turboed

My 08 has it,i cant pump more than half tank or the smell starts,same complaints just rain man stated,i have been putting it off because i have to drop the a6 and if i do that I'm also doing a converter,i just try to avoid the dealer especially with no recall on it.

Anthony s

I have an 08 coupe . I also thought I smelled gas after filling it. Just filled out that NHTSA's recall form. Has anyone fixed it on there own or had it fixed? Is it an easy fix? Thanks

roadbike56

I'm looking at a 09. To test it for the leak is it as simple as filling the tank and taking a brief drive to see if the odor occurs? I'm making a decision soon.
Thanks

HOXXOH

Yep! It took me all the way until the first fill-up to learn that. The second and third didn't work real well either with the nozzle setting on high. The approximate 350 subsequent fill-ups were all done on the low setting. If I'm in a hurry, I'll manually pump in the majority at full speed and then switch to the low automatic setting for the last couple gallons. I've been fuel smell free now for 120K miles on my '08.

Living in the desert, the humidity is often below 20% and rarely above 50%. If the tanks were cracking due to being brittle, the likelihood of leaks here would be significantly higher than other parts of the country.

Rainman12 has no profile data, so it's hard to determine anything beyond his posts.

JohnDaMan

Just filled out my complaint form. My 08 was trouble free until 2 months ago I got the dreaded fuel smell. Anything over a half tank and the gas odor is nearly un bearable!

HOXXOH

Chances are pretty good that your problem is the crossover tube, not a cracked tank. Do a search for how to correct.

Always Red Dave

I have a 08 no smell is the crossover tube on 08's the same as 09-13's? Thanks Dave

RainMan12

I don't believe the crossover tube is the culprit here. That was an issue on previous year model cars but has been fixed. The problem seems to be related to cracks in the plastic at the top of the fuel pump and/or fuel sending unit causing leaks. GM did not use good plastic in the pumps, and as the plastic ages, it gets brittle and cracks. This is why it is suddenly starting to show up on 08 cars now. The plastic is aged to the right amount that the problem is starting to appear more often. I suspect the 09's may start to show the same problem in another year or so.

And just to clarify, it isn't the tanks that are cracking. It is the plastic in the FUEL PUMPS where the fuel fittings attach to them.

In the automatic cars, you have to pull out the transmission, rear end, and entire rear suspension and mufflers to get the drivers side tank out. GM charges around 11 hours labor or more just to pull the tank. It is a huge job.

Always Red Dave

Rain Man does the problem that you are stating with the cheap plastic in the pumps that crack a problem up to 2009 models or all C6 vettes up to2013 in time? thanks Dave

EVRose

I don't know how anyone could answer that unless there was an actual comparison with each year part sitting in front of you. If it were a cheap plastic causing this wouldn't all the 05, 06 and 07 fuel pumps also be falling apart by now since they are the oldest? I've never had a hint of gas smell in my 05 in the over 3 years I've had it and I fill it completely every time I get gas.

v26278

I recently had the fuel pump in my '07 replaced. Prior to replacement, I never smelled gas. However, with the new pump I noticed the smell of gas any time I would drive with the driver's window down around an inch or so. No smell with it closed, no smell with it open half way or all the way. I could also smell gas around the exterior of the drivers' side wheel well.

Took it back to the dealer and they confirmed that the new pump assembly had a crack in the fitting at the top of the tank and sure enough it was leaking. Kind of scary, especially if it had ignited in my garage. Needless to say, they fixed it immediately.

Dazz510

Not only is this happening to my 08. But i just fixed the loss of low beam head light problem which i split fuse box apart to replace cooper wire. My 08 is garage kept 36,000 mile. Live in hot south florida 100% its a leaky seal and its a safety hazard made my complaint the other day to NHTSA. GM has terrible customer service they just refer you to a dealer for diagnostics to charge $ for things that are serious safety hazards. Its a explosion hazard and gm will tell you bring it in to pay. Its unacceptable I have a 92 nissan with 200,000 miles and never have had issues like this on that car. The low beam fix was easy. But the vapor leak is even more of a serious problem and harder to DIY. "Terrible customer satisfaction" All I am waiting is to open my garage door and find the car disassembled so i can go buy a C7 yeah right, and on another note i had to fix headlights my self there is a service bulletin but they told me that they have nothing established so basically go pound sand so i took it upon my self to fix it and i did for 48 cents with home depot bell wire. Thanks to a another forum member Senseoftouch thank you for the post.

JohnDaMan

It may or may not be. I have been under the car and can see 'streaks' of gas down the side of the tank. Even though its not wet, since I run 1/2 tank or less now, you can tell where the gas dried on the plastic surrounding the tank as it ran down the side.

RainMan12

This is also where some of the cracks are occurring on the 08 fuel pumps, right at/near the fitting for one of the hoses.

cor28vettes

And 33 pages to date on late C5 fuel leaks...
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=2430894

Chris Bert

My '08 Z does this crap to

rwpatte

Dealer did smoke test, pulled wheel, and wheel liner. No smoke detected. Couldn't find leak. Whats next? Is there a visible sign or stain I should be able to see on tank area? Shouldn't a smoke test show up leaking area?

RainMan12

If it is leaking due to cracks in the fuel pump like the others are, it will only leak when the car is running and fuel line is pressurized. In this case, it isn't a vapor leak, but an actual liquid fuel leak (more like a high pressure spray through a pin hole or crack) onto the top of the drivers side fuel tank when the fuel pump is running. If it leaks enough, it will cause fuel to pool on top of the tank and it will eventually leak down the back side of the drivers tank, and can potentially drip onto the hot exhaust. You may see evidence of a stain on the back side of the drivers tank. Unfortunately, the only way to know for sure is to pull the drivers tank and inspect the fuel pump.

rwpatte

Can you see the back of the tank from underneath to check for the stain? If so, where do I look?

RainMan12

Yes, but you'll probably need to put the car up on ramps and get under it and look with a light. Locate the metal fuel tank cover plate, then look at the exposed black plastic on the back side of the fuel tank.