Reasons It Smells Like Gas Inside Your Car
Gasoline is a volatile, explosive substance whose fumes can be hazardous to your health -- so the smell of gasoline in the cabin of your car is not something to be taken lightly. It could indicate a dangerous fuel leak.
If you're concerned by the odor of gasoline in your car, you've come to the right place. We'll explain below the four most common causes for this issue that we encounter in our service center at Archer Volkswagen. Give us a call if you have additional questions, or schedule an appointment with one of our knowledgeable technicians. We'll make sure your Volkswagen vehicle smells like that little pine tree air freshener once again, instead of gasoline.
4. Broken Gas Cap
If the gas cap isn't sealing the fuel filler properly, it can allow gasoline fumes to waft up through the filler and out past the gas cap. Gas caps often become cracked or worn out from frequent use, so it might be as simple a fix as buying a new gas cap. Also, make sure that the gas cap clicks a couple times when you shut it -- if it doesn't, that means you haven't screwed it on tight enough, and fuel vapors can escape the tank.
3. Leaking Fuel Injectors
Today's vehicles use a highly pressurized stream of fuel from the tank which is sent to the fuel injectors. They're designed to spray a mist of gasoline, in the perfect amount, at the perfect time, into the engine's cylinders. Over time, these injectors can become clogged, damaged, or just plain come loose and start to leak. Furthermore, the seals around where the injectors are installed can fail and leak. When this happens, you might start to smell gasoline. If the gasoline drips down onto a hot component such as an exhaust manifold, it could even burn and start to smoke. You'll want to have the leaking seals replaced, and the injectors professionally cleaned to clear any blockages and ensure all the gasoline makes it to the engine where it belongs.
2. Rich Fuel Ratio
When more fuel is added to the engine than what can be used up during combustion, that's called a rich air/fuel ratio. Any gasoline that doesn't get burned will come out of the exhaust, and could make your car smell like gas inside. There are a variety of reasons that your engine could run too rich -- but you may notice an acrid black smoke coming from the tailpipe that smells like gasoline. That means your engine isn't running right. You could have faulty oxygen sensors, a malfunctioning engine computer, or even fuel injectors that are leaking internally and adding too much fuel to the engine.
1. Leaking Fuel Lines
Lastly, it's possible that there could be a leak at the fuel rail, the fuel pump, fuel lines or even the fuel tank itself. This would result in raw gasoline leaking onto the ground, rather than being burned up by the engine. Naturally, this will make your car smell like gas, particularly when sitting still. If you notice puddles of gasoline forming on the ground, avoid parking your car in a garage as dangerous gasoline vapors can fill the garage. That's a serious fire and health hazard. Instead, we recommend getting a tow to our service center. We can locate your leak using a special dye test and fix or replace the leaking component.
If your car smells like gas inside, but you're still not sure where it's coming from, stop by for a free multi-point inspection at the Archer Volkswagen service department! We can locate your leak and recommend a fix while also giving you a clear picture of the overall health of your vehicle.