Gasoline smell inside vehicle - 4.7

[4OYOTER]

Today I was off-road in 4lo when all of a sudden I got a whiff of gasoline. I didn't think much of it at first until a few minutes later the smell became much stronger and my wife even noticed it smelt like gasoline. We were the only vehicle on the trail. I immediately stopped and tried to located the source of the smell/leak. Under the hood didn't smell like gas, looked underneath thinking maybe i bashed the gas tank, but skid looked like it had never been hit and no leaks found anywhere. I then opened the gas cap and noticed it almost looked like it was smoking (but I think it could have just been dust mixed with fumes that gave it that appearance.) I also noticed the smell from the gas tank neck smelled different than the traditional gasoline smell we were smelling inside the vehicle.

I then got back inside and the smell was still strong inside. At this point we were about 30 minutes from cell phone service and the nearest vehicle, so I decided it was best to turn around and get back to cell service and a tow truck if needed. On the 30 minutes back in 4lo we could still smell gasoline, it seemed like it was coming in the vents, which were set to fresh air. (A/C on and about 90 degrees outside)

Once we got back to the main road I checked again for any leaks, but still couldn't find any or pinpoint an outside source of the smell. My gas gauge also hadn't dropped significantly, no CEL lights and the engine seemed to be running normal.

I decided it should be safe to drive the 75 miles back home. Once we got out of 4lo and up to 50+ mph the smell disappeared. I stopped half way home and checked for leaks or smells again, but found and smelt nothing. Almost like it had never happened.

Any ideas? At this point my only ideas are maybe it was a fluke and the engine was running rich for a little while? Or maybe somebody previous had spilt a large amount of gas on the trail and I happened to drive by and draw the fumes/smell into my vehicle? Thanks for any help.

 

[keakar]

I see a couple of posts about gas tank straps breaking, maybe see if the tank is loose, maybe the vent hose or something was leaking

 

[TheFauxFox]

Check the evap canister for leaks. Also shops (and you can make one homemade) can do a smoke test from the gas cap. Basically they just push smoke/vapor into the filler neck and check for leaks anywhere between the filler neck and into the tank.

 

[4OYOTER]

Thanks for the replies. I got underneath last night to take a took, but still couldn't find any leaks. Is the evap canister the black box kinda above the spare tire? Didn't see any sign of leaks there either.

 

[TheFauxFox]

Thanks for the replies. I got underneath last night to take a took, but still couldn't find any leaks. Is the evap canister the black box kinda above the spare tire? Didn't see any sign of leaks there either.

Not sure but the only way to really tell is to do a smoke test. Think I saw a guy make a homemade one by putting a cig in a water bottle and cutting a hole in the bottom where he put a compressor nozzle to blow air in the bottom and smoke out the top, then he used that to check for an exhaust leak (same thing but instead push smoke into the gas tank filler neck)

 

[AdmiralAugbar]

I had this same issue occur to me this morning. I wasn't in 4lo though. Turned on 4runner, immediately notice gasoline smell (AC was on). Turned off AC and smell went away (was definitely coming through vents). Turned AC back on and smell came back. Anyone have any idea what this could be?

 

[CO_Fletch]

Today I was off-road in 4lo when all of a sudden I got a whiff of gasoline. I didn't think much of it at first until a few minutes later the smell became much stronger and my wife even noticed it smelt like gasoline. We were the only vehicle on the trail. I immediately stopped and tried to located the source of the smell/leak. Under the hood didn't smell like gas, looked underneath thinking maybe i bashed the gas tank, but skid looked like it had never been hit and no leaks found anywhere. I then opened the gas cap and noticed it almost looked like it was smoking (but I think it could have just been dust mixed with fumes that gave it that appearance.) I also noticed the smell from the gas tank neck smelled different than the traditional gasoline smell we were smelling inside the vehicle.

I then got back inside and the smell was still strong inside. At this point we were about 30 minutes from cell phone service and the nearest vehicle, so I decided it was best to turn around and get back to cell service and a tow truck if needed. On the 30 minutes back in 4lo we could still smell gasoline, it seemed like it was coming in the vents, which were set to fresh air. (A/C on and about 90 degrees outside)

Once we got back to the main road I checked again for any leaks, but still couldn't find any or pinpoint an outside source of the smell. My gas gauge also hadn't dropped significantly, no CEL lights and the engine seemed to be running normal.

I decided it should be safe to drive the 75 miles back home. Once we got out of 4lo and up to 50+ mph the smell disappeared. I stopped half way home and checked for leaks or smells again, but found and smelt nothing. Almost like it had never happened.

Any ideas? At this point my only ideas are maybe it was a fluke and the engine was running rich for a little while? Or maybe somebody previous had spilt a large amount of gas on the trail and I happened to drive by and draw the fumes/smell into my vehicle? Thanks for any help.

Did you ever find the source of your gas smell? Reason I ask is I had a similar experience on the trail. Tank half full and I could actual see vapor coming from the filler door. Opened the door and it was wet with gas in the filler area. Opened the cap but it was dry and saw the same fog coming out of the filler neck. I think I might have a cap that doesn't seal.

 

[PureSniper68]

Today I was off-road in 4lo when all of a sudden I got a whiff of gasoline. I didn't think much of it at first until a few minutes later the smell became much stronger and my wife even noticed it smelt like gasoline. We were the only vehicle on the trail. I immediately stopped and tried to located the source of the smell/leak. Under the hood didn't smell like gas, looked underneath thinking maybe i bashed the gas tank, but skid looked like it had never been hit and no leaks found anywhere. I then opened the gas cap and noticed it almost looked like it was smoking (but I think it could have just been dust mixed with fumes that gave it that appearance.) I also noticed the smell from the gas tank neck smelled different than the traditional gasoline smell we were smelling inside the vehicle.



I then got back inside and the smell was still strong inside. At this point we were about 30 minutes from cell phone service and the nearest vehicle, so I decided it was best to turn around and get back to cell service and a tow truck if needed. On the 30 minutes back in 4lo we could still smell gasoline, it seemed like it was coming in the vents, which were set to fresh air. (A/C on and about 90 degrees outside)



Once we got back to the main road I checked again for any leaks, but still couldn't find any or pinpoint an outside source of the smell. My gas gauge also hadn't dropped significantly, no CEL lights and the engine seemed to be running normal.



I decided it should be safe to drive the 75 miles back home. Once we got out of 4lo and up to 50+ mph the smell disappeared. I stopped half way home and checked for leaks or smells again, but found and smelt nothing. Almost like it had never happened.



Any ideas? At this point my only ideas are maybe it was a fluke and the engine was running rich for a little while? Or maybe somebody previous had spilt a large amount of gas on the trail and I happened to drive by and draw the fumes/smell into my vehicle? Thanks for any help.

I have read through the entire post. I also had the same issue with my 03 SR5! I finally found the culprit! The grommets and o-rings around the fuel injectors had disintegrated spitting fuel on top of the manifold at the bottom of the plenum! I replaced all of them gas odor is gone! I would get the odor when I would start up my truck and turn on the A/C to let it cool down before I would leave home or work! But that fixed the issue! The part # for the 4.7 V 8 is # B31696 MAHLE full injector gaskets set! Hope this helps!

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