Fuel smell in and around trunk

tom_otto · Post by **tom_otto** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 5:13 pm

looking for some advice about a fuel smell issue with my 79 528i. I know I've read about this on the old forum, but can't find or remember what to do.

I'm smelling gas fumes from the trunk area mostly when the tank is full, which I'm guessing means it's time to replace the charcoal canister (fuel breather) and /or the breather box. Does this seem right? Any help with this would be great. Thanks

JoshInAtlanta · Post by **JoshInAtlanta** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 5:20 pm

Check out Adam's fuel injection hose replacement in the Tech FAQ on the left side.

That might be part of the problem.

tom_otto · Post by **tom_otto** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 5:54 pm

Thanks! Just what I needed to read.

Mike W. · Post by **Mike W.** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 1:18 pm

While those hoses certainly can leak, but by now often they have already been replaced. Another source of fumes by the trunk is the evaporative hoses. There's 3 or 4 of them running between the tank and the evap canister and they get old and rotten too, they just aren't under pressure and don't spray fuel. But they can cause a horrific gas odor when they're bad, and extreme cases even leak a little bit. They too are a pain to replace, a couple of them are 6MM and the others are 8MM. Dropping the tank slightly, loosening, but not removing it helps.

jkchappy · Post by **jkchappy** » Thu Apr 01, 2010 12:43 pm

mine turned out to be rust around where the filler enters the tank....

Mike W. · Post by **Mike W.** » Thu Apr 01, 2010 1:18 pm

jkchappy wrote:mine turned out to be rust around where the filler enters the tank....

Ah yes, I always forget about eastern car issues.

tom_otto · Post by **tom_otto** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 12:48 am

Thanks to all for the help. Turns out all the fuel hoses had already been replaced, but not the expansion hoses. The larger one which goes to the charcoal filter was in bad shape. It was a pain in the ass to replace, but smell is gone.