430 Smell gasoline when I start my car,smell disappears

Fuel pump(s) likely leaking. Replace them w new units from Eurospares.

 

Do not drive the car until you get it fixed. Your car is inviting you to an Italian barbeque. Seriously.

 

If you remove the 2 engine side panels, it will give you access to both fuel pumps- sounds like you have a leak so dont drive it until you know what is going on. Fuel pump leaks are a known issue on 430s

 

Simple to repair so you do not have to replace.


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From an old post from another member. I did the same as him with the same outcome. Fixed and done.

In the middle of the fuel pump, there is a circle with a cross in the middle. If the fuel is filling up there, you really dont need to change the pumps. They still work fine, just has a crack in the plastic cover. All you need to do is clean out the cover of the fuel pump as best as you can, dry the holes where the fuel is building up, and fill it with marine grade epoxy.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KH62K50
That is the one I used my self. Make sure to let it dry overnight before running the car. I used this fix almost 6 months ago and I have not had any problems with it to this day.
$2000 repair ended up costing me about $5s and a few hours of my time.


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Just replaced both my fuel pumps on my 360 Spider. It's a DIY, so no excessive dealer labor rate involved. Found new OEM pumps for well under OEM pricing. Only one pump was cracked but they are 20 years old. Cheap insurance policy and the new pumps use a different plastic on top.

 

I haven't got to this point yet but I do have a question. If the left pump goes (it has the fuel level sensor) are we buying the entire setup OR buying the right side and transfer the level sensor?
There's a thread where one of us transferred the sensor.

 

I meant to add ....... if the sender is still accurate and working....

 

I would replace both. If the plastic on one is going, the other is likely not far behind. Why risk losing the whole car to a fire when the fuel pumps are not that expensive and not much labor to swap?

 

When I picked up my 360 Spider, I did so at Fonzi's place in NJ and he told me, among other things, to never let the tank get below 1/4 and never fill above 3/4. He said to keep it at the halfway mark and I shouldn't have any problems with my fuel pumps, sensor, or cracked plastic cap at the top of the fuel tanks.

I was told having less than 1/4 causes the sensor to wear out, and may cause weird issues with the ECU, and having a full tank can stress the plastic cap. Having that empty space at the top of the tank prevents that apparently.

I don't know if what he said was just talk but he seems like a very serious guy and everything else he told me was accurate. I'm sure this goes for both 360 and 430 models.

My thoughts on repairing a cracked top are that it's not worth the risk. Change both fuel pumps if one fails or starts leaking. It's not that expensive and if you do it yourself, won't take much longer than one. Besides, after replacing one, you're an expert. The second should almost be fun.

 

Make sure the new one/s are the upgraded yellowish/orange on top and not white plastic. I did mine and it now matches the other side which must have been done previous to me.

 

If it’s not fuel pumps it could be rollover valve. That was my ticket to a unique and luckily not tragic Italian bbq.


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When I got my F430 a few months back, I had a fuel smell also. 2 areas actually.. One was when I was cleaning the rear wheels or driver side skirt I could smell it from the lower side skirt intake area. I found the fuel filler hose where it meets the fuel tank, one of the clamps was not that tight. But the bigger more strong fuel smell I smelt when driving with my windows open, also when the car was parked a little, especially if I opened the rear hatch. It clearly was coming from the driver side. I took the engine bay panels off, and stuck my head in there as much as I can, I could smell it. I have a fuel sniffer device, it detects many types of fuel smells/leaks. When I put it up to my fuel pump ring it went off. The top of the fuel pump looked perfect though. I ordered a new fuel pump ring and gasket. When taking the old one off, not only was the fuel pump ring loose, the gasket was bad. I replaced both, and torqued it, also replaced that side fuel line for good measure since the other one was done a few years ago by a previous owner. Now there is no more smell. Many times from what I read its a bad ring or gasket which is thankfully cheap and easy to fix.

 

Mine had the little plate that allowed me to easily take it out. Lots of room to work once the side cover is off.
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I've seen a YouTube video where a spyder did not have the plate to allow to angle the pump out. Perhaps it is year dependent as the video guy had to drop the tank slightly to get clearance.

 

For some odd reason the coupe and spider pumps are different pt nos

 

Is that a 430? why aren't mine like that?

 

Yes Coupe F430 but mine is 2005. I am guessing year dependent?

 

Yes. Later years got rid of the plate you could unbolt to get the pump out easier. It probably saved $1.27 in material costs for them


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Bummer. Plate makes it like a ten min job after the side cover is off.

 

Yeah, my 2007 does not have that plate. Sure wish I did, man!

 

Not sure if this is the issue you speak of, but if you notice a gas smell in your garage while your car is sitting there doing nothing, your car's gas tank vent line is most likely venting to atmosphere causing that horrible gas smell. This may be why you smell it when you first start driving it, and then the smell dissipates as you continue driving it causing the gas smell to essetially go away. This is a very common issue, and I had the same issue on my 330 GTC.

I solved this issue by installing the following activated charcoal filter between the gas tank vent line: https://www.classicperformancerestoration.com/product-page/gas-tank-vent-charcoal-canister-fits-all-vehicles-with-a-fuel-tank

I used the 8 inch version found in the link I provided above, and my garage no longer wreaks of gasoline. Like I said, not sure if this is the same issue you speak of, but these are my two cents. Happy tinkering my friend!