Guest ewolf Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 I seem to have a fuel leak on my '94. It's more noticeable when the tank is full and it's a cold day. Any thoughts? I'll probably take it to a garage this week but I'd like other input. Does anyone sell a decent aftermarket fuel tank? Should I check the junk yards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 I have a similar fuel smell when I first get in start it when it's cold out. It has since gone away with warmer weather. I suspected it was a fuel line that wasn't sealing perfectly when the hose was frellin' cold but I could never isolate the source of the smell. It lasted for about 3 months while cold and the truck never burst into flames or anything like that. If you discover your problem, please post the results so that others (like myself) may benefit from it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mookie Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 If it's only on cold starts (usually the first morning start) you smell the fuel, check the little rubber hose about 4" in length that connects the two fuel rails. This is located just near your distributor cap. Usually by tightening the hose clamp will fix this. Another one of those 'common' Pathy things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ewolf Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 The smell is DEFINITELY coming from the back of the truck and sometimes can be smelled after the truck is warmed up. The first few times I had the sunroof up, I had to close it because the smell was so strong. And it's been going on a while with no explosions either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mookie Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 The smell is DEFINITELY coming from the back of the truck and sometimes can be smelled after the truck is warmed up. The first few times I had the sunroof up, I had to close it because the smell was so strong. And it's been going on a while with no explosions either. Ahh, ok then. Check right around the sending unit. I think there are posts about this. Try a search under fuel smell or fuel leak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
br2an Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 ewolf Try removing the access plate over the top of the tank and take a look at the top of the pump sending unit. You have to pull up the carpet to get at the plate, only 4 screws hold it on. Look for gas/wet area. Sometimes the seal leaks where the sending unit goes into the tank, sometimes the top of the sending unit rusts out, and sometimes the fuel lines rust and leak. (had all of the above happen to me.) Yours only leaks wit a full tank so it doesn't sound like a line. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 I've heard of a few people having pinhole leaks in the gas tank from internal rust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Extreme90path Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 Hey Mookie it is nice to know my engine isant the only one that looks that dirty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChromoTech Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 it could be that the air fuel mix is too rich mine did that when i started is up in the winter and black smoke would come out for about 6 sec. i adjusted it later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n0cturne74 Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 I also have a similar issue with my fuel tank after a fill-up. I had Firestone do a vehicle check a couple weeks ago and they said that the tank was leaking from the top and would have to be replaced. I then started looking online for new fuel tanks. I found http://www.discountgastanks.com/ to be the best deal out there... Only $209.00 with FREE shipping! Not bad at all. There's also a $5 discount if you purchase it online. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatterHorn Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 I find it funny that any of you guys would keep driving your rigs with the strong smell of gas ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n0cturne74 Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 It packs a pretty good buzz!!! I don't have any excessive fuel smell inside, just a noticible scent outside the rig after filling the tank to the brim. As long as I don't fill it completely it's fine. I plan on replacing it ASAP, it's just a matter of getting enough cash around to order it and scheduling an appt to get it installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 Just a passing thought -- If the tank change is a do it yourself project, you might consider dropping the tank, then put in a handful of BBs and shake the tank vigorously to clean out the scale, then rinse and let air dry in the hot sun. There are liquid products available via antique vehicle restoration suppliers that pour into the tank, then you rotate the tank to spread the liquid. When it dries, these products seal the tank from the inside out. http://www.morrowmarsh.ca/concours/techpag...stanksealer.htm Part of my business is transporting gasoline in truckload quantities. When we stick the gas station tanks, we use water paste on the stick to inventory how much water is on the bottom of the tank. (Almost every petroleum storage tank has water on the bottom, it's a fact of life that we don't talk about much :X ) A tip -- NEVER buy fuel while we are delivering gas to a station, as we are often stirring the water up into the vicinity of the pick up tubes. It's better to wait an hour and let the water fall back to the bottom of the storage tank. Water & fuel actually do mix to a degree, at least at the molecular level. The longer you let the water settle after a delivery, the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 I find it funny that any of you guys would keep driving your rigs with the strong smell of gas ... mine only had a smell of gas when I first started the engine on really really cold mornings. I figure that if it caught fire, I'd at least be warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatterHorn Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 heh... