05 Corolla, Smell Of Petrol Inside Car

[sednonmortuss]

Hi all,

I recently bought a 05 corolla. The car is running perfectly but there is a smell of petrol inside the car. There is no noticable smell outside.

I've had a quick look around the car, but I cannot see anything to indicate a leak or any other problem. As anyone come across this before?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Would think the first place to check is under the rear seat / carpet where there is the access plate to the fuel tanks pump etc.

Perhaps someone has replaced parts in there recently and some seal has not been properly made...?

[sednonmortuss]

Thanks for the advice.

I've checked the fule pump, there doesn't seem to be any sign of leaks, the smell is not noticably stronger near it. Judging from the look of the pump and the carpet over it there doesnt seem to have been any parts replaced or work done in this area.

Could it be that the smell is being caused by something in the engine area and is making its way through the vents/heaters?

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Its not something I have had a problem with, so cannot give a qualified answer.

However you could have a leak anywhere from the fuel tank itself, along the fuel line to the engine and anywhere in the fuel inlet system.

Does it smell when you get into the car in the morning before starting the engine or only when or after the engine has been run, ie a leak when the fuel system is being pumped.

I would check around the petrol tank filler cap and the rubber surround incase its leaking in there.

Also there is a Charcol cansister close to the bulkhead / nearside left wing to capture fuel vapour, could that be leaking or a loose vacumn pipe etc.

If not might be better to let a garage do some pressure tests for you...too risky to leave unfixed.

[Raistlin]

A ruptured fuel line, a ruptured fuel tank,

Also the smell can be caused by something as simple as getting gas on your clothing, hands or shoes at the garage and transfering it to you carpets,

[KenMavor]

Not on this car but another can in our family. A breather hose perishes and the smell of petrol is then sucked up by the heater blower and transferred into the cabin. Suggest you try running the cabin with the same air recirculating and see if that changes the smell..ie reduces or removes. If yes then suggest one of the hoses in the engine bay is suspect. If no then the source has to be somewhere in the cabin. Have you changed the cabin filter? And then give it a good hoover out.

[salonfire]

The fuel line from the filler neck into the petrol tank has a metal knuckle. This can perish and may be leaking.

The rest of the fuel line is made of plastic apart from this metal knuckle where the line changes direction.

[sednonmortuss]

So I eventually got around to dropping my car into the local Toyota dealership.

Turns out the pipe running from the filler cap into the bottom of the tank was extremly corroded. €100 for a new part from Toyota plus labor and problem solved. A bit surprising given the age of the car. Has anyone encountered this problem before?

Thanks for all the advice.

[oldcodger]

Hi,

Thanks for letting us know what the cause was.

Looking on Ytube seems its not too uncommon on much older models , but I do wonder how it managed to give you the smell of petrol only on the inside of the car when most of that pipe is on the underside ? - did it corrode where the pipe passes through the bodywork by the filler cap ?

[salonfire]

See my comments three posts up.

I had the exact same issue with the pipe from the filler neck to the tank at the metal knuckle.

It perishes outside the car. I guess petrol has a strong enough smell it seems into the car.

If it was a geniune leak into the car, the smell would be quite overpowering