Technical Fuel smell inside cabin

[Well focused]

Good afternoon
I'm new here and have no experience of owning a Fiat of any kind.
So long story...short
62 plate
1.2 69 bhp
Strong smell of petrol inside the cabin.
Got the car from a dealer so it's back with him to try and fix.
I know tracing faults like this are difficult but has anyone had this issue and knows of a solution/fix.
Thanks in advance
Regards
David

 

[John202020]

Welcome is the smell continuous rather than when stopped? Ie when driving, assuming no actual leaks under the bonnet, and no leaks in the exhaust then check the two breather hoses that can fail(mine did) thick one on top of rocker box and a thin long one at the rear of the engine, bar that check at the rear?

 

[Well focused]

Hello mate
Thanks for the quick reply
From what I've noticed, it's seems to be intermittent, but more noticeable when on the move and in traffic or at lights.
I have a garage which the 500 is in and over a few days I've not seen any fluid on the floor or smelled any fuel when the car is off.
Regards
David

 

[Ralf S.]

Have a sniff down by the filler neck and also under the rear passenger seat, for any leaks around the filler and the fuel pump respectively.

If you can smell it on the move, then it could (more probably) be a leak under the bonnet, since the whiff would get drawn into the ventilation system.

Make sure the fuel lines aren't leaking or perished (micro-cracks) and that they're all dry. You'll have to have a look with a torch while the engine is running to be sure the system doesn't leak under pressure, so take it easy and don't get sucked into the moving parts.

The car could also be running badly rich, so if all else fails, have a look at the plugs to see whether one or any of them look black and sooty. It could be that new plugs or one/more new coils could fix the issue... although you might have a "wider" problem, such as a dodgy MAP sensor or lambda.

If the beast idles cleanly and pulls smoothly, especially under load... or gently accelerating through the 15-1800rpm zone then it could be all is well with the sensors and igniters, so you're back at looking at over-fuelling (regulator and injectors etc.), and it's turning into a wild goose.

If you can't see anything obvious by taking parts off and peering inside, then try getting the ECU scanned for errors - it may give you a better clue than a random process of elimination,


Ralf S.

 

[Focused]

Hi Ralf
Thanks for the tips.
Problem I've got is that it's currently back with the dealer under warranty so I physically can't check the items you mentioned. I'm fairly handy with a car but not a pro.

Owned a mk2 Focus ST so had my fair share of sliced knuckles.

It drives sweet, pulls well (for 69 bhp anyway) in all gears and idles lovely to be honest.

I've used my OBD scanner to see if any fault codes cropped up but it was all clear.

It also needed the slave cylinder on top of the gearbox doing as the clutch was jerky and squeaky.

I will let you know how I get on and thanks again for your assistance Ralf.

Regards
David

 

[John202020]

The clutch slave, disconnect the pipe where it enters the slave or replace the slave and master(at a price) as usually the connector cannot be separated ? Or replace both but use the old pipe if ok .
Replace the engine earth strap too

 

[Focused]

The clutch slave, disconnect the pipe where it enters the slave or replace the slave and master(at a price) as usually the connector cannot be separated ? Or replace both but use the old pipe if ok .
Replace the engine earth strap too

That was done under the warranty so cost me nothing, I'm trying to get any early issues that I've noticed rectified before the warranty period expires.
Don't need my daughter pecking my head...

 

[Ralf S.]

It could be a physical leak, if the car is running okay. There's another thread where the poster found that a pipe from the tank had fretted against the chassis and worn through.. so a look under the tank, or at the top (under the seat) for signs of petrol spillage might track it down.

My other experiences are a leaky cap gasket, on a Cinqueneto, which only smelt while the tank was 3/4 full.... but it reminded me that the 500 has the fuel tank vent filter system and those are known to play up if they get contaminated with neat petrol (over-filled tank), rather than just vapour..?

Ralf S.

 

[Focused]

Spoke with the dealer today who could smell the smell and he reckons its a possible exhaust flexi leak but somehow I'm not convinced.
It's going into the garage to be investigated so we'll see what goes.
Will keep you posted.

 

[John202020]

Quite possible at that age that was where ours failed first, so put new exhaust on

 

[yann]

Quite possible at that age that was where ours failed first, so put new exhaust on

As previously mentioned, I have done a few now where the fuel pipe over the tank chafes...hard to physically see at first.
if your garage has a gas analyser (as m.o.t. stations use), that can be a good diagnostic aid with fuel smells.....just move the probe toward suspected area and watch the hc readings...
hth-yann

 

[varesecrazy]

@Focused

A panda owner had the chafed hoses around tank

@Well focused