Re: Smell of gas. (...help!...)

[skerocdriver@juno.com (SHAWN C MEZE)]

On Mon, 8 Sep 1997 00:22:20 -0500 (CDT) Ilias Glavinas
<elias@tesla.wustl.edu> writes:
>
>This is a problem that I have had since I got my 85 8V, about 4+ years 
>ago. In hot weather, the fan blows gas fumes into the interior (it can
>get really noticeable on 85+ F days). I am sure that the leak is tiny 
>(ie, the gas evaporates right away after leaking, I can see no visible 
>liquid gas anywhere in the engine compartment), and that it comes from
>under the hood, otherwise the blower would not pick it up and spew it 
>inside the car. 


I have another theory on your source of the fumes. Check the rear of the
car for damp fuel lines or maybe alot of dirt like what might stick to a
damp hose. Your return vent hoses might be leaking slightly, enough to
cause a smell inside the car. Running the fan could be circulating enough
of the air inside of the car to get the fumes to you. (Especially if you
don't have the rear shelf in place.)  
If you smell fuel, its gotta be coming from he fuel system. Check the
entire length of the system and also check in the rear hatch area. Your
fuel gauge gasket may be bad and causing the smell. Have you tried to
pressurize the fuel tank? That might force the smell making finding the
source easier. 
HTH!

>I really haven't given too much thought, and the fact that for 4 years 
>now I have spent 100F days driving without having the car catch fire, 
>makes me think I am safe from at least a fire/explosion hazard. But 
>the smell is very irritating --and I won't even go to all the
carcinogenic 
>effects of petroleum products. 


It takes ALOT of fumes to ignite. Especially fuel. I get really irritated
hearing people, who obviously watch way too much TV saying how "its gonna
blow"! Ive had a couple experienced where ive been at a car fire trying
to help get people out of a car that has a small oil fire. Some inbred
couch potato comes running down the embankment in a total pannic
screaming, "get them out its gonna blow"! Blow me pal. Another fun time
was when I was driving back from Colorado through Utah and there was a
3/4 ton pickup engulfed in flames. All the traffic stopped behind it
(about 30 cars) because it was gonna blow. I drove up to where the driver
of the truck was at and asked him how much gas was in the truck. He said
he had just filled it up full, 40 gallons. I said thank you very much and
drove right on by the inferno. Most of the cars that were pulled over
followed me right by the fire on the side of the road. The people closest
to the truck that were parked on the side of the road were waving their
arms at me like I couldn't see it burning and screaming, "stay away she's
gonna blow"!! Yeah whatever. 
You see, a full tank of gas will never explode. An empty tank of gas is
way more dangerous since it can explode, given enough heat and time to
ignite it. For as long as I could see that truck in my rear view mirror
(Utah has got some long, straight ass roads!) after that, it never did
explode. I saw white smoke and then no smoke so I presume the fire truck
got there and put it out before it "exploded". 
Too many people watched "Chip's" on TV man. :)



              Shawn Meze
86' Jetta GLi           82' Scirocco GTi
The Fastest, Quickest, Cleanest and
best looking Scirocco in all of San Diego!
http://www2.netcom.com/~trnsfrma/vws.html
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