FWIW, I took my 2002 Outback Wagon to the dealership today and complained of the same problem.
Right there in the pull-up area, the tech said "Oh, you?re the 4th one today". (It?s 4 degrees outside) So, the guy whipped out a screwdriver and tightened all the fuel line clamps and it doesn?t smell anymore.
I?ll probably experiment with adding locking nuts on the bottom of the screws to see if that helps.
"shawnhill" wrote: > That is what I was looking for. Thanks to everyone for your > help. > > On Jan 2, 5:23 pm, "Porgy Tirebiter" wrote: > > wrote in messagenews: snipped-for-privacy@a3g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...>I have a 2000 Outback with automatic transmission. The car runs great > > > and the engine light never comes on. Sometimes, in the > winter, I will > > > start the car and gas fumes will fill the cabin when the > heater is on. > > > When the gas fumes are present, they really pour into the > cabin at > > > every stop light too. The problem is really inconsistent. > It seems to > > > happen more frequently when I make short trips. This > could just be a > > > result of highway driving blowing away the fumes. I had > it checked out > > > by the dealer, but they said they didn't find anything > wrong. I had it > > > checked out by an independent mechanic, he said it sounded > like a gas > > > leak, but could not find any leaks. Let me know if > anybody else has > > > had this problem or if you have any ideas about what might > be causing > > > the fumes. Thanks!It is a KNOWN problem with Subaru! > > The clamps on the fuel lines DO LEAK in cold weather. Subaru > knows about it, > > the dealers know about it. Subaru wont fix it! > > here is the problem.... > > They leak when its *COLD*. By the time you get it to the > dealer it's > > warm..problem gone... > > Subaru has been really "Chicken Shit" about it. have the > hoses and clamps > > replaced with good stuff. Fires have been reported from > this.