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Hi,

One of my friend owns a Opel Corsa 1.4 GSi. Last moth he got his cars serviced. At the time of service he had some problems with the car and one of them was that at some point petrol smell comes inside the cabin of the car no matter whether the windows are opened or closed. And after like 10 - 15 secs it vanishes. This happenes to him like 5 - 6 times everyday.

The dealer is unable to fix this problem even after visiting and getting the car checked more than 5 times for this same problem. Everytime he goes to them they either say no pertol smell is coming or if smell comes in cabin they say thet they have adjusted some pipe or pipe ppsition is worng etc stuff..

They are unable to solve this issue for past 1+ months. So he neeeds help. Do any one whats the issue here ? Suddenly petrol smell comes and the vanishes after 10 secs. Even i have driven the car and he is right that suddenly a lot of petrol smell comes inside the cabin and then goes.

HELP HELP HELP ????

P.S. Do anyone have a Opel Corsa 2003 Service/Repair Manual. ???

Thanks.

Well, there is a leak somewhere.

Ask him to check the fuel lines THOROUGHLY!!

Hi,

You might want to check if the overflow pipe (which comes out of the fuel tank) is not blocked. Blockage of this pipe can lead to the petrol smell in the cabin. Rgds

Probably you could start with a more elaborate and specific investigation report. Can you tell whether
* every time the car is taken out this smell comes? That is, is it predictable or is it that one can not be sure of this thing happening everytime?
* this thing actually happens multiple times on a journey or just once? if multiple times then is there a fixed interval or happens at apparently arbitrary moments?
* there is a fixed timeframe when this happens? I mean can you say something like after the car is driven for X mins the smell comes.
* does the smell actually vanishes after 10-15 secs? As in, is this thing sure a factor of time? Are you sure that it has not got anything else to connect it with? Like whether at this time the temp shoots up or your friend is desperately trying to accelerate and hence floors the accelerator or he he is at a particular gear.

You know... you need to note all these factors down to understand the exact reason behind the problem. Sometimes the inexplicable things that look eccentric are actually grounded in more simpler reasons that we fail to see. Even if the smell does not always come during every journey you need to check whether it occurs when the car is say climbing an incline or going down a decline.

I am sure if you look at the problem and its occurence in a more objective manner the solution will also be found. If you can recreate the problem scenario (that is instead of waiting for it to happen all of a sudden) then the problem can also be solved. Till then you will have to make do with generic solutions like there is a leak somewhere... some outflow pipe is choked etc.

Hi,

UPDATE:
The problem got solved way back when i opened this thread. Actually there was no problem in pipes etc. the problem was fuel tank cap. Changing the cap solved the problem and we came to know that there is a breathing hole in that cap which got blocked.

Now there is no smell from that day onwards. :)

Thanks.

Hi Guys,

I am also facing the similar problem in my Santro. A brief description about the problem :
Last month I got my Santro serviced from the Hyundai A.S.S. Have also done the carbon cleaning (Injector cleaning) during the servicing. After getting back the car, I have noticed a petrol smell coming from the car as soon as I parked the car. (although the smell is not there in the cabin.) This was not the case befor the servicing. I do not think there is any fuel leackage as there is no drop in the petrol level as per the fuel indicator (which I am damn sure is working fine).

Is this normal after the Injector cleaning?
Would appritiate if some BHpian adviced me about the same.

Thanks,
Amit.

Amit, your issue is a different one. This could happen due to a small leak in your fuel lines. That is why you get the smell when you stop the car after a drive.
So here is a test- Keep the engine running, open the engine bay and check for any visible leaks, or atleast smell.

Hi guys,
I am recently having a peculair problem.I drive a Maruti 800.Sometimes after a drive and when i shut the car and close the windows later when i open the car i notice a petrol smell.However this does not consistently happen.When I enter the car in the morning there is no petrol smell.
Since it is not consistent even explaining to the mechanic becomes a pain.
Any ideas what might be the cause?
Alll your inputs are very welcome
Thanks
Fergus

I too have experienced the same issue with my opel corsa sometime back...felt that petrol smell is coming through the a/c vent. Would be interesting to know the possibilities.

leaking fuel pump perhaps

Hi Fergus!
I had a similar problem many years ago, when I used to drive a Maruti 800. In the hatch, on the left side, behind a pad, there was a plastic container. It was connected on one side to the fuel tank filler pipe & on the other side to the engine. The system carried petrol fumes from the tank to the engine.
One of the nozzles of this plastic container had broken off, because of impact with a speaker which I had installed on this pad. This was causing petrol fumes to enter the cabin.
Replacement of the plastic container solved the problem.
Just my 2 pice bit on the subject. I am sure there will be many other reasons the gurus will want to talk about.

Hi Nura,
Thanks a lot for your input.What pad exactly are you talking about and how do I access this plastic container to check if the nozzles are OK or broken.Secondly did you get these fumes continuously or occasionally like I get it.Thirdly since some fuel is getting lost the FE should drop.Mine is steady at around 18 kpl.
Technical gurus please give me your valuable inputs.Thanks in advance.

Hi Fergus!
To access this pad, you will need to open the hatch (5th door) of your car & fold the rear seat forward. It will be on the left side.
I don't think FE should be affected much, as only vapour is getting lost.
Hope this helps.

yup this is a collection box to trap petrol fumes, clean the breather hose and then the cannister this should solve the problem. take it to a competent garage.

Hi,

I get the smell of petrol in my SWIFT-VXI,whenever I fill up petrol.But it vanishes after some time.