Fuel/Petroleum Smell

[GrigioTR]

First post on Samba!

I have just purchased a modified 1956 oval and am having a serious issue with fumes building in my garage. To the extent I am really glad my hot water heater does not have a pilot light. It has to be fixed.

The gas tank is a '56 and in great shape. The reserve valve assembly has been removed. The fuel line from the gas tank goes to an electric fuel pump then through a woven stainless steel encased rubber line to the engine compartment to the carbs. Every fitting and inch of line is absolutely dry. In addition the carbs have sealed metal top hats that are an integrated part of the blow through turbo system. So I am ruling out vapor coming from open carbs.

The car has a seperate oil tank for the turbo. I have sealed that opening as well in an effort to eliminate that oil as the source of the fumes.

I have a new gas tank cap gasket on the way and in the meantime I have sealed the gas tank cap assembly by placing a nitrite glove with a duct tape wrap over the tank fill/cap.

The only thing I have not chased down are small (a few drops) oil drips under the lower shock mounts on both sides. I see no oil along the rear axle tubes and the boots are not dripping. I am guessing the air shocks are leaking a bit from age. New ones on order. The engine oil filler has a K&N filter that I have not touched.

So what am I missing? I have tried to follow the gas from tank to carbs and sealed everything I can think of, but the fumes have not gone away or lessened. As of now I am stuck.

Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[Volksvr6gti]

Ok just a heads up gasoline vs the gear oil in your transmission - axle tubes has a completely different smell. I think that may be your very first thing to sort out. If you do not know what gear oil smells like, then you could use the 17mm Allen wrench and loosen the drain plug on your tranny just enough to get one drip to come out and then tighten it back up. And then give it a good sniff. You will smell the distinct difference.

If the smell is gear oil then check for leaking axle boots, axle seals by the wheel bearings at the end of the axle tubes, leaks from the drain plugs, or maybe even just from the case itself. If it is gear oil you should also have grease marks under your car on the floor and that could help pin point the source. Also try to spray a degreaser on the tranny and boots and clean everything up. Check back after a good drive or a few days and see what have new gear oil on it and that will most likely help pinpoint the source.

If it’s gasoline, start from the fuel tank and work your way back. If the fuel tank has a vent line, check to make sure it’s properly oriented and not a source of a leak. I know you stated that your braided fuel lines look good.... double check if they are a few years old. Good way to do this is disconnect the line and look at the cut ends where you can see the rubber. If there are cracks or hairline cracks, it’s time to replace. Heck might be a good idea just to replace them anyways.

Next take the rear tunnel inspection cover off under back seat and smell in there. If the smell is strong your hardline in the tunnel might have an issue and leaking fuel into the tunnel.

If not move onto the rear and double check you soft lines here. If you have an in-line fuel filter check that. Check all hard line fuel connections. Dust them with baby powder and see if the fuel washes any of the powder away. This could help you find the leak.

Work your way to that carb and maybe do a quick overhaul. This will allow you to replace worn / leaking gaskets, clean dirty jets and ports and inspect the float. Hopefully this sparks some ideas. In the mean time you could always pull your fuel tank and drain it into a gas can and see if that helps while you search for the leak.

[finster]

I had the impression, from the op text, that the hard fuel line in the tunnel had been bypassed. but it is not clear as it is so non-stock...
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"we're here on Earth to fart around" kurt vonnegut

nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect...

[GrigioTR]

All,

Thanks for the fast replies. Yes the car is modified. Since I could not see or feel any oil on the axle tubes and no drips under the boots I pretty much forgot about these areas. Not so now. The oil under the shocks may be the clue I overlooked. New boots and axle seals will be on order this weekend.

Thanks agian for all the help.

[Volksvr6gti]

Not sure if this is your first beetle or not, but if so they make two different style boots.

The split boots are easy to put on and can be done without taking anything off.
The original style - sealed boot you will have to remove quite a bit to get them on.

