Strong fuel smell after filling up 2002 360 spider

I recently had an issue with my car not starting easily(2002 360 spider). Mech traced it down to a bad alarm module. That was replaced. Car started beautifully every time after. I filled up the car, and made the 2 hour drive home.

After getting home I noticed a BAD fuel smell. REALLY strong. Lasted in my garage for days. I never smelled any fuel in the cabin, and it seems to be coming from the LH side of the car near the engine bay. I checked the cap, and it felt snug. I am going to check the LH fuel pump this weekend, but the mech JUST checked fuel pressure and such when he had the car to service the alarm module. So it would be strange to see that has failed when he JUST checked it.

No check engine lights or anything. If it is the rollover valves, I won't be able to see those as it is a 2002 spider.

Anyway....anything else I should check before I end up having to ship this thing back off for the 2 hour drive to the mech? I can take off the covers in the engine bay this weekend and check hoses and such. Anything in that area known to fail?

 

This may sound weird but try to sniff the top air scoop on each side fenders to determine if it's coming from the fuel pump or around it.

This was my first step in determining where the leak is from. Found out it's my passenger side fuel pump cap which is why the passenger air scoop have a very strong fuel smell when I sniffed it. It's fab but it helped me knowing where it's coming from.

It's resolved now. No more fuel fumes.

 

You replace the fuel pump yourself?

I haven't driven my car now in 2 weeks. I will have to run it a bit now and see if/where the smell comes back. I DO know I smelled it strong all around the left side of the car. it was overbearing in my garage for 2-3 days after getting home.

 

Sounds like a fuel leak. The rub is.. you have a spider. 2002 should have the access panels. You can put the top down half way and look behind the rear seats. Should have two access panels in the black plastic. Take the one off and see if there is gas on top of the pump. Should take what.. 20 minutes in the garage..

 

I just replaced the passenger side pump on my 04 spider, and while testing it the driver's side pump started leaking! This at 32K miles. Made a temporary repair with epoxy on the driver's side pump which is holding after 4 months and 1800 miles, but will replace it soon.

I never smelled fuel in the cabin. One day I drove into the garage and immediately closed the garage door (Something I don't do very often - usually leave the garage open for a while to evacuate the heat) After an hour the fuel smell in the garage was very strong. So opened the top and looked at the pumps through the access ports. About a 15 minute chore if you have the accesses. Passenger side pump was leaking from the top of the regulator at a pretty good rate. Enough for me to shut down the car until repaired.

Another possibility, especially since you noticed it after fueling, is the evaporative charcoal filter. A lot cheaper than a couple of fuel pumps!

Good Luck, Andy

 

Yep. I do. I am going to check the pumps this weekend. Hasn't been driven in a few weeks, so I just need to let it run for a little bit and then will take the covers off and look.

 

Yeah...it was REALLY strong in my garage. I had noticed a fuel smell once before and it was right after a complete fill up as well.

Just to check....where can I find that charcoal filter...i mean for sale BTW?

 

My service manager said if I ever smell gas it down right away. Those pumps are known to crack and cause fires

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Sure... it's a DIY job IMO. My 2001 Spider has the access panels.

All ya need is a spanner for the fuel pump lock ring. I made one in about 20 minutes (cuz I can weld) but the tool is available anywhere from $15 to $40 depending from whom it is sourced. A pump is like $550 to $650 IIRC.

My passenger-side pump had a very small crack and fuel was weeping. Here is the thread: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/360-430-sponsored-yellow-compass-group/527191-how-remove-replace-fuel-pump.html

 

If he checked your fuel pressure go back to the source and check the fuel rail and see if there is a leak.

 

Ricambi is one source:

Location: 1 Part: 186316 *Qty: 1 FUEL VAPOR FILTER -Valid for USA MY 2001, 2002,2003,2004 and CDN MY 2001,2002,2003,2004 $333.78

 

Just my suggestion, but check the vent valves (there are 4x -- 2 on each tank), the plastic tops of the pumps, the fuel cap itself, and then (lastly?) the charcoal canister.

Pumps seem to be the most common point of failure, with vent valves coming in a distant second!

 

If you have a ferrari and smell fuel, procedure is, do not drive the car, check currency of insurance policy, have fire extinguisher at the ready... this is a serious problem needing to be fixed immediately....

 

I have replaced both Fuel Pumps and also all of my rollover valves in my 2004 Spider. Its a given failure on all of them. If you smell fuel, this is it.

Hope for just fuel pumps, they are easy to swap!

 

Didnt drive the car for like 6 months and smells fuel YESTODAY.
towed home and ready for a check after my biz trip.
Key word: tow home, not drive.

QUESTION: what is the roll over valve? is it the plastic top cap thing ricambi mentioned?

 

They are on top of each tank. Two per side. They have a nipple and hose that come off them. They get brittle and crack. So there are a total of 4 at about $450 each I believe. Its a ton of labor to do them, since the Capote top has to come out in a spider. So do them all at once.

 

both coupe and spider has 4 of these in total?

any one has a part number? I might be able to source some cheap ones (OEM, no less)

 

Hi All

Really useful thread, thanks to everyone. I got my 360 spider just before winter and over my 1,200km or so with it have occasionally noticed a fuel smell after fast sharp turns, such as would get fuel sloshing about. In an hour long drive this might happen once or twice and the smell will only last for 5 or 10 seconds, sometimes quite strong, sometimes less so. I've just checked both fuel pumps with the engine running and there is no sign of fuel on them and no visible cracks?

I've shoved my nose all around the engine bay and by the pumps and detect no smell of fuel from the car with the engine running, so I wonder if a pipe or valve just has damage on one side and hence gives the whiff when fuel is thrown that way in a corner (but strangely, only every so often). Despite having done hours of driving with this not being much concern, I'm now paranoid of a fire after reading this thread... The (standard, valves always open) exhaust has (enjoyably) been more burbly than usual lately, but I put that down to heat being put through it.

I appreciate it's hard to say without seeing, but any clues?!

 

Could be rollover valves? I think you should get this checked asap, else you have a fire.

 

A smoke test will reveal all.

 

Thanks, good idea!

 

https://aldousvoice.com/2012/09/04/ferrari-360-fuel-evaporation-system/

 

Very helpful, thank you, and indeed whenever I fill up the pump clicks off, I start the car and it's two bars short of a full tank (I had put this down to Ferrari electrics...).

Question to Aldous is whether a failed fuel vapour canister can lead to an occasional fuel smell under hard cornering, which I (simply) guess might be so if the coal moves and some fumes escape. There's no persistent fuel smell like those described in this thread re rollover valves and cracked pumps.

Thanks very much for the link!

 

Just wanted to update y'all. Been a CRAAAAAZY few weeks. We put our house on the market a month ago and had a crap ton of work to do before the first open house. AND we home school our kids, so things were insane. FINALLY had some kid free time to open up the access panels and look and indeed it was my LH side fuel pump swimming in a pool of gas. I have a spare pump and it will be installed this week.

 

Good to see that resolved djlight.

For info also, for the next guy searching the topic, mine turned out to be a damaged charcoal anti-evaporation canister (I was told causing the fuel smell) and the rollover valves (apparently causing the fuel tank to think itself full when two bars short). Two hours to change the canister and 5.5 hours on the rollover valves.

Thanks all for the advice and pointers.