When I'm at a stop, I notice a very nauseating gas smell. Smells very similar to propane, actually. I replaced the air filter thinking maybe not enough air was getting into the engine, causing it to run rich. Did not help. I took it to the dealer and, while very polite and helpful, they were unable to find anything wrong with the fuel system (other than a loose gas cap). Even after tightening the gas cap, I still notice the same smell.

Is this just that reformulated summer gas crap? Or is there possibly something else going on?

 

A loose engine oil cap caused my car to smell like burning oil for a while. Tighten the cap and the smell was gone. Not sure if this is your case.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by payneinthe
[B]When I'm at a stop, I notice a very nauseating gas smell.

 

I assume you're not getting a MIL (check engine) light, Payne?

No idea. Sounds nasty. I'm thinking that maybe your air pump (which heats up the catalytic converter quickly) might not be working properly.

 

Hey when i first picked up my car for the first 3 days i smelt this exact nauseating smell that you are referring to... I had no clue what it was.. It finally went away after the fourth day... Did you just get your car??

 

Definitely a gas smell, not oil.

I don't keep accurate gas mileage readings, but my pocketbook-meter says that gas mileage is down somewhat.

I did get a check engine light (not a maintenance indicator) this morning. Damn gas cap was loose, but I'm normally very careful about the gas cap, and this has been happening for at least a week (since before my last fill).

I've had the car for 7 months (10500 miles).

One other thing, I switched cars with another S2K owner at an autocross to compare the handling 10 days ago. I noticed at that time a dark grey smoke coming from the exhaust when he pressed the throttle.

Thanks for the ideas, please keep them coming!

 

Payne, two ?s:

1. Are you getting the smell after fill-ups? Are you topping off your tank? If so, you might be smelling overflow that gets trapped by a charcoal canister (I think, not sure), which is an emissions thing. Perhaps your overflow mechanism has failed or is leaky.

2. Is your engine stock?

Note: dark grey smoke is probably oil. I think most S2K engines do this early in their life, at least a little bit. Now white smoke would be a concern, as that's generally coolant! It does make a sickening sweet smell, but it's not gas. You don't want that!

 

Chazmo,

I get the smell any time I'm stopped after the engine warms up. Red lights, etc. I don't usually top off. When the gas filler clicks off, I might put another 5 cents worth, but that's it.

My engine (heck, my entire car) is totally stock. I do burn a lot of oil (1 qt/1500 miles). I have a hard time keeping my foot off the accelerator :-)

 

If you had a fuel line leak, I suspect you'd see dripping. You didn't mention that, so I assume you're not getting that. My guess is that vapors are escaping from the intake manifold somehow. Maybe one of the sensors in the intake is not sealed well and is allowing gas to escape. Another alternative is an exhaust leak somewhere, as you did mention that the smell is not certain to be raw gas.

Maybe you should have one of the moderators move this thread to the UTH forum to get some of the gearheads thinking about it. Sorry I haven't been more use.

 

I have a screwed up gas cap and have heard I'm not the only one. I turn it until it clicks about 10 times, but it is not really on. Something is binding and causing it to go into "click mode" before it is actually on. When this happens, I get the gas smell. Try taking it off and massaging/manhandling it on again. It should turn about 5 times BEFORE the clicking starts. I'm getting mine replaced soon. I hope it's just the cap and not the threads in the filler tube.