Help! My car smells like gasoline!
Gasoline Odor
You really only hope to smell the smell of gasoline when filling up. If you smell gasoline next to or even inside your car at other times, chances are there is something wrong with your car. There are several are reasons why your car may smell like gasoline.
Gasoline smell while starting the car
A gasoline smell when starting a car is generally quite normal. The smell is probably from your car’s exhaust. In addition, during a cold start, a richer fuel mixture is used to get the engine going. When not all the fuel is burning, you may smell a gasoline odor outside the car as well as inside through the vents. This is not immediately a serious problem, provided the smell disappears again after a few seconds.
Gasoline smell in or around the car
If the gasoline smell does not disappear quickly or even persists, chances are there is a leak somewhere in the system. With leaking fuel lines, it is imperative that you get them repaired at a garage immediately, because breathing in the fumes from a fuel leak is not only unhealthy, but leaking fuel is potentially dangerous!
Another reason why the car smells like gasoline is, for example, a hole or crack in the car’s exhaust. You can then smell this both inside the car and outside. Moreover, a hole in the exhaust system can also be heard. When in doubt, visit garagist.
Activated carbon filter
An activated carbon filter is also often the culprit for a gasoline smell outside the car. This is because the filter captures residual gasoline fumes after the engine is turned off. If the carbon filter is broken, it lets the odors through, resulting in you smelling the gasoline in and around the car. The filter is found in the engine compartment, so if the filter is not doing its job properly, you will smell it through the air vent soon enough.
