschetech3

If you smell gas, there is a leak. Don't take a chance ,unless you have good insurance and want to use it !!

Dryslick13

Yeah, probably a good idea to utilize AAA. Think it is within their towing range.

Carsly

AAA+ within 100 miles. Nothing to think about here, definitely have it towed. With a known fuel leak not only is it dangerous to you but now that you know if you choose to drive it then the insurance company should decline to cover any potential event.