C1 fuel smell ?

[Dave Christensen]

I finally got to drive my 56!

The biggest problem that I have now is a strong fuel smell in the passenger compartment. I know that this is not uncommon for these cars.

The fuel tank looked very clean on the inside so I did not replace it. The rubber filler hose is new. The clamps for this hose are in place. There is no evidence of liquid fuel leaking from the tank or fuel lines.

I have not fastenened down the gas tank cover.

Will sealing and fastening the tank cover down help? My guess is that is just wishfull thinking and I should start by replacing the tank.

Any other suggestions?

thanks
Dave Christensen

[Todd Pollock]

Re: C1 fuel smell ?

My 62 smells bad when going around corners on a fairly full tank. Almost as if the fuel goes a little bit back up the filler neck. I always have a faint smell of gas and have taken out the fuel tank and it looked really dry. If you tank is full it may be a little stronger than normal.

Good Luck and I am curious if people haev some real answers for you.

Todd.

[Dave Christensen]

Re: C1 fuel smell ?

The tank is about 1/4 full. I have not driven it "hard" around any corners. I just took it on its first excursion out of the neighborhood (5 miles) for an alignment and noticed the strong fuel smell. I am babying it as I have just started the "debugging" stage.

I know that the 56's don't have any baffels in the tank to stop the fuel from sloshing around.

thanks
Dave Christensen

[Bob Simard]

Re: C1 fuel smell ?

I would start by checking the vent line closely. They do not seem to remain new very long. Longitudinal cracks are nearly invisible. Also check the gasket on the fuel sender assembly and the rubber connection between the tank and filler tube. If this all checks out OK, start looking under the hood. Good luck.

[Dave Christensen]

Re: C1 fuel smell ?

Does the 56 have a vent line? If it does, where should it be as I did not put it in? I thought that was a 57 "innovation".

thanks
Dave Christensen

[Robert Willis]

Re: C1 fuel smell ?

My 57 has the fuel smell when going around corners. The vent line on the 57 is very small and the tank on my car doesn't have baffles to stop the fuel from sloshing around and coming up the filler neck. It's my veiw that this smell is just part of the fun that comes with an old Vette. Bob

http://members.kos.net/willisb/

[John Hinckley (29964)]

Re: C1 fuel smell ?

Dave -

The 56's, as you know, didn't have the vented tanks (unless the owner took it to the dealer to get the TSB done to add it). My '57 did have the vented tank (no baffles, but in good shape) and I replaced both the vent line and the filler hose, and there was no stopping the "aroma" until I bought a (non-correct) new replacement non-vented gas cap (my correct original non-vented cap didn't seal well, so I only used it for judging). Even afer that, the "aroma" continued, especially after right turns with a tank over 1/2-full. That's when I found out about the long-lost A.I.M. sheet (Section E, Sheet 3.00) that shows the 3710143 nipple in the bottom of the gas filler door cavity and the rubber drain hose that runs from the nipple down through a rubber grommet in a 1" hole in the underbody. Without the drain hose, any overflow from the tank vent line in the cavity runs through the drain nipple and just "pools" on the inside of the underbody below the cavity, instead of being drained through the hose onto the road, resulting in the fuel "aroma" in the cockpit. After installing the drain hose, along with the properly-sealing new cap, the issue pretty much went away.

This doesn't help you much without a vent line (and a judging deduction if you add it per the TSB, as it didn't leave St. Louis with one), but I think there are two things you can do. You can make sure the cavity nipple is open and the drain hose is in place so fuel dribbles end up outside the car instead of inside the underbody fuel tank area, and you can get a modern replacement vented cap with a 2-way pressure-vacuum valve that will still vent the tank (so it doesn't collapse), but will dribble a lot less than the old correct vented cap. Maybe Jim Frakes can add to the discussion with whatever he's done to his '56.

[James Frakes (9469)]

Re: C1 fuel smell ?

Dave,
John's post is excellent and spot on (as usual). I don't seem to have the strong gas smell I imagine you are experiencing. Occasionally on a tight turn at speed I might get a wiff. Don't expect the tank top lid to seal off odor. Once the cork gasket between the sender and the tank cracked and gas smell was noticable. Best go back and double check all fittings and seams. Regards,

[Mike Ernst (211)]

Re: C1 fuel smell ?

Over the last 30 years I've had over 30 C-1's, and every one of them had a tendency to have a fuel smell when you have a reasonably full tank of gas and make a right turn at more than about 5 mph. In addition to the above posts, one thing I've discovered is that when the rubber connector hose between the tank and the neck is either a)rock hard with age, or b) just installed, that you tend to get the smell. Because of the difficulty of reaching the clamps at each end of the hose (especially closest to the gas door), we tend not to tighten those adequately. You need to tighten the you-know-what out of them! In addition, as has been stated before, if the gasket on the underside of the gas cap has aged, it allows the slosh, which is a given in these cars, to seep around and find all sorts of places to lie around and emit odor. It doesn't take a large spill to fill the cockpit with fumes. The only other option is to take the scenic route and only turn left!