VE Fuel Smell

[morpheousssv]

As the title says I've being chasing this odd petrol smell for quite some time. It always seems to come in through the rear or through the sunroof when open after giving it a bit of a work out and/or in the summer on warm days. Tried changing fuel caps etc to no avail and checked all lines etc many times. Today on the hoist I noticed a steel line that looks like a fuel line thats stops just past the auto trans on the drivers side and it is open to the atmosphere. The other end makes it's way over the trany up to the back of the engine somewhere. My questions are to ALL, what is this for ?? should it be connected to something ?? could this be a source of the fuel smell ?? To add it has a slight stain around the end of it. It has got me stumped. ANY IDEAS !!

[snappy]

Im no expert but my ute had a fuel smell as well . First thing i did was replace the fuel cap aswell .
Turns out it was running rich and when i had it customed tuned it solved the issue and its a good excuse to get it tuned

[NuffNuff]

My fuel smell came from the gaskets being rooted just after the aftermarket cats I have, maybe check for a leak. I couldn't hear any audible leak on mine, but apparently it was there and now after new gaskets it's gone.

[morpheousssv]

both exhaust (rechecked today on hoist)and tune 100%. still looking !!

[Raptor6L]

That open line your looking at is the tranny overflow tube. Nothing to do with fuel.
Good luck in finding the source. I've got a mate who has a VR ute and it has that problem, except it is really strong. He's changed all sorts of things and it is still there. Driving him nuts!
Maybe where the line joins up the the fuel rail at the motor?

BOL
Chris

[morpheousssv]

The strange thing is I run mine on LPG 99% of the time and the petrol smell is there. What I do have is the petrol pumps running all the time to keep everything in good service. Is there a command from the ECU to increase fuel pump pressure or flow as the revs are increased. I'm thinking maybe the fuel is being agitated too much and going to a gaseous state then leaking out through a vent somewhere - would this be logical ?? IOf so where would the venting be on a VE ??

[gmh308]

The strange thing is I run mine on LPG 99% of the time and the petrol smell is there. What I do have is the petrol pumps running all the time to keep everything in good service. Is there a command from the ECU to increase fuel pump pressure or flow as the revs are increased. I'm thinking maybe the fuel is being agitated too much and going to a gaseous state then leaking out through a vent somewhere - would this be logical ?? IOf so where would the venting be on a VE ??

The fuel pumps in VE's run constant pressure with in tank pressure relief/return.

The only normal way for fuel vapour to be getting out is through the charcoal canister which vents to atmosphere in case it gets overloaded with fuel vapour. Possibly your fuel pump running continuously is heating up the fuel more and creating more vapour which then vents out of the canister vent. Normally this vapour runs through the evap solenoid on the engine and is burned. Maybe your LPG install has changed something though I doubt it. It wont hurt the fuel pump not to run all the time.

The tube related to the trans is a vent line. It lets air flow in and out of the trans through a check valve/filter setup so that the trans runs pretty well at atmospheric pressure as it cycles from sub zero up to 100C+ and the fluid and air in it expands/aerates and contracts.

[morpheousssv]

The fuel pumps in VE's run constant pressure with in tank pressure relief/return.

The only normal way for fuel vapour to be getting out is through the charcoal canister which vents to atmosphere in case it gets overloaded with fuel vapour. Possibly your fuel pump running continuously is heating up the fuel more and creating more vapour which then vents out of the canister vent. Normally this vapour runs through the evap solenoid on the engine and is burned. Maybe your LPG install has changed something though I doubt it. It wont hurt the fuel pump not to run all the time.

The tube related to the trans is a vent line. It lets air flow in and out of the trans through a check valve/filter setup so that the trans runs pretty well at atmospheric pressure as it cycles from sub zero up to 100C+ and the fluid and air in it expands/aerates and contracts.

thanks for the info gmh308
can you tell me where abouts the carbon canister vents so I can sus that out

[White Rider]

The strange thing is I run mine on LPG 99% of the time and the petrol smell is there. What I do have is the petrol pumps running all the time to keep everything in good service. Is there a command from the ECU to increase fuel pump pressure or flow as the revs are increased. I'm thinking maybe the fuel is being agitated too much and going to a gaseous state then leaking out through a vent somewhere - would this be logical ?? IOf so where would the venting be on a VE ??

Pretty normal, esp if u have a full tank. Pressure builds in the tank due to heat but the fuel isnt being used because ur running on LPG. Switch to petrol for a while or open the fuel tank to let out the gasses and don't have a full tank of fuel on a hot day.

Also check there is no leak in the line from the carbon canister and fuel tank.

[MonaroMick76]

I believe I have the same problem as you with the fuel smell coming through as I turn the car off in the garage after driving. It mostly occurs with less fuel in the tank and as I mostly run on LPG 99% of the time it seems to me like the vapours haven't got anywhere to go so they are expelled to the atmosphere. I would also like to find the vent and maybe fit another canister to absorb the fuel smell there. Let us know how you go.

