As the title says, I'm smelling gas out side of the car at the wheel well. After researching the issue, I pulled the back seat and checked the caps and all is dry. Not getting the smell inside of the car. Other research showed that topping off when filling up can lead to the charcoal canister becoming saturated, so I ordered one and changed it. After doing the job and putting everything back together, I noticed that the fuel tank (is it a two piece fuel tank?), well, I think it was a fuel tank, was wet and when I wiped it down, it got wet again. I'm talking about what looks like a fuel tank on the driver's side of the car. The leak appears to be coming from the top of the tank.
It appears that the only thing holding it up is a single metal strap that doesn't look like it should be hard to get to. I'm going through some personal stuff right now so kind living a nomadic life and don't have access to all of my usual resources, so I'm just asking for what to look for or what I need to do in preparation to drop this thing so I can see what's what.
Any advise before I go tearing stuff apart?
Thanks.
There is an access hole under the rear seat on both sides to service fuel pump and sending unit without removing the tank.
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Is that to say that a gasket for either the fuel pump or sending unit could be bad and I wouldn't smell the gas in the car? Would one of those gaskets explain the leaking/seepage I'm getting?
I was under the impression that if one of those gaskets was leaking, I'd smell gas inside of the car.
When you say that you pulled the back seat, Tony, did you then pull up the rubber / tarpaper mat, and unbolt the round cover plates? These are sealing the interior from the fuel. You need to remove these covers (start with driver's side), and then look at the top of the fuel sending unit / filter assembly/ regulator. I'll bet you'll find a discolored yellowish crack in that item.
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
Thanks Chris. I'm going to do all of that as soon as I can get to some of my tools and a place to work.
This inspection will require about twenty minutes, and a 10mm socket or maybe a phillips screwdriver, I forget which, for the cover plates.
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
Just a follow up. Thanks for all of the information. Sure enough, the filter/regulator (or whatever it is) was cracked.
Thanks for the update, my friend.
I was ordered to try to repair it, with the best epoxy and the best technique. This did not work. Buy one....my boss did.....
Oh, new o-ring for the top seal, too.
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
Thanks for the heads up.
Again, thanks for all of the info. I did finally get around to changing the fuel filter/regulator and now I have another problem. When I went to remove the large ring that holds the regulator in place, it wouldn't budge using the punch and tap method. I actually resorted to using a large piece of pipe and really beating on it to loosen it. I shot wd-40 into all of the holes and that didn't help. I finally went to autozone and rented the fuel pump replacement kit that includes a tool for removing such rings and the tool accommodates a 3/8" ratchet.
I put the tool on the ring using the ratchet and it still wouldn't budge. I then grabbed my small impact gun (100 lbs of torque) and used that with the tool. No movement at all. I finally got it off using my big impact gun (over 1000 lbs of torque according to milwaukee). I ruined three sets of the raised nubs on the ring getting it off. Once I got the ring off, I found that the plastic collar that the ring threads onto was split. After replacing the regulator and a couple of hours cursing, I was finally able to finesse the ring onto the split threaded collar.
The problem now is, of course, what do I do the next time I need to replace the regulator? Can that plastic threaded ring be replaced or do I have to replace the whole tank? I looked on realoem and didn't see a part number for the threaded ring.
Damn, Tony ! I wasn't there, so I can't and won't say what I might have done differently. But I'm hoping that you don't ever have to open that side up again, and that there's no evaporative leak coming to get you.
The tank is one plastic piece. If you get an evap leak, we'll be glueing things.
Chris Powell
Racer and Instructor since, well. decades, ok?
Master Auto Tech, owner of German Motors of Aberdeen
BMWCCA 274412
German Motors is hiring ! https://www.bimmerforums.com/forum/s...1#post30831471
i dont know if you had the same problem but i have a 03 325i and when i turn the car off i can smell gas and its on the right side at the back where the Bumper is where the gas cap is its not a strong smell would that be a leak
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i dont know if u had this problem but i have a 03 bmw 325i and i can smell gas when i turn the car off and its at the back on the right side where the fender is and gas cap its not a strong smell can smell it if i put my nose right up to where the gas cap door is
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