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It's pathetic that Chevrolet spits in the face of C6 owners on this issue. The same issue with that elbow in the pictures above went on for at least a half dozen years.....maybe when someone's car catches fire in their garage, burns the house down and kills the entire family Chevrolet will do a real recall and not play games.
I actually think Chevrolet was quite generous to cover this issue well past the regular warranty.
Gas leaks from things wearing out on any car aren't that unusual. I've had it happen. My Impala SS LT1 engine had the pressure regulator fail and it leaked gas profusely at the rear of the engine. Back in the days of mechanical fuel pumps, it was pretty normal to see them spewing gas when the diaphragms failed. Fuel hoses will fail when they get old and brittle. Seen that happen many times.
I fail to see any room for complaint for a fuel pump failure at the rear of the car that's 10 or more years old. And just because the exhaust pipe runs near that location that doesn't add to the danger. The heat is not a source of combustion. It takes a spark or open flame for gas fumes to ignite. So no, if you have a car that smells like a gas leak, don't park it in your garage if you have a gas water heater in there.
I actually think Chevrolet was quite generous to cover this issue well past the regular warranty.
Gas leaks from things wearing out on any car aren't that unusual. I've had it happen. My Impala SS LT1 engine had the pressure regulator fail and it leaked gas profusely at the rear of the engine. Back in the days of mechanical fuel pumps, it was pretty normal to see them spewing gas when the diaphragms failed. Fuel hoses will fail when they get old and brittle. Seen that happen many times.
I fail to see any room for complaint for a fuel pump failure at the rear of the car that's 10 or more years old. And just because the exhaust pipe runs near that location that doesn't add to the danger. The heat is not a source of combustion. It takes a spark or open flame for gas fumes to ignite. So no, if you have a car that smells like a gas leak, don't park it in your garage if you have a gas water heater in there.
This isn't a wear issue.. This was a faulty design of the gas output and electric connections on the top of the fuel pump, look at the pictures. GM has had this problem awhile with this design. The issue I have with this whole extended service bulletin is that back in February 2013 they issued Service Bulletin 12191 which covered a bunch of economy cars like the Cobal, Equinox, Saturn Ion, Pontiac G5, Torrent ,Pursuit, that were/are covered for unlimited miles and years for the very same thing that Service Bulletin 15682 (for the Corvette and Cadillac) only covers for ten years or 100,000 miles. I could even understand if they only covered it for unlimited years and 100,000 miles. I have a 2008 C6 that only has 21000 miles on it that I bought a year ago. I had it tested at the local dealer and they verified it has the leak. I have contacted GM customer service and told them the same information as above. Because it was/is in the middle of the Holidays they are waiting on someone on vacation that can make a decision on whether to cover my car or not.
Don't waste your time using Sea Foam or Techron to try to fix a faulty fuel gauge. They fail because the contacts in them go bad. I just pulled the one out of my passenger tank yesterday, this is what it looked like. No amount of Techron is going to fix this.
My advice would be this. If you are getting the fuel pump replaced, have them also replace the fuel sending units in BOTH gas tanks while they have the cradle dropped. It will save you a ton of $$ and frustration later on. There are literally dozens of reports on here of these sending units failing, it's only a matter of time.
I'm not sure if you get a new fuel sending unit for the drivers tank when GM replaces the fuel pump, but my guess is that they re-use the old one. A new one is only about $60, but labor to pull the tanks and install it can be nearly $2K, so you're money ahead to have them replace it while it is apart, and then have them do the one in the passenger tank too. The one in the passenger tank is the usually the first to fail. The passenger tank empties first so the sending unit in it typically sees more use (and wear).
Look at Rock Auto. I looked it up for 2008 and all brands but the Bosch come with the sender. However, it looks like the info is incorrect and the Bosch does come with a sender.
I bought the Delphi FG1092 from them for my car. I paid for the part and did the job myself even though my car qualified to get it done at a dealer for free. After the horror stories about dealers messing the job up and breaking tanks, I decided not to take that chance. The job wasn't that bad since it was well documented on this site how to do it on a manual car.
I just called the dealership that replaced my fuel pump under warranty and was informed that the pump does NOT come with a new sender unit, and the module kit is 19302042. Also confirmed that this part number does not come with a sender on a couple different parts sites.
So the moral of the story here is that you should INSIST on having the fuel sender replaced, even if you have to pay for it out of your own pocket.
Will all C6s have this issue, and it is just a matter of time? Or was it simply certain runs of the assembly? Is there a way to know you may or will have the issue, before getting to the point of smelling gas? I just filled the car up for the first time, well the car was full when I got it as well, and haven't smelled anything noticeable.
Will all C6s have this issue, and it is just a matter of time? Or was it simply certain runs of the assembly? Is there a way to know you may or will have the issue, before getting to the point of smelling gas? I just filled the car up for the first time, well the car was full when I got it as well, and haven't smelled anything noticeable.
