raw fuel smell!!

[kismetcapitan]

eek, on the commute home, I smelled the unmistakable smell of raw fuel coming in through the vents. It was cold and rainy, so I was using the heater for the first time in awhile.

what's the fuel pressure in the fuel lines? do pinhole leaks develop, or to rephrase that, has anyone experienced that? It's a cheap fix, if the lines are accessible, but man is it a pain in the ass, not to mention a fire hazard!

I've spent thousands in a total overkill fuel system in my Skyline, and when people ask why, I just tell them of the month where the car sprung five fuel leaks...the only OEM fuel part left on that car are the injector O-rings. Yes, I was frustrated and threw out the entire system!

Hopefully, this isn't as big a problem...

[MaxRS6]

^ Is it when you fill up the tank? If the smell goes away when it is under about 3/4 of tank- then you probably have the infamous leak at the fuel tank nipples.

http://www.rs6.com/showthread.php/22...light=gas+tank

[kismetcapitan]

well, I didn't smell it again; I'm at 7/8th on the fuel gauge. I think I'll talk with the dealership and see if they'll replace the tank under the recall. And I guess while they're at it dropping the rear subframe, they can set up the rear suspension properly when they reassemble everything!

[kismetcapitan]

Well, I've localized the smell and it's not encouraging...it's behind the engine on the passenger side. So I'm guessing it's definitely fuel system related...fuel pressure regulator? Or some fuel hose connection?

Even more disheartening...I think I found a leak from the cylinder head gasket, passenger-side cylinder bank, coming out from near the firewall end of the head.

What's the damage going to be for these repairs?

[kismetcapitan]

my bad, it's the valve cover gasket. <$100 for the gaskets, how bad's the labor?

[MaxRS6]

If it is the passenger side valve gasket- PIA. Bummer to tell you that Audi says the engine needs to be pulled. This is one of those items I always have done when my engine is out as I just did when they replaced my turbos.

[Jimmy]

Shouldn't it smell like oil if that valve cover gasket is leaking?

Do you really have to pull the engine? ...or just lift it up some to get access to it?

[kismetcapitan]

well, ten days of daily driving, and no gas smell at all. Weird.

I cleaned the engine, and I can see where the gasket is leaking. Slowly. In a week, oil residue has crept a whopping 1/8" at one spot. So I'll have to do the gaskets, and just watch that point until my next major service.

[kismetcapitan]

jeebus, it's like my car's time of the month. same strong smell of raw fuel, same location - behind the passenger-side airbox.

Is that where the fuel pressure regulator is? Should be a cheap fix if it starts happening more frequently.

Any other thoughts on what it could be? Like, where does the fuel tank ultimately vent to (after passing through charcoal filters, etc)? It could be the fuel tank vent system saturating, then spilling over...? just a shot in the dark...?

[marklar182]

For the leaky valve cover, snug the bolts down a little and see if that stops the seepage.

[JSRS6]

Fpr is under the passenger side of the box, inboard rear of the passenger fuel rail.

[kismetcapitan]

For the leaky valve cover, snug the bolts down a little and see if that stops the seepage.

that should hopefully take care of that; the valve cover gaskets were done less than 10K miles ago.

still baffled by the fuel leakage. Not a whiff today. It's like it builds up and then bursts out? Not loads, but enough to smell up the engine bay as it vaporizes.

if my nose is pointing in the right direction of the problem, then it is the FPR, or something connected to it.

[JSRS6]

Pull the airbox, pull the fpr, and check the upper and lower o-rings. Might just be debris, try cleaning them off, as well as the area they seal to.

[4everRS]

That area is also where the fuel line comes into the engine bay. You might try to snug it down a bit.

[kismetcapitan]

sounds good, thanks!

[kismetcapitan]

well, the smell is stronger and happening more often. guess it's time to pull the airbox and sort this one out.

[kismetcapitan]

tried something else on a whim. I undid the gas cap, and was hit with a massive blast of fumes. Since then, no fuel smell, and no blast of fumes when undoing the fuel cap either. although the source is very clearly from behind the engine around the fuel pressure regulator area (and I did finally google an A6 owner that had the same issue that was NOT the fuel tank - I've had the recall done).

The fuel smell has always happened when I drove a short distance, then parked for a couple hours. Otherwise, it doesn't happen, and it's hard to replicate for the local indy garage.

[Cochese]

tried something else on a whim. I undid the gas cap, and was hit with a massive blast of fumes. Since then, no fuel smell, and no blast of fumes when undoing the fuel cap either. although the source is very clearly from behind the engine around the fuel pressure regulator area (and I did finally google an A6 owner that had the same issue that was NOT the fuel tank - I've had the recall done).

The fuel smell has always happened when I drove a short distance, then parked for a couple hours. Otherwise, it doesn't happen, and it's hard to replicate for the local indy garage.

Did you ever resolve this?

Just experienced the strong raw fuel smell. Had the tank valve recall done a few months ago. 123,XXX miles with stock fueling. I had the car idling for about an hour in traffic and noticed it for the first time when I got out of the jam. It was super hot out. The dash showed 113F.

I pulled the gas cap and it had built up a s-load of pressure. I'll monitor it for the next day and take it in to the dealer if it continues. I can't get under the hood at the moment since the damn hood release pull is stuck behind the damn grill. I need to figure out how to get that thing out.