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 mine only had a smell of gas when I first started the engine on really really cold mornings. I figure that if it caught fire, I'd at least be warm. LOL! We think alike... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 Got a friend who had an 90-something P.O.S. Ford Tempo that smelled bad of gas and ran bad. He kept driving and driving. One day we looked and discovered the carb was leaking fuel... and the exhaust was below. How it didn't become a torch on wheels, we don't know. :Magic: I wouldn't ride in it again though. Get if fixed for sure. We don't need any NPORA funerals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Pickles Posted May 6, 2004 Share Posted May 6, 2004 80 something Tempo, that is. I think the first year. Horrible car. A true Ford. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trvlace Posted May 8, 2004 Share Posted May 8, 2004 What I read here is this only occurs when the tank is real full. So it could be the gas cap, or and overflow hose releasing gas to let off pressure. ?? Not sure just swinging in the dark but I know some taknks have release tube for this reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abomb1 Posted May 10, 2004 Share Posted May 10, 2004 Here's my gas tank story: (Skip this paragraph if you want the abbreviated version) Started noticing a gas smell in the garage this winter, but never saw a leak on the floor. Finally started looking around on the vehicles and found a very tiny pinhole leak on the bottom of the tank, right below where the sending unit sits. After 3 different attempts at sealing the leak with a "gas tank repair kit" from a parts store, I decided to find a new tank. Bought the tank for $60 at a junk yard and put everything back together. Filled up with gas the next day, got home, and smelled even more gas. This time it turned out to be where the sending unit bolts to the top of the tank (sure wish I knew about that access door when I was working on this one!!) The sending unit was kind of corroded, so it wasn't a flat seal to the tank. I used some 3M gasket sealant between the sending unit and tank which took care of the gas smell. Then all the sudden I was only able to fill the tank 3/4 full and even to get there I had to spend 10 minutes just trying to get the gas in slow enough to not come back out at me. This was the day before I was going in to have my ACL surgery, and I was on my way to work with an empty tank of gas. I said screw it and brought it to a service shop to have the filler and vent lines replaced since they seemed kind of kinked (because of my bodylift). That still didn't fix it so I decided to try to live with it and hope it would magically fix itself. 3 weeks later I couldn't stand it any more. I was buying gas every other day and it was getting kind of annoying having gas pour back out at me when I tried to put the gas pump on auto fill. Brought it to Nissan this time to have it checked out. They found that the tank I bought had some corrosion inside it that worked its way into the sending unit and screwed that up beyond repair. Only solution was to get a new sending unit and gas tank. I bent over and took the repair from Nissan just to get the warranty that nothing like this will happen again for 12,000 miles. Since you are only smelling gas when the tank is full, I would bet that your sending unit is probably corroded too. You've got 2 choices then. 1) try to seal it with some 3m gasket sealant. or 2) buy a new sending unit. If your tank is also corroded there, you might be better off just buying all new tank and sending unit and not going through what I did. Good luck with whatever you decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ewolf Posted May 13, 2004 Share Posted May 13, 2004 I just got through looking in the access panel. What a PITA. The backend of my truck is so rusted that the bolts holding the tie-downs in the back (that happen to hold the carpet down) wouldn't turn. Got two out and the other two heads sheared off on me. Oh well - I don't have anything to tie-down there anyhow... As predicted, there is alot of rust around the sending unit. I also checked the filler tube and it looks rather cancerous too. So I figure I need to replace both. That leads to another question: what's a good source for aftermarket parts for the Pathfinder? BTW, the outside of the tank looks pretty good. Almost too good. Makes me think the tank has been replaced before... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abomb1 Posted May 14, 2004 Share Posted May 14, 2004 I don't know if you'll be able to find an aftermarket source for the sending unit and filler tube (you must mean the part of the tube that the cap screws onto since the rest is rubber). If the tank really has been replaced you should be alright with that as long as there isn't any rust pieces in there already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted May 17, 2004 Share Posted May 17, 2004 http://www.partsamerica.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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