Gas Smell or Odor – Smoke Test From The Front
We have a 2003 XC70 which I purchased brand new in Jan. 2003 and which now has 170,000 miles. Lately, there has been a gas smell or odor, both inside the vehicle and outside the vehicle when it is parked. My very experienced mechanic, who only works on European vehicles, checked out my XC70 several times. He never found any gasoline leak. Others have had this problem according to their posts in this forum and other Volvo forums.
He did a smoke test at the gas gap and found a very small leak in the evaporation / re- circulation system, and replaced a section of the tube. However, I still had the gas smell from time to time, but not all of the time. Also, sometimes, although the battery is strong and the starter works fine, the engine turns over but does not start for a several seconds, and lately, even with a brand new Volvo fuel filler cap, I get the dashboard message: “Fuel Filler Cap Loose - Open.” The computer does not display any codes.
Today my mechanic did a smoke test from the front at the purge valve, keeping the fuel filler cap on (which helps to pressurize the system). He found a leak in a metal fuel line which is covered with a plastic material; this leak did not show in the prior smoke tests done at the gas cap. He repaired the fuel line.
So if, you have this gas smell / odor and it cannot be easily traced or found, do or have your mechanic do a smoke test from the front with the fuel filler cap on.
If this repair has not solved my gas smell / odor problem, I will report back here in a few days.
Sandy
We have a 2003 XC70 which I purchased brand new in Jan. 2003 and which now has 170,000 miles. Lately, there has been a gas smell or odor, both inside the vehicle and outside the vehicle when it is parked. My very experienced mechanic, who only works on European vehicles, checked out my XC70 several times. He never found any gasoline leak. Others have had this problem according to their posts in this forum and other Volvo forums.
He did a smoke test at the gas gap and found a very small leak in the evaporation / re- circulation system, and replaced a section of the tube. However, I still had the gas smell from time to time, but not all of the time. Also, sometimes, although the battery is strong and the starter works fine, the engine turns over but does not start for a several seconds, and lately, even with a brand new Volvo fuel filler cap, I get the dashboard message: “Fuel Filler Cap Loose - Open.” The computer does not display any codes.
Today my mechanic did a smoke test from the front at the purge valve, keeping the fuel filler cap on (which helps to pressurize the system). He found a leak in a metal fuel line which is covered with a plastic material; this leak did not show in the prior smoke tests done at the gas cap. He repaired the fuel line.
So if, you have this gas smell / odor and it cannot be easily traced or found, do or have your mechanic do a smoke test from the front with the fuel filler cap on.
If this repair has not solved my gas smell / odor problem, I will report back here in a few days.
Sandy