My Mini smells quite fumey like petrol. I have asked the mechanic but he cant find any leaks or anything, does anyone have any suggestions what it may be?
Sometimes its so bad that when I go somewhere people say I actually smell like petrol so I think I better try do something about it!!!
Must go feel abit lightheaded lol

check needle and seat in carby may be stuck and flooding or overflowing as you drive along....my 2 bobs worth........

Sometimes the simplist answer is the correct one.
What is the condition of the gear stick boot/gaiter like?
If it's cracked or has holes, it could be letting exhaust fumes in.

have you checked your battery water level ? could be low and starting to give of fumes smells like rotten eggs, good luck mini regards peter d.

Mine really stinks of fuel in the cabin after its been parked for a while. I've been over the engine with a fine tooth comb looking for leaks, and there aren't any. I even plumbed the crankcase vents back into the carbs thinking that might do it, but it's no better.

My current theory is this. I have two Ryco paper air filters mounted on HP filter mounts, and these are pressed up close to the firewall, right behind the hole for the speedo. Although I have sound deadening in there, I suspect fuel vapour from the hot engine is escaping back through the air filters and permeating back into the car.

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Simon

The adventures of an owner builder in the Tallarook Ranges

I couldn't imagine enough fuel vapor coming out of those little breather holes in the carbs to make your car smelly and you shouldn't get a fuel smell coming through the firewall unless one or more of the grommets is knackered or missing. The grommets are important sound deadeners as well as fume barriers.

You could also check for a leaking fuel tank or tank breather. If you open the boot and put your head in it would be very obvious.

Also, if the fuel cap leaks you can get a strong fuel smell as the fuel drips out onto the car (when the tank is full) and evaporates, especially if you have the rear windows open. It's not very far from the driver's nose to the fuel cap in a Mini. Over time this will stain the paint but if you wash it regularly you may never know.

Pete

sorry to change the subject but this is smelly

No no no, I'm talking about fuel vapours escaping back out the throat of the carb and out through the air filters. As for holes in the firewall, there's this bloody great gaping hole right behind the speedo where BMC stuck their rotodip pole, no grommet in the world going to block that off

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Simon

The adventures of an owner builder in the Tallarook Ranges

pee-eew!

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

hi gemma,make sure your fuel tank breather pipe is plumbed correctly ie no leaks and it passes through the boot floor to the underside of the car,my car has a slight fuel aroma in the morning despite no fuel leaks or buggered pipes...weird eh bloody minis...

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First you get the money,then you get the power,then you get the Mini.

Has it got a mechanical pump? It once took me 6 months to find that the inlet pipe into the pump was just loose enough to let the joint stay "damp" but never enough to start dripping. A quick nip up with the spanner and no more constant fuel smell

When is the smell at its worse?
Check for leaks around the tank/s from the fuel sender seal and from the fuel line at the back of the tank/s. I have had a cr recently that had the same problem found that the fuel tank had corroded badly around the bottom seam and had very small pin holes in it to allow fuel to "run free" behind the tank and the rear wheel but there wasnt enough fuel leaking for it to come back into the boot/spare wheel well to be easily traced.
Anyways good luck

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDMkVq1jRGU

Hi Gemma,
Andrew from Minisport here, call in to our workshop (1256 South Road, Clovelly Park, SA) and I will gladly have a look at it for you see if it is something simple- no charge- no obligation
-Andrew

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Andrew@Minisport, South Australia
Ph: 08-8177-1275
Skype: minisport.au

www.minisport.com.au
Minisport for all your mini parts

I had this same problem. I fixed it by doing the following:
* Grommet in every hole into the cabin, this includes in the firewall, the floor and the rear seat/boot wall. Also made sure all other areas such as behind the speedo and around the gear stick were sealed as best as possible, this included making sure the sound deadening mat on the firewall was a neat fit to reduce as much smell as possible.
* Checked fuel tank breathers were plumbed correctly

Finally as it has already been mentioned, if your fuel tank leaks around the cap, it will effect the smell quite badly. To stop this i avoid filling the tank all the way to the very top, and I also changed the caps to ones that had good seals.

Hope this helps
Ryan

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Ryan Filippi
Minis In The Gong
[email protected]
www.minisinthegong.com.au

Geez, dont hear offers like that much any more!

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http://www.youtube.com/user/Hanras