Gas smell

Normally shouldn't smell gas. Check all fuel lines for wetness. Check the fuel inlet banjos on the carburetors as the fiber gaskets sometimes begin to leak with age. I have switched to copper for this reason. Check the fuel filter/fuel pump area as well. There is also the balance pipe that connects the two fuel tanks. I would stay on this till you find the source of the smell. There is a beautiful Lamborghini Miura that burned up in England from fuel leaks.

 

If it's a(n unmodified) euro version 246, it will be a little gas smelly in some conditions because it won't have a fuel fuel evaporation control systems, and the carbs/airbox are just vented to atmosphere. Even if it's a US version (or a modified euro) with a fuel evaporation control system, it still has the carb/airbox vented to atmosphere. However, one of the downsides to the fuel lines with the cloth covering reinforcement on the outside is that the rubber tube inside can have cracks and be weeping/leaking fuel yet the cloth covering still looks dry on the outside. Have your cloth-covered fuel lines been replaced in the last 10 years or so?

 

One more area to check is the top of the passenger side fuel tank. That is where the fuel level sender unit is (round bolt pattern). Known to leak - most noticeable if you just filled the tank and when fuel sloshes around..

Pietro
01296

 

And check the fuel tanks for leaks. Doesn’t need to drop on the floor, could just be weeping through a pinhole enough to smell and then evaporate. And definitely check the fuel filter - there’s a washer that can leak.

 

The most common problem is the smaller return fuel hose from the carb manifold to the fuel tank. It normally leaks on the hose connection above the fuel tank.
Tony
(PS it will only leak when the fuel pump is on but leaves a petrol residue that will smell for days after)

 

That return hose is above the flex filler hose to the tank. On my 330GT I found a leak at the fuel filler hose when the pumps are on. Not visible but you only need a few cc. My hose clamps were tight as, but I guess the hose shrinks and leaves a tiny gap,. Its a pain but only fix is to remove that hose and seal.

 

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Old age causes the rubber to perish as does ethanol in the modern fuels.

 

While the car will smell of exhaust the sharp smell of fuel should never be ignored. Be sure to check all hoses and connections particularly any cloth braided hoses which may have the rubber tubes inside perished but the outer sheathing looks ok. In addition the tanks can have pin holes again below the outer coating that can leak. You'll want to spend a good amount of time looking for the leak and there are some excellent suggestions already in this thread. When checking be sure to disconnect the battery and have a fire extinguisher handy.

 

Perhaps no problem if you are only a modern car person as carburetted always have this smell
Always .
But to much is beyond reason.

You said "no leaks" and if true then perhaps carburettors run rich. Please pull the dipstick and smell the oil for excessive gas smells. Rich is ok for many running situation but can dilutte engine oil, please take care.

The fuel filter is sealed by the Square Ring not the O-ring, this should be change at filter change and secured as gasket not O-ring.
btw, this is not a twist off filter like oil filter (yes it looks like it!) but use the 19mm socket on top through bolt at centered to release filter housing.

btw there is only 1.1m of 6mm fuel hose, and 0.5m of 5mm return hose and 6/8 clamps. Why not spend 30 minutes every year and change this so importnt items? Where not seen perhaps use 2 clamps at each hose end

Serious, this is not a big job - the trick is to clamp at tank and start replace at carburettor so last hose point is fuel tank

 

Hast the smell intruded your other cars interior also in garage ?
This is when you know you own a Dino, any car in garage smells like petrol!

 

This thread (and a chat with Tony) was helpful in resolving my issue (which I made a tiafo! Garage video about as well.


Thanks as always for the resources here!

 

So, Monch (the original poster), what was the source of the gasoline smell in your Dino, and how did you fix it?

 

Wow. I had a friend who bought a car that prior to his buying it had been in for routine dealer service and got rear-ended by an employee of the dealer.

The dealer sold the car to him as a CPO'd car, and didn't disclose the accident, and it wasn't obvious.

A few months later, he noticed a very strong gasoline smell in car. At that point he had moved to another city and had it serviced at another dealer. That dealer's service writers were concerned about it and put it on a hoist. They discovered that the gas tank had been reattached to the car by the prior dealer's OWN REPAIR SHOP using sheetmetal screws through the trunk floor and then they used bondo to try to seal it.

That could have been a terrible disaster, just like it could have been with your Dino.