Strong gasoline smell when starting in cold

On 2006-03-01, snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net penned:

No, but two coworkers who both have WRXes have the same problem.

I believe there was a recall or TSB for that issue on some WRXs. Might be worth investigating.

Carl

Thanks; I'll mention it to them.

That usually makes me think of leaking injector hoses or leaking injectors. On a cold start the liquid gasoline is probably visible.

It's just as big a fire hazard as it sounds like. I had an engine fire once when I had the replacement injector in hand and was just waiting for the weekend to replace it - I shouldn't have waited :-(

Mike

With the WRX it happens in cold weather and has something to do with the fuel rail hose. Some of the fixes i have read about is rotate the clamps and tighten them, replace the hose and clamps.

My WRX needed this fix. The TSB: TSB: 09-36-03 Date: 04-01-2003

The dealer wasn't able to reproduce the problem for months because I would experience this in the mountains and they are near the coast. Eventually, in the winter, they were able to detect the smell in their shop. But they were still stumped until I found the TSB.

alternatively, the problem could be in the filler neck. the connection for my '95 wagon finally gave up - and had the exact same symptoms. strong gas odor in the morning. the salt finally corroded things enough for failure.

I thought of that too, but then realized the OBDII in his post-96 would set the MIL if the tank had a vapor leak.

Mike

with a fuel injected engine you put your foot on the gas pedal to clear the engnine after it is flooded - says so in your manual.

My wife's Outback also has a smell of gasoline when it is started when the outside temp. is less than 30F or so. I found the source, it is from the exhaust. When the car warms up, the smell disappears.

Sniffing at the exhaust can make you dippy thou, ;-)

Al

Thanks, but I never put my foot on the gas pedal when I start the car.

Thanks for the suggestion.

It seems like the colder it is the stronger the smell of gasoline and the longer the smell lingers. A few weeks ago, we drove the car to Chicago where the temp was below zero -- it took at least 45 minutes to get rid of the smell (my wife was also in the car and she complained about the gasoline odor too) even driving most of that time on the freeway at speeds of 65 to 75 mph. That seems like a long time to clear gasoline from the exhaust system.

Any ideas as to what the dealer should check for -- perhaps an emission test for unburned hydrocarbons?

- - John

If you do the test for unburned hydrocarbons, you will have to do it with the engine cold and with the ambient air below freezing. I doubt if you can get a dealer to do that. The equipment is most likely in a nice warm garage area.

It is my understanding that modern engines determine the density of the air entering the engine. The colder the air, the denser it is. More fuel has to be added to ensure a proper air/fuel ratio. It may be that the mass sensor is not quite right or that Subaru's algorithm for calculating the ratio is off a little at low temps.

In the old carburated engines, you used a manual choke to increase the fuel to air mixture so that the engine would properly fire and run when cold. You would gradually release the choke as the engine warmed up. You certainly could smell the gasoline then. This is supposed to happen "automagically" now. I'm sure there are failures. Mine isn't bad enough to try to have it diagonsed and repaired.

Al

Does the smell go away if you put the vent on recirculate, or is is still there? If it goes away it's coming from the engine compartment and being pulled in through the air intake at the base of the windshield. If it doesn't go away it may be inside the car. The fuel tank access cover is under/behind the rear seat, there could be a leak at that point. One of the lines could be leaking or the gasket under the cover could be damaged.

Hi,

If it's taking THAT long to clear, ask 'em to check the cold start sensor system (its job is the equivalent of a choke on a carb.) If the sensor's weak or gone, it could be problematic. I don't know what the failure mode is on current models, but on some earlier ones it failed to "full rich." That could cause both a fuel smell AND reduced overall mileage (cost me about 2-3 mpg on the highway when mine went out.)

Rick

I had a similar problem with my '99 OBL. Turned out to be the gas cap was faulty. My CE light did not go on, but the car failed CT emissions testing and the gas cap was said to be the problem. After changing the cap, no more odor and the car passed emissions. It seems the tether cord that came with the OEM cap was not allowing the cap to seal properly. The new one does not have the cord, although there is a punch-out for the cord. I won't attach the old cord for fear of causing the same problem. It's a cheap fix if it works.

I've had the same exact experience for years, in my 99 LOW. I just ignore it. The smell goes away when the car warms up.

- Manuel.