PETROL SMELL

I own a 1991 Vauxhall Cavalier and have been concerned about a smell of petrol coming from under the bonnet. This started off as quite faint but as time goes on I’m sure it is getting stronger. I‘ve checked under the bonnet but although the smell is strong when I first lift the bonnet, I cannot see any leaks.

My concern is that the smell may be from the carburettor, but the engine runs smoothly and if there was excess fuel going through the carb, I would expect the engine to run rich, which it isn’t! Can you suggest which area I should be checking? Dexter Jackson If you can see no physical signs of leaking fuel, then the most likely area of the problem is the fuel hose between the lift pump and the carburettor. This is probably not split or leaking a vast amount of fuel but has more than likely become porous.

The fuel then bleeds slowly through the fabric of the hose and although no drips can be seen, the fuel will be evaporated off into the engine bay, giving the predominant smell of fuel that you have. If you wipe your fingers over the old hose, you should be able to feel the slightly oily surface of the hose, left from the residue of the seeping fuel.

The hose used should be 6mm internal diameter and for the cost of a short length of petrol hose I would replace this as a matter of course before carrying out any further tests.