Hey all,

I have a 2009 outlander 4wd v6 - 78000km.

The last few times I 've started it after a few hours of it being parked, I smell gas when the windows are rolled down (I have never smelled gas inside the car). The weather has turned nice here briefly so that is the only reason why I noticed it since my windows were down.

I see no visible sign of gas on the ground or smell gas while I am walking towards it and there is no smell inside the truck at all if the windows were closed.

Any thoughts? Thanks!!

 

try some bean-o, fixed my gas smelling problem! Must be a bad one if it is worse with the windows down!

seriously...maybe take the engine cover off, let the engine sit, then have someone to just turn the key on to start the fuel pump...see if you see any fuel leaks. If not, turn the car on and check again... that's the best I can offer other than doing the same while tracing the fuel line along the vehicle.

 

So where would the leak be if I took the cover off? I am not car savvy at all. If there was a leak, would it always happen on start up. I do not notice it if I restart the truck after it has been parked for only a short time (20 minutes). It seems it has to be at least a few hours.....

 

I'm just stabbing in the dark, but the fuel rails are usually on top of the engine, above and towards the center of the cylinders. The easy bank will be right on top when you take the cover off...the hard one will likely be under the intake manifold. They will remain pressurized for hours after the engine is turned off. So if there is a slow leak, there may be slow discharge of fuel. Else, possibly a gasket has cracked allowing fuel to exit a joint.

I'm just guessing at this. It'd be something I'd look at.

 

I find that when the car is in the higher RPMs warming up the engine the exhaust is rich - I need to close the trunk when I run back inside because I've forgotten something.

Would a fuel leak rate change based on engine temperature - aka stop leaking?
How is your gas mileage affected?
No drips or codes thrown?

 

And that is the thing.....We had a P0300 code before Xmas out of the blue (random misfire). They reset the transmission memory and ever since then, the mileage hasn't been as good, but not brutal - but that was explained as the transmission has to relearn driving habits etc....The question is is the code and the smell related...

It is still under warranty, so if it keeps happening, I'll have to take it in.
But bascially from what you are saying, you should not be smelling gas on startup outside the car...
Thanks for the input.

 

I'll try to rephrase what I've noticed about my vehicle:
I attribute this to the vehicle being cold, running at a higher RPM (burning more fuel to heat up faster) and idling.
But it doesn't smell like a puddle of fuel and only happens when idling cold. Some people have a more sensitive nose than others.

 

I had that problem only smelled it when I started the car, oddly enough it was the gas cap. Bought a new gas cap and never smelled it again. It might not be the case for you but it's a cheap replacement to try and see.

 

Hey,

So I was outside today (7 degrees C), and popped the hood, and started the outie. DEFINITELY a smell of gas in the engine bay. Goes away pretty fast.

I took the engine cover off and looked for any signs, but I am not really sure what I am looking for.

I had a p0300 code (random misfire) a while ago.....Is there a chance the two are related? If so, I'm going to have a hard time convincing Mitsu to check it since they aren't very eager to do any investigative stuff....

Thoughts?
Thanks!

 

If the vehicle is still under warranty take it in before the warranty expires - you'll really have a hard time getting them to look at it then unless you're willing to pay the labour rate.

Don't tell them the history or what some guys on the internet think it might be. Say you smell fuel in the passenger cabin and when you had the engine open and started the vehicle the smell of fuel was strong.

It's their job to do the diagnostics.

They should obviously test the fuel system. Pump, rails, injectors, exhaust side too, maybe the manifold seal was reused during your code inspection. Is that cylinder firing and burning fuel or just allowing unburnt fuel directly into the exhaust? I'd expect you'd notice poor fuel mileage if that was the case.

Worst case they find everything is within specifications and it gives you piece of mind.

We're really just shooting in the dark.