Gas smell in cabin

58672 Views 74 Replies 45 Participants Last post by 1 Lucky Texan, Jan 18, 2018

dotcomse

Discussion Starter · Dec 17, 2007

When I turn on the ventilator in my 2000 OB automatic, and have it set on fresh air, there is an immediate and acute gas (not exhaust as far as I know) smell. The car doesn't smell particularly gassy from the outside. When the air is put on recirculate, the smell goes away. A relative of mine who's a mechanic mentioned something about a fuel breather, but was pretty obtuse, and I don't understand how that would make a great gas smell through the ventilation system but not on the outside of the car. Any ideas anyone?

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bheinz57

· #2 · Dec 17, 2007

Welcome. There have been issues with Subaru fuel lines becoming loose, especially in the Impreza. You might want to check clamps and such near your fuel filter and just make sure everything is tight.

Forester owners have had the issue sometimes also. It happens more often when the temp gets cold outside and the lines shrink a bit.

Brian

cheerless

· #3 · Dec 17, 2007

I dealt with this last night. Been smelling fuel for a while in the cold. All the connecting hoses on the fuel lines under the hood were loose. I tightened the clamps and the drive to work this morning was fuel odor free!!!!!!!!!

porcupine73

· #4 · Dec 17, 2007

Yes I've been seeing an increase in the number of these kinds of posts on the soob boards now that the weather has turned cold. Right on, typically it is a slight fuel leak at one of the fuel pipe to hose connections under the hood. There are several of these connections under the intake manifold runners. It doesn't take much gasoline leaking to be able to smell it fairly strongly. Best to check it over carefully lest...

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bheinz57

· #5 · Dec 17, 2007

^^That's a Ford, not a Subaru!

:2: :12:

porcupine73

· #6 · Dec 17, 2007

hehe, yes that one didn't get its fix or repair daily that day.

AFB77

· #7 · Jan 14, 2011

with this kind of stuff are leaks visible?

number9

· #8 · Jan 15, 2012

cheerless said:
I dealt with this last night. Been smelling fuel for a while in the cold. All the connecting hoses on the fuel lines under the hood were loose. I tightened the clamps and the drive to work this morning was fuel odor free!!!!!!!!!

Would you mind please posting a pic of where you checked & tightened? I've had freezing temps for the first time this winter and am noticing a reasonably strong gas smell in the cabin now. Thanks!

Ozzstar

· #9 · Jan 15, 2012

dotcomse said:
When I turn on the ventilator in my 2000 OB automatic, and have it set on fresh air, there is an immediate and acute gas (not exhaust as far as I know) smell. The car doesn't smell particularly gassy from the outside. When the air is put on recirculate, the smell goes away. A relative of mine who's a mechanic mentioned something about a fuel breather, but was pretty obtuse, and I don't understand how that would make a great gas smell through the ventilation system but not on the outside of the car. Any ideas anyone?

When was the fuel filter replaced? With the engine running check the rubber hose connections at the fuel filter. If you see any sign of wet fuel tighten the clamp(s). It should be 100% dry and zero dampness. It is best to check when the engine is running and the fuel is flowing. It could be a very small leak.

jbcarter

· #10 · Jan 16, 2012

I had the same problem with my 2003 OB. I would only smell gas in the cabin when the temperatures were below 20F. After searching around on a cold morning with the car running I found the leaky connection near the passenger side injectors, nicely buried underneath some metal shrouding so I couldn't get a phillips in to tighten without first removing a handful of other bits. Sure is nice to not have fresh fuel dripping near a hot engine though.

number9

· #11 · Jan 16, 2012

jbcarter said:
I had the same problem with my 2003 OB. I would only smell gas in the cabin when the temperatures were below 20F. After searching around on a cold morning with the car running I found the leaky connection near the passenger side injectors, nicely buried underneath some metal shrouding so I couldn't get a phillips in to tighten without first removing a handful of other bits. Sure is nice to not have fresh fuel dripping near a hot engine though.

Would you mind posting a pic of where to look? This is my first Subaru (and first boxer), so I couldn't actually find the injectors when I was looking

Jlaw3000

· #12 · Jan 26, 2012

Check this hose!

Just posted this on another thread... this problem should be stickied somewhere for gods sake... fuel leaks are important to fix. Please see attached photo, I bet it is your problem. Replace hose or adjust and tighten clamps. (Photo is taken under intake manifold on drivers side.)

Jlaw3000

· #13 · Jan 26, 2012

oops here is the pic

See below...

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Subarunation

· #14 · Jan 31, 2012

I had the same problem, after replacing all the rubber fuel lines connected to the fuel filter the smell went away.

Euchre

· #15 · Jan 31, 2012

Jlaw3000 could we have a wider shot of that same location? Maybe highlight where it is on the longer shot? That looks like a relatively hidden line, and might be missed on inspecting other lines that are far more visible (like those near the fuel filter).

Zioncanyon

· #16 · Dec 21, 2012

Just had a blast of gasoline smell in the cabin this morning, 33 degrees here in So Cal. I would appreciate a wide angle pic as well to see where that line is.

Thanks

Ozzstar

· #17 · Dec 21, 2012

Zioncanyon said:
Just had a blast of gasoline smell in the cabin this morning, 33 degrees here in So Cal. I would appreciate a wide angle pic as well to see where that line is.

Thanks

Look for the evidence to find the problem.

The first thing to check is the inlet and outlet hose connections at the fuel filter. It is located in the engine compartment near the brake booster (drivers side). Most of the time the tiny clamps just need to be tightened. Start the engine and look for any tiny signs of wetness where the clamps are. It should be completely dry otherwise there may be a fumes getting into the cabin.

Post your results.

rshondo

· #18 · Dec 22, 2012

We had our first bout with cold weather and I immediately noticed a gas smell in the cabin. I just went through and tightened all the fuel line clamps. Hope this works!

cannibal_pig

· #19 · Dec 28, 2012

3

Hope these pictures will help.

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goldcrown4

· #20 · Jan 4, 2013

thanks cannibal... I had to tighten lines two winters ago, smelled the fumes again a week ago, but couldn't find any clamps leaking or needing tightening... but didn't look down under. Will do so tomorrow.

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