DIY Gas Smell Fix
#51
IMHO you are making a grave mistake.
That is how ours started.
52k the recall was performed in 4/08 and level sensor was replaced.
61k the seals failed around the level sensor and leaks started again 12/09
65k the senders failed/cracked/warped and fuel was pouring out 8/10
If you wish to test here is the procedure.
1. Fill the car up.
2. Drive straight home.
3. Park in the driveway.
4. Take rear seat out(pull up on the leading edge of the lower cushion...there are 2 tabs to depress then the seat comes up)
5. 8mm socket and take the drivers side inspection cover off.
6. As you see in my picture above there will be a fuel lake around that sender.
In my opinion, you could have a similar situation. Can you check it asap?
That is how ours started.
52k the recall was performed in 4/08 and level sensor was replaced.
61k the seals failed around the level sensor and leaks started again 12/09
65k the senders failed/cracked/warped and fuel was pouring out 8/10
If you wish to test here is the procedure.
1. Fill the car up.
2. Drive straight home.
3. Park in the driveway.
4. Take rear seat out(pull up on the leading edge of the lower cushion...there are 2 tabs to depress then the seat comes up)
5. 8mm socket and take the drivers side inspection cover off.
6. As you see in my picture above there will be a fuel lake around that sender.
In my opinion, you could have a similar situation. Can you check it asap?
#54
I had the dreaded gas smell in the garage yesterday and it was fairly heavy. It smelled the strongest by the passenger door on the driver's side. I didn't see anything in the belly pan so I pulled out the rear seat to check the pumps. Here's what I found...
Gas leak around the hose on the pump/filter assembly.
Closer pic showing the connection point and the hose felt a little loose so I can only assume it deteriorated just enough to open a small gap between the hose and fuel outlet.
I already had clamps and 5/16th fuel hose laying around so I cleaned up the mess and replaced the hose with new line, as well as, the clamps. I took the car for a long aggressive test drive afterwards and no signs of leakage.
Since I already had the parts, the only cost was time and that was less than an hour. This is just FYI for anyone running into this problem or your dealer proposing overly complicated and/or costly repairs for what could be a very easy fix.
Gas leak around the hose on the pump/filter assembly.
Closer pic showing the connection point and the hose felt a little loose so I can only assume it deteriorated just enough to open a small gap between the hose and fuel outlet.
I already had clamps and 5/16th fuel hose laying around so I cleaned up the mess and replaced the hose with new line, as well as, the clamps. I took the car for a long aggressive test drive afterwards and no signs of leakage.
Since I already had the parts, the only cost was time and that was less than an hour. This is just FYI for anyone running into this problem or your dealer proposing overly complicated and/or costly repairs for what could be a very easy fix.
Where is the other end of that fuel line connected ?
#56
#57
If the hose itself is the problem then length is less than a foot. I can't recall the exact length. Maybe as short as 6". The problem I had was a hairline crack in the plastic nipple where the hose connected.
#58
I may have found a solution, Ok I took the back seat off and saw a puddle of gas , and i noticed that the pump was loose, so I hand tightened the pump and I drove into work today on a full tank without the back seats, after I pulled into work I checked the pump area and there was no small puddle of gas, the car still smells of gas but I am guessing this will go away eventually, I'll keep you guys posted. Maybe the solution is just to tighten the pump thingy.
#61
#64
Both of our fuel sender were replaced last month, but the gas smell (the SA sniffed it immediately as soon as he sat in the car, we were almost getting used to it) persisted.
Yesterday, I got this gas tank pix from Penske MB. I am SO freakin' thankful this car has MB extended warranty:
with the new fuel senders + new tank, is the problem officially "resolved"? My understanding is neither part # were updated?
Yesterday, I got this gas tank pix from Penske MB. I am SO freakin' thankful this car has MB extended warranty:
with the new fuel senders + new tank, is the problem officially "resolved"? My understanding is neither part # were updated?
#65
#66
seems like that might be a possibility
TonyC do you know if there was a crack in the tank or any damage to the tank? from the looks of the old tank just looks like gas was over flowing from where the sending unit is situated... if thats the case doesnt seem like a need to swap the whole tank. i hope this is my same situation as my car is not under warranty, i did find a used gas tank for $300 and im sure the swap isnt too challenging.
my plan was just to swap the sending unit or the gasket underneath it, clean it up real good and see if im still getting a) fuel smell inside the car and b) fuel leaks outside the car
Both of our fuel sender were replaced last month, but the gas smell (the SA sniffed it immediately as soon as he sat in the car, we were almost getting used to it) persisted.
Yesterday, I got this gas tank pix from Penske MB. I am SO freakin' thankful this car has MB extended warranty:
with the new fuel senders + new tank, is the problem officially "resolved"? My understanding is neither part # were updated?
