I was just wondering what the signs of a possible fuel leak are. For some reason, I have noticed the smell of gasoline when I have bent over to get items out of the rear driver's side of our 1997 Mercury Tracer. I haven't been able to tell exactly were it is coming from though. Of course, the fuel door is on the driver's side, so maybe I am smelling that. Which makes me wonder if we should replace our gas cap. Any information would be greatly appreciated. As a note, our miles per gallon have not changed.
Fortunately, there are no stains and I don't smell it under the hood or in the trunk. It does seem a bit stronger near the fuel door. Could our gas cap be leaking vapors?
I doubt it is your gas cap Joseph. My bet is you have a slight leak in the fuel line that runs along the frame on that side. Look under there for a wet or damp spot where you smell it. Good luck
It can be the gas cap. They're actually pressure tested now in areas where emissions tests are required. I had to replace the cap on my Ranger not long ago because it wasn't sealing properly.
Yes, it could be the cap. It could also be in a section of rubber hose between the filler tube and the tank (not all vehicles are constructed this way, but we just had to repair one like this on my Dad's Bronco.) And it could be a gasket inside the filler neck which is not sealing properly.
In all such situations, you should go for the cheapest repair.... that is, rather than tear out the filler neck system, simply replace the gas cap. You might be able to take a cap off an alternate vehicle which exhibits no fume leak... make sure it's your own or you have permission : 0)
If the problem is solved, then GREAT. If not, then it has to be taken further. (Too many people end up having major repairs which are not needed. For example replace a $400 radiator when it's a $6 thermostat that's bad.) Spike
We just got our smog test about three months ago and everything was fine. As a note, our 'check engine soon' light came on when we were driving home from vacation about a month and a half ago. It only stayed on for about two days though. Now it is back to normal.
Our current gas cap is about five or six years old. At the time, we substituted our original cap with one from an auto store that had a lock on it.
The fuel lines are under the car. Just get a flashlight, lay on your side, and look for the small steel lines that will be running along the side of the frame. You may have to jack it up on the side and for heaven's sake, be careful. Use blocks of wood or jackstands. Get help if you're not sure. Not worth dying for. The lines will be on the INSIDE of the frame (Toward center of car). Look for a damp or rusty spot and also use you nose. Good luck
Oh Yeah, the bad spot will almost always be where the line is clamped to the frame because salt and junk rusts them out. If you find a suspect spot, rub your finger on it and then smell your finger for gas. If you don't find anything along the line, check the big hose that the tank is filled through. I had a 96 T-Bird last year that had a leak ON TOP of the gas tank. I had to drop the tank down and sure enough, a plastic hose on top was the culprit. It had been rubbing on a metal portion of the car for years and finally wore through.
One of my favorites is a pair of 12x12 railroad ties, with one end angle cut to create a ramp, and the other end blocked to keep from driving off the end. The corners I cut off to create the ramps are used as wheel chocks.
The 12" plus normal ground clearance is plenty for crawling around underneath. I don't generally do any jacking with this system in order to avoid any sideways slip... although a couple of friends who showed me this system; one has his drilled and rebar stakes are driven through and into the ground, while the other had 4X4s spaced as cross braces.
It sure makes draining oil, etc, easy. A sheet of plywood makes rolling underneath easy if you aren't already on a paved or concrete surface (mine were in the garage in winter, and in the back yard off the alley otherwise.)
When us>I use 12" by 12" blocks of wood all the time. Very safe. No offense, but
Come on Tom. Read his comment and the way he said it to me. It was not meant to help this guy but rather to put me down. Now, I agree, there are better ways to do things I'm sure, but you yourself said it may have been a one in a million chance. I venture to say jack stands fail at a higher rate than that! If he wanted to talk to me in a civil manner, I have no problem with that. But that attitude was uncalled for.
Most definitely. I've done it many times when jackstands were not available. Wood cannot split across the grain, and it is VERY strong in compression. And I am a mechanic - I know where to put the blocks. I worked in central Africa for a few years - and when you need to get under a car and the closest jack stands are 75 or more miles away, you find something that works .
You can even use rocks and a good stout branch, or to work underneath, if necessary, dig a trench and drive/push the vehicle over it. And I've used sage brush and letting air out of the tires to get out of loose sand in the desert. Lots of little things you might be willing to try when you're in a fix. Spike
At the time I mentioned how they use wood beams criss-crossed when raising a house, or bolted together to make railway bridges, along with a link to a "Crush strength" chart for various woods.
Others debated the type of wood, dryness, on-end or on-side, whether to use a beam or a cube, then the resident moron (haven't heard from it in a while) made his usual stupid comments, and the topic faded away.
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