[morpheousssv]

It doesn't matter were the fuel tank level is as the smell always comes in as explained on the earlier posts. Does anybody know if the pump is signalled to increase as the revs increase ?? And were does the carbon canister vent - I cannot locate it ??

[EXCESSV]

It doesn't matter were the fuel tank level is as the smell always comes in as explained on the earlier posts. Does anybody know if the pump is signalled to increase as the revs increase ?? And were does the carbon canister vent - I cannot locate it ??from looking at my "special" material last night i couldnt locate anywhere in it a charcoal or carbon canister for the VE 6L...the 3.6L V6 VE fuel system seemed to have one just behind the fuel tank tho

only thing i saw was a EVAP fuel Canister and purge vale/solenoid and that was in the engine bay near the fuel rails. while the car is idelling can you tell where the smell is stonger? engine bay? inside? underneath? etc???

[morpheousssv]

from looking at my "special" material last night :up2sum: i couldnt locate anywhere in it a charcoal or carbon canister for the VE 6L...the 3.6L V6 VE fuel system seemed to have one just behind the fuel tank tho

only thing i saw was a EVAP fuel Canister and purge vale/solenoid and that was in the engine bay near the fuel rails. while the car is idelling can you tell where the smell is stonger? engine bay? inside? underneath? etc???

Ok when cruising it seems to come through the suroof (when wide open), stationary when idling or not the smell is greater in the rear seat area and when everything is off it seems to be in front of the rear wheels outside of the car. Note fuel filler area and under the bonnet there is not a fuel smell.
This is all when running on LPG and sometimes on 98(very rare occurance though). I have had it looked at by the selling dealer a couple of times all to no avail and done the usual checks myself - got me buggered this one

[Tre-Cool]

from looking at my "special" material last night i couldnt locate anywhere in it a charcoal or carbon canister for the VE 6L...the 3.6L V6 VE fuel system seemed to have one just behind the fuel tank tho

only thing i saw was a EVAP fuel Canister and purge vale/solenoid and that was in the engine bay near the fuel rails. while the car is idelling can you tell where the smell is stonger? engine bay? inside? underneath? etc???
Look Harder... :-p

http://www.vyssute.com/downloads/VESS/05062009(011)%20(Large).jpg

[morpheousssv]

Look Harder... :-p

http://www.vyssute.com/downloads/VESS/05062009(011)%20(Large).jpg

On that open pipe what does that lead to ?? or is this the system vent because that would basically be the area where all the smell is coming from

[Tre-Cool]

one goes to the fuel tank.

http://www.vyssute.com/downloads/VESS/25042009(003)%20(Large).jpg

The other is the evap line.

[EXCESSV]

did a bit of reading and something popped up and caught my eyes:


The evaporative emission purge solenoid controls the flow of vapours from the EVAP system to the intake manifold. THe normally closed solenoid is pulse width modulated (PWM) by the control module to precisely control the fuel vapour to the engine.

now could be a few things:

1) stuffed EVAP Purge solenoid that isnt giving the engine back vapour in the manifold like it should, so therefore coz vapor isnt used more than normal is being vented to atmosphere via the steel pipe where the EVAP canister is near the fuel tank

2) EVAP Purge soleniod not being used while on LPG?? hence build up of vapour therefore more being vented.
this rings a bit more true when you read this

The fuel tank also contains a fuel vapor vent valve with a roll-over protection. The vent valve also features a 2-phase vent calibration which increases the fuel vapor flow to the canister when the operating temperatures increase the tank pressure beyond an established threshold.

not sure if the EVAP Purge soleniod can be accessed by tech2 or not something Holden would have to tell you but it may be switched off in the LPG tune or simply could be faulty.

[morpheousssv]

did a bit of reading and something popped up and caught my eyes:



now could be a few things:

1) stuffed EVAP Purge solenoid that isnt giving the engine back vapour in the manifold like it should, so therefore coz vapor isnt used more than normal is being vented to atmosphere via the steel pipe where the EVAP canister is near the fuel tank

2) EVAP Purge soleniod not being used while on LPG?? hence build up of vapour therefore more being vented.
this rings a bit more true when you read this


not sure if the EVAP Purge soleniod can be accessed by tech2 or not something Holden would have to tell you but it may be switched off in the LPG tune or simply could be faulty.


Mate definaitely sounds like your onto it here. I'll check this out with my LPG specailist and or GMH. ThANKS HEAPS for the info.

[EXCESSV]

Mate definaitely sounds like your onto it here. I'll check this out with my LPG specailist and or GMH. ThANKS HEAPS for the info.made sense to me when i read it :lol:

good luck with it but definitely sounds solenoid based and it not doing the job correctly...now whether its faulty or whether its switched off when on lpg thats gonna be the hard bit.

have you switched over to fuel and run the car on a tank or two and seen whether it still has the fuel smell? might help to work it out. coz if on fuel after a tank load it still smells then solenoid farked, but if no or little smell then the LPG system has turned it off or blocked it

good luck with it...am interested to know what it is in the end :)

EDIT: another possibility
it may still be turned on and working...but the solenoid releases into the manifold alot less than running on petrol hence vapor left over, more venting to air and more fuel smell...