Jim Grant's Tech Tips
'96 Plymouth Grand Voyager, Gas Smell From Heater
Q:
I have a 96 Plymouth Grand Voyager 3.0L. I smell the fumes of gas
when I turn the heater on. When I stand outside the vehicle it smells
even worse. It doesn't smell all the time, but most of the time so I try
not to use the heater. The dealers can't seem to find any cause and wouldn't
you know it, it never smells when I take it to the dealer. Have you run
into this before and if so, where else may the smell be coming from if
not the fuel system?....Jeff
A:
Your vehicle has the Dentist Syndrome. Whats the Dentist Syndrome?
Whenever you go to the dentist for a toothache it goes away and you cant
tell which tooth it was. Gas smells mean theres a gas leak. This
is not a good thing! The most common gas leak problems we see are at the
gas filter for Dodge Caravans, Plymouth Voyagers and Chrysler Town &
Country . These vehicles are prone to fuel leakage at the fuel filter
after service. That would be the first place I would look. If all looks
good there then I would suggest inspection of the fuel injector housings.
The case of the fuel injectors will weep fuel. This leak will quickly
disappear once the vehicle is turned off. The engine heat causes the fuel
to evaporate quickly leaving little to no trace of a cause. My suggestion?
The next time you smell gas stop by the nearest repair facility and have
them take a look. Scheduling an appointment is a sure fire way for the
Dentist Syndrome to kick in. Yet a gas leak is a sure way to a fire!
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