Yesterday, I got this gas tank pix from Penske MB. I am SO freakin' thankful this car has MB extended warranty:
with the new fuel senders + new tank, is the problem officially "resolved"? My understanding is neither part # were updated?
my plan was just to swap the sending unit or the gasket underneath it, clean it up real good and see if im still getting a) fuel smell inside the car and b) fuel leaks outside the car
#68
a friend in the automotive industry was looking up prices at his cost and he said that you cannot buy the gaskets by themselves, not sure if that what you meant by seal? i have yet to call Mercedes and verify this because he tends to be lazy at times
the sending unit comes as whole assembly so i believe that is why you have to buy a whole new unit
the sending unit comes as whole assembly so i believe that is why you have to buy a whole new unit
#69
Yeah my friend has a w211 and his is leaking from that cap ('gasket')... So that means the only way to resolve his leak would be a new tank!?! That's going to run 600 for the part and prob another 900 for labor. ouch
a friend in the automotive industry was looking up prices at his cost and he said that you cannot buy the gaskets by themselves, not sure if that what you meant by seal? i have yet to call Mercedes and verify this because he tends to be lazy at times
the sending unit comes as whole assembly so i believe that is why you have to buy a whole new unit
the sending unit comes as whole assembly so i believe that is why you have to buy a whole new unit
#70
well... if the tank has damage then yes, but from what i read they usually crack at the neck. the problem that tonyc and possibly i have, i dont think the tank is in need of replacement. to me, from not only the pictures but from assessing the situation seems like a simple gasket problem.
an indy shop quoted me $1800 for just the tank and sending unit, so you know the dealer is going to charge more. tank is about $1000 from the dealer on its own parts.com has it for $700 as konigstiger gave me the numbers and the cost
an indy shop quoted me $1800 for just the tank and sending unit, so you know the dealer is going to charge more. tank is about $1000 from the dealer on its own parts.com has it for $700 as konigstiger gave me the numbers and the cost
#71
Well even if the gasket is the issue(which I think my friend's is as well) you have no choice but to get a new tank right? I don't suppose you could seal it up yourself. I actually saw a picture of the tank without the gasket...and i'm not sure how that could possibly crack. It's pretty flat.
well... if the tank has damage then yes, but from what i read they usually crack at the neck. the problem that tonyc and possibly i have, i dont think the tank is in need of replacement. to me, from not only the pictures but from assessing the situation seems like a simple gasket problem.
an indy shop quoted me $1800 for just the tank and sending unit, so you know the dealer is going to charge more. tank is about $1000 from the dealer on its own parts.com has it for $700 as konigstiger gave me the numbers and the cost
an indy shop quoted me $1800 for just the tank and sending unit, so you know the dealer is going to charge more. tank is about $1000 from the dealer on its own parts.com has it for $700 as konigstiger gave me the numbers and the cost
#72
Why would you have to change the whole tank if it's a gasket issue? If its just a bad gasket change it out, now I'm not sure if the gasket for the sending unit is sold separately or if you have to buy a whole new unit to replace the seals on it.
#73
TonyC do you know if there was a crack in the tank or any damage to the tank? from the looks of the old tank just looks like gas was over flowing from where the sending unit is situated... if thats the case doesnt seem like a need to swap the whole tank. i hope this is my same situation as my car is not under warranty, i did find a used gas tank for $300 and im sure the swap isnt too challenging.
All I know is that despite 2 brand new fuel senders, the car still reeked. By that, I assume there was still fuel sloshing out. My symptom is duplicate of other instances in fuel tank/gas smell threads. After the fuel senders were replaced, I got too lazy, decided not to 2x check under the seats, and just took it into the dearlship.
Sorry I'm not of more help... g'luck.
#75
seems like that might be a possibility
TonyC do you know if there was a crack in the tank or any damage to the tank? from the looks of the old tank just looks like gas was over flowing from where the sending unit is situated... if thats the case doesnt seem like a need to swap the whole tank. i hope this is my same situation as my car is not under warranty, i did find a used gas tank for $300 and im sure the swap isnt too challenging.
my plan was just to swap the sending unit or the gasket underneath it, clean it up real good and see if im still getting a) fuel smell inside the car and b) fuel leaks outside the car
TonyC do you know if there was a crack in the tank or any damage to the tank? from the looks of the old tank just looks like gas was over flowing from where the sending unit is situated... if thats the case doesnt seem like a need to swap the whole tank. i hope this is my same situation as my car is not under warranty, i did find a used gas tank for $300 and im sure the swap isnt too challenging.
my plan was just to swap the sending unit or the gasket underneath it, clean it up real good and see if im still getting a) fuel smell inside the car and b) fuel leaks outside the car
I know this is an old post.... but I thought I'd put my 2 cents in here. The place where the sending unit lives is much lower than the center point of the tank... where you see the fuel coming out from. The hole with the white something or another shoved in it..... that is where I believe the leak was.
I've actually had the gas tank replaced on my 04 E320... and for a while it was fine. A few months ago I did a complete top off for the first time in month... low and behold.. the freaking gas smell is back again. No CEL coming on yet... but it wreaks as bad as before. Will probably try another fill up soon and pull the back cover over the sending unit to make sure it's not leaking... Looked it it this evening and it looked dry.... what bums me out is that there looks to be a kind of greasy trail on the top of the new fuel tank... running from the same damn place that it's running from in this picture. I asked the Service Tech if they had redesigned the tank... and just like the sending unit... he said "no". WTF is wrong with these guys. I have had 6 other benzes.... there was a leak with the fuel sender on my 2000 ML... but I never got it fixed before trading for this car.. but the other 5 cars... NEVER had a completely screwed up problem of any kind with the stinking fuel tank. Should be interesting to see what happens next month when they're finally supposed to be responding to NHST.. or whatever the organization is. There are something like 300K cars that potentially have this problem. Other than this bull**** it's a great car. Whoever engineered this part of the car should be fired. I do not want to flip the bill again for another gas tank that will just leak yet again.