strong gas smell from under hood - where to start looking ?

[shackelton]

My '92 4 cyl. with 157 K miles on it started reeking of gas yesterday....the smell is really strong and comes in the passenger compartment through the open windows or through the vents. I haven't had a chance to really take a close look. Nothing is obviously leaking, i.e. the fuel filter, lines, etc. The best I can see is behind/under the intake manifold above the p/s pump it looks wet. The injectors look dry.

Any ideas on where to start? I want to take a look underneath tomorrow with the car up on jack stands...the only way I can really see the back of the motor.

Recent work includes the rear motor mount, p/s drive axle, and removing the throttle body to clean/remove gunk. But all of that was more than two weeks ago. And it just started smelling all at once, like it sprung a leak.

Thanks.

[Toysrme]

Take a flashlight and look behind the block then. You sure you got all the fuel lines checked OK?

[karazy]

Look on the ground to see if there are any signs of fuel. That will tell you where it's dripping from. Be sure to check back under the tank area, because those fumes can be tricky little buggers.

If you don't see anything on the ground, you may want to check the top of the tank via under the back seat.

[amerikim]

strong gas smell with no obvious leak?
How about that charcoal canister?

[shook]

check around the fuel rail which is behind the valve cover.. might be O rings.. also check your fuel lines ?

-shook

[shackelton]

OK, I was gonna just let this thread drop and forget I ever asked, BUT...on the outside chance that someone pulls something as dumb as this I may save you the embarrassment....

The smell started shortly after I changed the oil. Part of changing the oil includes pouring the used oil into a jug to bring it to a place that accepts used oil, right? I use milk jugs, antifreeze containers, washer solvent bottles, etc. for this. Earlier this summer my daughter accidently filled the lawn mower (4 cycle) with the two cycle mix for the weed wacker. I thought it best to drain the mower, and guess what I drained it into? A washer solvent bottle! Stuck in on the floor in the garage and forgot about it. When I went looking for an empty jug to dump the used oil in I thought, "hmmm, I though I had used up all of that fancy green washer fluid already....must not have" and proceeded to dump about 6 oz. of oil/gas mix into the washer tank in the car....How I didn't smell it, I have no idea. Not to mention all the time I spent searching for a gas leak.

A mess to clean up, but it's all good now.

[Your Uncle Moe]

WOW. But its alright. Its an honest mistake. Your the smart one for finnally figuring it out in the end. You only look stupid when someone else figures it out before you do and makes you feel stupid about your own mistake.