Just a heads up

[finster]

gear oil doesn't smell like petrol though...more like tom cat p!ss
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"we're here on Earth to fart around" kurt vonnegut

nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect...

[Volksvr6gti]

^^^ yep we told him That I’m first post. Advised to first figure out if it is gear oil or gasoline

[GrigioTR]

OK more parts are on the way. New split boots and rear axle oil seal kits. Plus a few axle nut removal tools while I am at it.

As earlier replies suggested, I needed to try to identify if the fumes are gas or gear oil. Two days ago I replaces the old and cracked gas cap cork gasket. I opened the garage door and used a floor fan to clear out the fumes. Went into the gargae today and no change to the fume level, they are back full force. I have now gone from gas cap back to the carbs and everything is dry. Not even a hint of gasoline moisture. By chance is there a gas tank vent for these early tanks?

Next up are new axle boots and axle oil seals. I should note there is zero oil at the bottom of the backing plates. Ditto along the bottom of the boots.

Once these new parts are installed I will be putting on new Gabriel HiJacker air shocks to relace the old ones.

Man this better do it because I will be out of parts to replace

If anyone can think of areas for me to look into, please let me know.

[Volksvr6gti]

Ok just a heads up there will never be a gasoline moisture present. Gasoline evaporates very rapidly. If you never tried it put a few drops of gasoline on the ground and go back and check it in about 30 seconds to a minute.... it will be gone. So if you had a gas leak (even a slow steady drip) it most likely would evaporate before you even seen it.

If you are still unsure if it’s a 100% a gasoline fume vs a gear oil fume; again I would suggest going under your transmission and slowly turn the drain plug (do not remove it, just slowly loosen it) until you get some gear oil to drip past the treads. Catch it in a paper towel and tighten the drain plug back to not lose unnecessary amounts of gear oil. Smell that paper towel and you will never forget the smell of gear oil.

This above is def the most important step for you prior to trying to fix all possible leak points. You need to determine first if it is indeed gasoline or if it’s gear oil. They both have their own very distinct smell and are very diverse. Otherwise you may spend a lot of time and $$$ chasing the wrong problem.
Gear oil can leak from multiple points. It is also very very thick and you most likely will not see it pouring out. You can also put a white shop rag down and lay it under the axles and tranny and just leave it there a week or so and see if you get a drip of gear oil. It will leave a greasy, oily, yellow-brown mark on the towel.

[GrigioTR]

Roger that on fast evaporation with gasoline.

Over the years I have had issues with my hot rods and leaky lines. Most of the time I found the leaks via dampness on a piece of toilet tisssue or stains caused by the eveporating gasoline. I am 99 % sure the fumes from the VW are gas not transmission oil.

I have no idea what the filling in air shocks is. There are 1 or 2 drops every 24 hours under the shock lower mounting area. I wiped everything down yesterday and will run a paper towel along the lower mount to see if it comes back damp with oil. They are due to be replaces when I do the boots and axle oil seals.

Fingers crossed.

[RUNKLE]

Sounds inherited, I would ask the PO about it, maybe he could shed some light on the subject.

[EVfun]

I'm nearby in Everett Grigio. I could stop by your garage and take a sniff, in my stock '57 Bug if it's not raining.

I want to point out that there is no charcoal canisters on these cars. Generally the carbs and gas tank are vented to the atmosphere. The gas tank is vented into the trunk if that setup is still stock (VW started using a sealed cap and venting the tank outside in 1961.) A little fuel smell in the car is not rare. With a good gasket the cap should keep liquid fuel from getting out of the tank, but not do much to change the smell of an aircooled VW that my wife describes as "gasoline and hot aluminum." The engine compartment can get pretty warm after shutting the car off too, so if you close it up in a garage it's easy to smell the carb(s.) In some ways these things are strait out of the late 1930's.
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[GrigioTR]

EVfun. PM sent
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1956 VW w/ blow through turbo
1984 Porsche Carrera