'69 Gas Smell
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Sep 2023
Posts: 28
Likes: 9
'69 Gas Smell
Hey Guys,
Something I've noticed that confuses me is that when I gas up I get a gas smell in the car (it's more tolerable because it's a ragtop). There are no leaks and the gas cap (while old) seems to seal tightly and I did not overfill the tank. Sometimes I smell it in the garage after driving as well but it is very faint (carburetor??)...
Any ideas??
Thanks!
Something I've noticed that confuses me is that when I gas up I get a gas smell in the car (it's more tolerable because it's a ragtop). There are no leaks and the gas cap (while old) seems to seal tightly and I did not overfill the tank. Sometimes I smell it in the garage after driving as well but it is very faint (carburetor??)...
Any ideas??
Thanks!
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 13,256
Likes: 7,843
From: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
2025 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
It's an old car. They do that. It's not like a 2024 Kia
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1,572
Likes: 486
From: Loud, Raw and Dangerous 1968 327 4S in Southern California
My 1968 convertible does not smell other than a bit around the carb. However when I first got it there was a small leak at the bottom of the gas tank at the sending unit ring. Tightened it up and that went away. Maybe when you fill the tank the pressure goes up (due to the increased depth of the gas in the tank) then it leaks and you get the smell?
Safety Car
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4,364
Likes: 1,588
From: los altos hills california
Hey Guys,
Something I've noticed that confuses me is that when I gas up I get a gas smell in the car (it's more tolerable because it's a ragtop). There are no leaks and the gas cap (while old) seems to seal tightly and I did not overfill the tank. Sometimes I smell it in the garage after driving as well but it is very faint (carburetor??)...
Any ideas??
Thanks!
Something I've noticed that confuses me is that when I gas up I get a gas smell in the car (it's more tolerable because it's a ragtop). There are no leaks and the gas cap (while old) seems to seal tightly and I did not overfill the tank. Sometimes I smell it in the garage after driving as well but it is very faint (carburetor??)...
Any ideas??
Thanks!
Is my vette stock?? HAHA
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 20,221
Likes: 9,356
From: Im not allowed to tell you
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
68 and 69 have vented tanks. So you need to make note of when it smells to track it down....is it right after you fill the tank, right after a long drive and you put it in the garage and shut the door? you need to track down the variables. Mine occasionally smells but it goes away after a while. If yours doesnt then you need to jack it up and look on the floor and the frame for wet spots. If there isnt any then you are over sensitive to it and need to either ignore it or sell it for something newer because thats normal. IF its your wife complaining and not you then she can move in with her mother, you will be happier
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,797
Likes: 304
From: Charlotte Area North Carolina
Perhaps this gasket (see link below) is rotted out and not sealing completely. It was rotted out on my '69 coupe. Gas smell was stronger when I filled or almost filled the tank. I ended up dropping my tank, replacing this cork gasket at the top of the tank, and put in all new o-rings and screws and the gas smell went away. Top of my gas tank had what appeared to be stains around this gasket - what I believe was the source of my gas smell. More full the tank, the more gas I think was sloshing up or vapors just passing through the upper gasket that was rotted out with age.
Just one thought on where the gas smell might be coming from.
https://www.corvettecentral.com/c3-6...et-cork-362108
Just one thought on where the gas smell might be coming from.
https://www.corvettecentral.com/c3-6...et-cork-362108
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 832
Likes: 809
From: Chapin SC 29036
You might want to check the fuel pump. I have a tri-power and thought that the gas smell was because I have three carbs open to the atmosphere. I ignored it for a while and then one day I had the car up on jackstands and noticed that the fuel pump had some gas stains on it and was slightly damp. Never leaked enough to drip on the floor, but enough that I could smell it in the garage. Had the pump rebuilt because it was original (as far as I know there is only one guy that can rebuild crimped pumps and he lives in California). The gas smell in the garage is gone.
Pro
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 610
Likes: 168
From: Vancouver B.C.
72 with operating charcoal canister system and sealed cap. No fuel smell in garage. I do get lingering CO2 exhaust smell for a bit after driving. But not a raw gas smell. Vented cap will have a bit of smell, but shouldn't be extreme. As mentioned try to identify source. Cap, fuel leaks, carb etc.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,541
Likes: 1,975
From: Temple Terrace Florida
As mentioned above, check the vented gas cap to make sure it has a good gasket. Also check all the front and rear rubber fuel lines. I do a laying of the hands on all fittings. Also check your crankcase oil to see if your fuel pump is leaking gas into the engine through a torn diaphragm in the pump. Jerry