It's my belief that all C6's will eventually have this problem. It is caused by the embrittlement of the plastic parts used on the fuel pump. Ethanol gas exposure is probably making this problem worse. Once the plastic gets brittle, it cracks and leaks. GM used the wrong type of plastic on the fuel pump parts.
The problems with the fuel senders will also eventually fail due to the design of the tiny wiper arms. I would STRONGLY suggest to anyone having their fuel pump replaced to also get the sending units in BOTH tanks replaced while it is apart, because they too will eventually fail.
This isn't a wear issue.. This was a faulty design of the gas output and electric connections on the top of the fuel pump, look at the pictures. GM has had this problem awhile with this design. The issue I have with this whole extended service bulletin is that back in February 2013 they issued Service Bulletin 12191 which covered a bunch of economy cars like the Cobal, Equinox, Saturn Ion, Pontiac G5, Torrent ,Pursuit, that were/are covered for unlimited miles and years for the very same thing that Service Bulletin 15682 (for the Corvette and Cadillac) only covers for ten years or 100,000 miles. I could even understand if they only covered it for unlimited years and 100,000 miles. I have a 2008 C6 that only has 21000 miles on it that I bought a year ago. I had it tested at the local dealer and they verified it has the leak. I have contacted GM customer service and told them the same information as above. Because it was/is in the middle of the Holidays they are waiting on someone on vacation that can make a decision on whether to cover my car or not.
UPDATE,
Well after talking to Customer Service they came back with an offer to cover service for 1026.80. The dealer originally wanted 2652.87 to replace the pump and the fuel level sensor. I was hoping for full coverage. The offer was good for 30 days. I then sent an e-mail to our Local News help center, (they help people with these kind of problems) and one of their guys sent an e-mail to GM, detailing who he was and asking them to look into this case to see what could be done.. Two weeks later, and not hearing anything I re-e-mailed the Local News guy and he forwarded a response from someone at GM saying they would look into it ,but since the car was over 10 years old they probably wouldn't cover anymore. So last week, with time running out, I took the car in and had them do the work. They have a tech that has done several of these and got it done with no major issues.
This week I got a request to take a survey on my experience with customer service, and I once again relayed the whole sad tale on GM not covering something that should be a recall item, and that i probably wouldn't be trading in my car on a new corvette any time soon, and also that i was probably going to submit a complaint to the State Department of Justice, and also the Los Angeles Department of Consumer Affairs.
I have an 07 convertible, I get a faint smell only after I drive it and park it. I have had the car for a few months and drove it with no issues, I filled it once since I bought it and a small amount spilled out. That's when I smelled the faint fuel smell. Though it was my overfilling it but I now have less than 3/4 of a tank.
When I drive it I now see a small stain of fuel on my garage floor. No puddle just a stain. I smell it for two days and its gone, no stain no leak. Until I drive it again, any thoughts?
I have an 07 convertible, I get a faint smell only after I drive it and park it. I have had the car for a few months and drove it with no issues, I filled it once since I bought it and a small amount spilled out. That's when I smelled the faint fuel smell. Though it was my overfilling it but I now have less than 3/4 of a tank.
When I drive it I now see a small stain of fuel on my garage floor. No puddle just a stain. I smell it for two days and its gone, no stain no leak. Until I drive it again, any thoughts?
If the car has less than half a tank of gas you probably won't smell gas. You can take it to the dealer and they can do a "smoke test" to confirm there is a leak, or if you can get the car up on Jack stands or ramps in the back you can sometimes just see where the fuel has been running down the side of the tank. I ran my car around for a while on always less than half tank and never had the smell.
what is the job of the metal wiper arms? i know stupid question.
The fuel sender is a rheostat. The wiper arms are what contact the resistor element. Think of it as a volume **** on a stereo. You turn the **** and the resistance goes up and down. Same thing the fuel sender does.
Add my 2010 GS with the same problem. Thank God for this message board, probably just saved me a lot of $$$. Just dropped it off at the dealership, we’ll see what they say
Update: Dealership confirmed this is the problem, they have to order the parts but the car is supposed to be ready on Friday. They are giving me a Chevy Malibu while the vette is being repaired. So far so good with Hampton Chevrolet in Hampton VA
Last edited by whiteboy444; 03-06-2019 at 02:01 PM.
When I fill up the tank I get gas odor because the fuel always spills out and onto the paint but odor eventually goes away. If I top it off and keep shaking the car I can usually get a gallon maybe 1.5+ more fuel in but then the fuel really starts to spill. This is on a 2005. Also note automatic gas pumps don't work they stop clicking and won't lock no matter which gas station I go to so I must reverse the gas pump nozzle and manually fuel up. It's always like this whether topping off or not..
12-30-2018, 05:00 PM
but odor eventually goes away. If I top it off and keep shaking the car I can usually get a gallon maybe 1.5+ more fuel in but then the fuel really starts to spill. This is on a 2005. Also note automatic gas pumps don't work they stop clicking and won't lock no matter which gas station I go to so I must reverse the gas pump nozzle and manually fuel up. It's always like this whether topping off or not..