andyk

I read that someone else on this forum had a gasonline smell coming from their car... couldn't find the thread, so I was wondering if someone could help me out. I have a 1995 E320 with 105,000 miles. The smell of the gas is noticeable outside the car especially when parked. The only other recent problem I had was a o-ring repair on the top of the radiator. I'm planning to have my mechanic look at it but was looking for some advice before I went to him. Thanks in advance.

GORBETTTEAM

First. Check underneath the car if you have any fuel leaks. I have replaced one of the fuel lines recently around differential area, but mine was drippin' like a mother.....
- G -

AMG_Eric

tighten your gas cap. also make sure you dont spill any gas as your fill your car or you will smell it inside.

AMG_Fred

It was my thread and the smell of gas was extremely noticeable. if you open your trunk does it smell like a gallon of gas was poured in there? mine did. it ended up being a bad gas cap. cost 7 bucks to replace at my indy mechanic. jerry is a great guy.

andyk

Thanks guys. I can actually smell it in the car a little too sometimes. I will try to replace the gas cap tomorrow.

azednalcm

I don't know how similar a 1995 E320 with a 1990 300E, but I used to have gas odor coming into the cab of the car. I removed the air cleaner and the leak was coming from the EHA (I can't recall what it stands for). I replaced the item before I found out that it could just be the o-rings of the EHA. I think you can buy the o-rings separately.

Just an idea.

Mario

andyk

Thanks again guys, appreciate the supportive feedback. Unfortunately, I've probably given up modding this car aside from the rims and slightly-better-than-stock stereo system. Although this car is suprisingly reliable for its age, the problems I have read about on this discussion board, and the problems that have begun to surface have prompted me to halt anymore investments in mods, even in the stereo. My company is slowly moving in a positive direction and I am trying to save my money for either a W210 or W211. However, I am quite worried about reliability on the newer W211s.

I will try to have my mechanic take a look at this (with the info from you guys) and will let you guys know how things come about.

shadowgriffen

have you checked your carpets?

You could have stepped on spilled gas which could have then seaped into your carpets.

W124's are regarded by many to be the most "reliable" mercedes ever built, 94 and 95's are the newest w124s around and are truly gemstones if maintained properly.

I'm sure that you are quite aware of this but I'd just thought I'd give you a bit of a reminder.

Dont give up on her just yet, especially over something that could turn out to be quite miniscule.

AMG_Eric

i talked with jerry about this same problem when i smelled gas 2 years ago.

he needs a shameless plug. see jerry at import auto works in pasadena for all your 124 needs. hehehehe. i gotta call him today anyhow he said he is almost ready to start ebaying all his used mbz parts.

andyk

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I stopped by the MB dealer and picked up a brand new gas cap for $28.00! Stuff is expensive here in Hawaii. My mechanic suggested that I follow your suggestions and change the gas cap. Additionally, he said I should fill the gas tank up to see if there are any actual leaks. He will put the car on the lift to check on the leaks tomorrow.

andyk

Just to keep you guys updated, I changed the gas cap, and filled the tank upon the suggestion of my mechanic. With the gas prices, I rarely fill the tank. With the tank full now, the smell is extremely noticeable. I cannot drive with the windows rolled up. The smell is even more evident in the trunk. I have an appointment with my mechanic to have it put up on the lift and investigated.

amt

Had the similar problem. look near the feul pump, a outlet from tank to the pump. The outlet might have loose.

andyk

Thanks for the input. Actually it's the fuel pump. I have to replace both of them. Unlike the rest of the mainland US, we are limited to sources of parts. The pumps will run $330 x 2, plus hoses and labor. I think as my company progresses, you may see me appear in another part of this forum suddenly, one day.

AMG_Fred

the sl 65 section?

andyk

I would like something from the AMG factory, but who knows? The little problems here and there are starting to get to me. I will at least look for something newer, like a W210, all depends on how the company does. Unlike the mainland, there aren't much W124 modders out here which makes it suck even more (actually there is a lack of Benz modders altogether).

andyk

Took my car in to my friend's shop today.
The bill came out to $1300.00. Went in to replace the
water pump originally, but during the process another leak
was found by the o-ring on the gas tank. The removal of
the tank added to the labor. The smell is gone, but I'm $1300.00
poorer. Unfortunately, I'm not very good with mechanical work, and
the price of stuff in Hawaii is ridiculous (recall the $7 gas cap for someone
else, I paid $28.00). I hear a sound coming from my suspension... The last
time I heard something like that on my Accord it was one of the control arms.

andyk

Hello. It's been a while since I posted on my fuel leak. After plopping down some money and replacing the fuel pump and some rings, the smell still exists. I'm not sure where it's coming from, but according to my mechanic, it will takes some time before the odor goes away. I can notice the gradual decline in potency, but when I park it out in the sun for about an hour the smell comes back. I will air out the car before putting it in drive, and it goes away.

It's nowhere close to the potency of before I got it repaired, but it's still there. Anyone have a similar experience? I know it's been a few months since the repair.

YNVDIZW124

Try selling the car and getting another one because if your paying 1300 for a repair and still not fixed then you just going to keep adding on money! To check where the smell is coming from just use your nose. First turn the ignition on to make the fuel pump turn on and if you notice a smell then trace the fuel line from the engine back. If there is NO smell then it's going to be in the engine bay. Check that the air fuel mix is right and that all the electronics are working because if the car is running im lamda mode then it's going to run rich which will make it smell like gas. Turn the car on and turn it off and then smell your engine. Let me know what you find out.

andyk

Thanks for the advice. I will check tomorrow. As far as I can tell, the smell
is coming from around the trunk area. Everytime I opened the trunk, the smell is the strongest.

andyk

Although I haven't been an active member on this board aside from my gas leak problem recently, I am seriously considering selling my car. The gas leak seems like it will be a lingering problem. I may just trade it in for something else in the next month or so. We'll see how my projects at work go. I really like the car, but am starting to feel as if burning up money on repairs is more wasteful than mods. I'm really afraid of coming across another major problem like the head gasket, etc.

YNVDIZW124

I would suggest you sell your car if your not a DIY type of guy because mechanics are expensive.

TheDoughboy

When your mechanic replaced the pumps, did he also replace the hose that goes to the fuel filter inlet? About 1 week after I got my 300, I started to notice the same fuel smell. I took off the cover that protects the pumps and saw that line was cracked. Dripping a drip here and there onto the Cover, so it never hit the ground. Explaining why I never saw a fuel leak when looking under the car.

The hose was $70, I did the labor myself and fuel smell was gone. The car started faster after sitting to, due to it not drainingthe fuel line.

HTH,

Ron

andyk

Yup, the hoses were replaced as well. I don't know if I'm supposed to wait for the residual gas from the leak to dry up. Well, I'll be driving this car for at least another month, so we'll see.