Technical Punto Evo 2010 Fuel smell

[WillDA571345]

Hi Guys,

I’ve got a 2010 1.4 Punto Evo, was a mess when I first got it and slowly working my way through the problems. First up when I have the air con on I get a strong smell of petrol, there’s no obvious leaks under the car and no lights on the dash so it’s a bit of a mystery to me.

Secondly this could be linked but I’ve noticed that for a 1.4 it’s really underpowered and doesn’t like accelerating particularly well. It does go if I put my foot down but takes forever and feels sluggish.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Scoober82]

Sounds like a fuel delivery/leakage problem. Have you checked the fuel filter especially the fuel connections?

 

[varesecrazy]

Sounds like a fuel delivery/leakage problem. Have you checked the fuel filter especially the fuel connections?

What filter.?

I've not seen a filter on a petrol Fiat since the 90's..
(its been in the tank since then) and that's under the back seat

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi Guys,

I’ve got a 2010 1.4 Punto Evo, was a mess when I first got it and slowly working my way through the problems. First up when I have the air con on I get a strong smell of petrol, there’s no obvious leaks under the car and no lights on the dash so it’s a bit of a mystery to me.

Secondly this could be linked but I’ve noticed that for a 1.4 it’s really underpowered and doesn’t like accelerating particularly well. It does go if I put my foot down but takes forever and feels sluggish.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Hi .
Smells from aircon isn't mega unusual..
If you cannot see obvious fuel leaks I wouldn't be too concerned

My 199 puntos have been higher powered..
But it's a heavy car in reality

Supposedly 1.2 is slow and 1.4 is thirsty

So have you had an MOT style emissions check?

That should rule out the fundamantals
As a point of reference.. How is the fuel usage?
Display vs reality..

 

[AndyRKett]

if it doesn’t smell of petrol under the bonnet then the next step would be to get under the back seat and make sure fuel isn’t leaking out of the top of the tank/sender unit.

Is it a 8v or a 16v, one thing that has to be said about the 1.4 naturally aspirated fiat engine is that it is massively underpowered for what it is.

My admittedly older 1.4 grande which was a 1.4 8v was very wheezy and used a lot of fuel for the size of the engine

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi Guys,

I’ve got a 2010 1.4 Punto Evo, was a mess when I first got it and slowly working my way through the problems. First up when I have the air con on I get a strong smell of petrol, there’s no obvious leaks under the car and no lights on the dash so it’s a bit of a mystery to me.

Secondly this could be linked but I’ve noticed that for a 1.4 it’s really underpowered and doesn’t like accelerating particularly well. It does go if I put my foot down but takes forever and feels sluggish.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Hi again,
Did you make progress with this?

 

[fiatmultiair]

My 1.4 16v multiair turbo smells of petrol under the bonnet, but not too strong, should I be concerned about it?

 

[J4MALD1N]

Hi Guys,

I’ve got a 2010 1.4 Punto Evo, was a mess when I first got it and slowly working my way through the problems. First up when I have the air con on I get a strong smell of petrol, there’s no obvious leaks under the car and no lights on the dash so it’s a bit of a mystery to me.

Secondly this could be linked but I’ve noticed that for a 1.4 it’s really underpowered and doesn’t like accelerating particularly well. It does go if I put my foot down but takes forever and feels sluggish.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

I had a very similar issue when I purchased my 1.4. Evo a while back, Fuel-like smells coming into the cabin when the blower/AC was running.

In my case, it wasn't due to any leaks but rather one of the breather hoses to the airbox not being reconnected, presumably after a previous service.

When removing the airbox, you'll notice there's two of what I believe to be breather hoses. A large hose that connects to the valve cover and a thinner one which if I remember correctly, connects to the intake manifold.

In my case, the nipple on the airbox had been snapped off by a careful mechanic and the hose was dried and cracked. I was still able to get a hose to connect onto the airbox due to a few MM of the old nipple still protruding. A new rubber hose was £3 from Halfords and fairly easy to replace. While you're there, would be wise taking the time to remove and clean the nipple and larger rubber hose on the valve cover.

One year later and the smell/fumes haven't returned