Per this post I recently replaced the old plasticky fuel hose between the tank and the hard pipe just behind the centre tunnel with brand new unleaded-friendly rubber hose in a single run. It was a bit fiddly to fit but I got there, but since then there is a very strong smell of petrol inside the car. There seems to be no smell in the front boot around the tank, nor in the engine bay, just inside. I've checked the obvious things like that the rubber hose is actually properly seated onto the hard pipes and that the clips are tight... any other ideas before I take the seats and carpets out again to check that there are no splits in the new hose in the tunnel... though I can;t see where else the problem could realistically lie since that's the only part I replaced? Difficult to imagine that even some fairly robust pushing and pulling of the hose would have cut it through...
Technical Strong petrol smell after replacing fuel hose
- Thread starter Noah500
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Technical Strong petrol smell after replacing fuel hose
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I ran into this problem with my Daimler as that has fuel hose in the boot.
Lots of modern rubber fuel hose is not actually 100% vapour proof. Modern Cars wouldn’t run fuel hose in the passenger compartment, so it doesn’t matter.
There are some Teflon lines modern hoses that avoid this issue. I went with Cohline 2240 R9 in my Daimler which solved the issue.
Another option is to use the original style Cavis fuel line which is PVC and doesn’t allow any smell through. Most modern cars are moving to plastic lines to make them ethanol safe, so maybe Fiat were just 70 years ahead of the curve when they chose it for the 500! Haha.
Lots of modern rubber fuel hose is not actually 100% vapour proof. Modern Cars wouldn’t run fuel hose in the passenger compartment, so it doesn’t matter.
There are some Teflon lines modern hoses that avoid this issue. I went with Cohline 2240 R9 in my Daimler which solved the issue.
Another option is to use the original style Cavis fuel line which is PVC and doesn’t allow any smell through. Most modern cars are moving to plastic lines to make them ethanol safe, so maybe Fiat were just 70 years ahead of the curve when they chose it for the 500! Haha.
Ah, I didn't realise that... seems a bit odd to have hoses that can leak vapour, though...
I took everything out again (including both seats, both seatbelts and the whole carpet this time). Smell was still there but I took the metal covers off the tunnel and opened the roof to let it air and the smell seemed to dissipate somewhat. I started up the car and let it run for a while and no undue petrol smell appeared in the cabin so it could perhaps have been some residual fuel in the old hose which came out when I pulled the hose through the tunnel... maybe!
I'm waiting for a new accelerator pedal, after which I'll put 1 seat and 1 seat belt in, and take it for a drive. If the smell's gone, fine; if not, looks like I;ll be going for an alternative hose, or the Ricambio hard fuel pipe solution (anyone installed that?)
I'm waiting for a new accelerator pedal, after which I'll put 1 seat and 1 seat belt in, and take it for a drive. If the smell's gone, fine; if not, looks like I;ll be going for an alternative hose, or the Ricambio hard fuel pipe solution (anyone installed that?)
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Fingers crossed for you, it's was just some split fuel from when you changes the hose that needed to finish evaporating.
If it does turn out to be the hose, then if you leave the car for a day or so with the doors and windows shut, you'll come back to find it smells of fuel once again.
If it does turn out to be the hose, then if you leave the car for a day or so with the doors and windows shut, you'll come back to find it smells of fuel once again.
Thanks. I've been doing other bits and pieces today with the roof open and it's OK at the moment... Roof now closed so I'll check over the next few days
I don't think I've got a breather pipe... where is it attached to? There is a valve thingy in the petrol cap. In any case, there was no smell in the front boot, so I don;t think the problem was there
I’m not sure it was factory fit but it was a pipe fitted in on the neck just below the cap…
I remember working on a 500 that needed a new tank, it came with a small 8/10mm flared spigot just below the filler cap to which I had to fit some fuel pipe then route it through the boot floor.
The tank came from a firm that made them in Leeds in the 80’s so, as I say, may not be original fitment.
They were factory fit on lots of other vehicles of the time and many Fiats, including by 128 Coupe that decided to self siphon one very hot day
I remember working on a 500 that needed a new tank, it came with a small 8/10mm flared spigot just below the filler cap to which I had to fit some fuel pipe then route it through the boot floor.
The tank came from a firm that made them in Leeds in the 80’s so, as I say, may not be original fitment.
They were factory fit on lots of other vehicles of the time and many Fiats, including by 128 Coupe that decided to self siphon one very hot day
smart51
Established member
Something I must do myself. How did you feed the copper through the car? From the front or the rear?
From the rear - I laid the pipe out straight on the floor, covered the end with the little plastic cap it came with so as not to get dirt in it, then fed it through, adding the pieces of hose protection just before the pipe reached the relevant point (taking off the. Once I got to just in front of the gear lever I gently bent the hose in a big curve and fed through some more pipe until just a little bit was left sticking out the back of the tunnel. Once enough was through I fed the end through the hole in the bulkhead to the boot and then bent the pipe to fit in the clips at the front of the footwell, starting with the one closest to the tunnel. Finally, before refitting the tunnel covers, carpets, etc. I bent the clips into place
*** LHD, by the way - RHD cars may be different? ***
From the rear - I laid the pipe out straight on the floor, covered the end with the little plastic cap it came with so as not to get dirt in it, then fed it through from the rear of the tunnel, adding the pieces of hose protection just before the pipe reached the relevant point (taking off the plastic cap each time - maybe unnecessary). Once I got to just in front of the gear lever I gently bent the hose in a big curve and fed through some more pipe until just a little bit was left sticking out the back of the tunnel. Once enough was through I fed the end through the hole in the bulkhead to the boot and then bent the pipe to fit in the clips at the front of the footwell, starting with the one closest to the tunnel. Finally, before refitting the tunnel covers, carpets, etc. I bent the clips into place. Pieces of connecting hose clamped in place, then a quick startup test to check for leaks.
*** LHD, by the way - RHD cars may be different? ***
