996 Strong petrol smell - offside front

Morning all Took my C4S out for a run to Goodwood yesterday - a good 70-80 miles or so. All was good with the world. 3 miles from home I decided to fill up and when I got back in the cabin I could smell petrol fumes which I put down to me spilling a few drops around the filler. Drove home with the windows open and had a look around the car when I got home and there was a strong fuel smell around the offside wheel well - accentuated by the fact the fans were on. Put it back in the garage (leaving the door open to vent) and when I went back a couple of hours later it was still concentrated there. But there were no drips (thank god) on the cardboard I had left underneath (haven't checked this morning mind). I know that the fuel filler cap seal can degrade, but this feels to be something altogether more. But maybe I am just being paranoid - then again, just like water in the house, petrol in cars scares the bejesus out of me... I have read Infrasilvers trials and tribulations following the collapsed tank, so can see that there are various outlets/valves to balance the pressure. All beyond me to track down, but I thought it was worth asking if anyone else had experienced anything similar? Thanks in advance

I did when I got the car home after buying it - fuel cap O ring cracked. Cheapest repair I've done on the car! Modern cars have a fuel return line to the tank - long runs and warmer temperatures can mean the fuel warms up a bit and more likely to evaporate. Whip it off and have a good look at the seal - should be pretty obvious if split / deteriorated. Ian

Thanks Ian Having dug around on Google for other experiences, I had steeled myself to have to whip the wheel liner off and look for dampness. But having checked the car cold there was no smell outside, or in the cabin. there was a slight whiff under the frunk where the fumes settled I guess, but No leaks on the floor. Undid the cap and the smell appears (unsurprisingly) but had a good look at the seal (nothing obvious) and tightened it back up through a few clicks. Engine on and idling for 10 minutes and nothing at all - with ac on and off. I suspect that I either didn't seat the fuel cap properly after refuelling or the seal is on its way out. Either way I will get another one on Tuesday when OPC reopens and go from there. Looking at the crustyness of the wheel liner fixings I am a bit relieved tbh. :thumbs:

Mine did this too - in hot weather while in traffic jams, the smell was particularly bad. £7 something from the dealer for a new one, not had any smells since. :thumb:

When you spilt some of the fuel im guessing it went down the hole in the plastic under the filler nozzle ... That pipe should exit under the car but is often pushed up .. fuel could in theory collect in the panel behind the arch liner ... Im talking a tiny amount here so of no real concern .. this maybe why the smell lingered for a while . The fuel tank issue collapsing is a seperate fault from a fuel smell . If you look at the seal in the fuel cap then cracks are pretty obvious .. if you don't see any then its fine .

Evening all - a quick update. Went out for another run this afternoon and after 20 mins the fuel smell in the cabin returned. When I got home there was a strong smell from within the wheel arch - which is still there 2 hours later. Nothing from the filler cap though. I think there are various vent hoses to the carbon canister behind the o/s front wheel liner - but realistically even if I stripped it off I suspect that any remedial work will be beyond me - so a call to Brookspeed beckons...

A quick update on this - issue traced to the evaporation canister for the fuel system located in the offside front wheel arch. Replaced with a new unit (which appeared to be a modified design according to my Indy) and so far no more vapour smells - happy days!

It's not modified as such .. it's the 987 carbon canister with a blank for one of the pipes .. cost cutting basically so they don't have to supply 2 different canisters anymore . A leak in this canister and a reduced vapour input should have generated a fault code so i assume it was small enough not to generate a code but enough to give a fuel smell . Either way .. Fixed :thumb:

Back form Shell fuel up to max, and I can smell it these 99 octane's.... NOT AGAIN!!!! I don't know when but I have to deal with it, can I ask for part number please.

The part number wasn't on my invoice, but looking at the parts diagram on deroure I am pretty sure it is 99620122109 - described as the carbon canister. Certainly the cost looks about right. That being said, as Demort noted above there is a modified part so you would need to check whether this has been superseded.

Check the fuel cap seal just to make sure its not badly cracked . That part number if you order it i believe will just superseed to the modified one .. we ordered it from OPC and it was the new type that was sent .

Thank you, will check seal but smell is around wheel..... and as far as I know my luck it will be most expensive part that could be, c: off for another anesthesia :cheers:

I have been driving around with the almost constant wiff of petrol for over a year, it kind of got forgotten last service.. I noticed a hissing from the fuel tank when I filled up today from virtually empty, when I poked the fuel pipe flap with my finger rather than the fuel filler nozzle, air rushed out, or at least I think it rushed out rather than in.. I'm guessing that means the carbon canister is blocked or the breather pipework is blocked? The diagnostic computer has told me fault with fuel vent system which I kind of guessed anyway, but the carbon can was replaced only about 6000 miles/4 years ago. Could it be that again? What's the diagnosis proceedure to pinpoint the problem rather than just throwing parts at it?

Hi, small update on my fuel issue, after disassembly all fuel pipes I did find 2 holes in filler pipe, some welding did the job for now. Asterix - you need to disassembly all pipes connected to carbon canister and blow through also disassembly fuel filler vent and clean it on mine I did found a lot of dirt, hope this will help you.