Gas Fumes shooting out of closed Gas Cap

[GottaBeTRD]

Hey guys, long time no see. Sorry I haven't been around in a while. I've been having life events taking over and such haha!

Anyway, I couldn't find anything that matched my problem so here it is, let me know what you think.

The other day I was driving the 4runner all over town, hauling a light trailer moving stuff, it was pretty hot outside, so the runner was working really hard. I was backing up into a trailer and noticed those clear swirly fumes you see (when you're filling up) were just shooting out the closed gas cap! "the smell of gas was strong with this one" too not only that but it actually smelled a little sweeter than gas. I was afraid if someone threw a cigarette near my truck, it would be no more!

I've been having some stalling issues too where if I'm just coasting at 25, the engine will die sometimes. It will also stall a lot of the times if I try to start it with the AC blowing.

So all these issues and no CEL or anything. My synopsis is I need to replace the fuel filter and gas cap? anybody else think it could be something different?

 

[Trikz]

I used to have a very strong gas smell after driving my 4Runner for a while near the gas cap area. Replaced with a new one and the smell is gone. Can't speak for your other issues though. I'd say, get a new cap, since it might the cheapest and easiest part to fix, and go from there.

 

[wc11]

+1
New gas cap time. The rubber seal is most likely dried up and will affect the vacuum as well.

 

[GottaBeTRD]

thanks guys, is the gas cap something i should go OEM on, or am i safe on some cheap amazon specials?

 

[Ol School]

Given your symptoms, I'd replace the cap with an OEM. The gas cap is a sensitive part and, in my recent experience, aftermarket caps don't cut the mustard. Good Luck

 

[Jason Marietta]

Was this ever resolved? I've got a similar problem

I'm experiencing a very similar problem with an additional symptom. I've got a 2003 V6 4wd 4runner with 195,000 miles.

Over the past 6 weeks I smelled gas and observed fumes pouring out of the gas cap area. I probably saw it 5 times and it seemed to happen when I filled the car up. But recently it happened on 3/4 of tank

I put a Autozone gas cap on but the problem is so intermittent that it's been hard to tell if it made a difference.

The additional symptom I have is that the fuel gauge in the dash has been intermittent too. I'm not convinced they are related but I can say both problems started happening at the same time.

I'm beginning to think that I have a venting problem. Is the vent for the tank plumbed to the gas cap area? I think this because I put a new cap on and the problem still exists.

Any thoughts on what I should do next? I don't have any check engine lights so I feel like the charcoal canister is ok. It just seems like a plumbing problem.

Also, I live in Tucson, AZ and its wicked hot here right now.

 

[IBallEngineer]

I'm experiencing a very similar problem with an additional symptom. I've got a 2003 V6 4wd 4runner with 195,000 miles.

Over the past 6 weeks I smelled gas and observed fumes pouring out of the gas cap area. I probably saw it 5 times and it seemed to happen when I filled the car up. But recently it happened on 3/4 of tank

I put a Autozone gas cap on but the problem is so intermittent that it's been hard to tell if it made a difference.

The additional symptom I have is that the fuel gauge in the dash has been intermittent too. I'm not convinced they are related but I can say both problems started happening at the same time.

I'm beginning to think that I have a venting problem. Is the vent for the tank plumbed to the gas cap area? I think this because I put a new cap on and the problem still exists.

Any thoughts on what I should do next? I don't have any check engine lights so I feel like the charcoal canister is ok. It just seems like a plumbing problem.

Also, I live in Tucson, AZ and its wicked hot here right now.

You should try posting in the 4th Gen section. Probably have better luck finding some direct experience with the 2003.

 

[Jason Marietta]

You should try posting in the 4th Gen section. Probably have better luck finding some direct experience with the 2003.

I wanted to do that but I don't have permission to start a thread. I'm supposed to generate a certain number of replies before I can start a thread. Any ideas?

 

[IBallEngineer]

I wanted to do that but I don't have permission to start a thread. I'm supposed to generate a certain number of replies before I can start a thread. Any ideas?

Yeah, we were getting spam posted to death. I'm sure you can reply to a few things and get your status up! Don't think a moderator would move this thread. Welcome to the forum and good luck.

 

[euser]

Just realized this is an old thread, damn.

I think I am having the same exact issue as you with my '02 Limited. My vehicle doesn't smell like gas if its been sitting, or on a very short drive. However, if I do a decent amount of driving it will start to have rpm issues. Sometimes when I'm driving the rpms will drop to the low hundreds, and if I'm stopped it sometimes drops to 100-200rpm with occasionally stalling out. When I turn it off it will smell like gas and I can hear a sort of whining/wheezing sound coming from the filler compartment. I haven't had any CELs either. Let us know how your repairs work out! This is something I'd like to fix before my long ass drive across the country next month. Hopefully a gas cap can be responsible for all the rpm issues and its not something else.

 

[Jason Marietta]

Just realized this is an old thread, damn.

I think I am having the same exact issue as you with my '02 Limited. My vehicle doesn't smell like gas if its been sitting, or on a very short drive. However, if I do a decent amount of driving it will start to have rpm issues. Sometimes when I'm driving the rpms will drop to the low hundreds, and if I'm stopped it sometimes drops to 100-200rpm with occasionally stalling out. When I turn it off it will smell like gas and I can hear a sort of whining/wheezing sound coming from the filler compartment. I haven't had any CELs either. Let us know how your repairs work out! This is something I'd like to fix before my long ass drive across the country next month. Hopefully a gas cap can be responsible for all the rpm issues and its not something else.

I ended up putting an OEM gas cap on. So far so good but the problem was intermittent for me. I would like to see a couple weeks or even a month of no gas fumes before I say the gas cap fixed it. I didn't have any performance issues that you are experiencing.

It's probably important to note that I'm in a 2003 or 4th gen and you are in a 3rd gen. Some problems transcend generations and I think a gas smell fits into that category. I found this video helpful for general troubleshooting or gas smells. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvH1fhihOlk

Best of luck!

 

[Joe Z]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvH1fhihOlk[/url]

Best of luck!

Scotty Kilmer is one of the best on youtube.... I watched many of his videos