Gasoline smell when a/c is running..

[The Fred]

In my 1990 Seville,

It sure is odd because I can smell gasoline with the a/c running..

Never smell gas anywhere under the hood or at all

Never smell gas with the heat on even with the compressor engaged..

[Cadillac Jim]

It may be a freon leak in the evaporator, although that is pretty rare. Freon leaks can have a smell that might seem to be a faint gasoline smell.

It probably is coming from the cowl vent. A faint gas smell may be coming through from under the hood into the cowl vent. Do you notice this when stopped, driving slowly, or at 40 mph or faster? If you don't smell it at 40 mph or faster, it is probalby coming from under the hood.

[The Fred]

It may be a freon leak in the evaporator, although that is pretty rare. Freon leaks can have a smell that might seem to be a faint gasoline smell.

It probably is coming from the cowl vent. A faint gas smell may be coming through from under the hood into the cowl vent. Do you notice this when stopped, driving slowly, or at 40 mph or faster? If you don't smell it at 40 mph or faster, it is probalby coming from under the hood.

I never smell gasoline at any time without the a/c on.. isn't that odd

And if it was a freon leak.. wouldn't it happen with the defroster on?

[KHE]

I've done a fair share of automotive A/C work - refrigerant is odorless - you may smell some refrigerant oil if the evaporator is leaking but that would not be confused with a gasoline odor. Check your entire fuel system from the engine to the tank for leaks.

[epricedright]

Find that leak Fred, gas leaks are no joke, especially under the hood - unless you want to do a wienie roast on your way home.

[The Fred]

I'd be real worried if I could smell a gas leak under the hood..

I even checked with the a/c on and there is never a gasoline smell anywhere but through the vents,

It sure is a strange occurance and very odd..

I'm due for an FPR probably for one thing

[beefy]

I have the same problem in my 93 Deville. Its not all the time with the a/c on too its just sometimes, especially when very hot out. Ive sniffed around under the hood under all conditions, no sign of gas smell. I have accompanying problems too, 11.6MPG, and I think my injectors are leaking.

[What job]

In my 1990 Seville,

It sure is odd because I can smell gasoline with the a/c running..

Never smell gas anywhere under the hood or at all

Never smell gas with the heat on even with the compressor engaged..

It could be a vacuum leak.

If the A/C vacuum motors that operate the vent doors or the controls for the heating system have a vacuum leak the fuel pressure regulator may not be getting the correct amount of vacuum causing the fuel pressure to stay higher than needed. This could cause one or more of the injectors to leak a little if the seals on the injectors are weak.

This is just a guess, but I did have a problem like this on one of my Vette's a few years back.

Good luck.

[The Fred]

In my 1990 Seville,

It sure is odd because I can smell gasoline with the a/c running..

Never smell gas anywhere under the hood or at all

Never smell gas with the heat on even with the compressor engaged..

It could be a vacuum leak.

If the A/C vacuum motors that operate the vent doors or the controls for the heating system have a vacuum leak the fuel pressure regulator may not be getting the correct amount of vacuum causing the fuel pressure to stay higher than needed. This could cause one or more of the injectors to leak a little if the seals on the injectors are weak.

This is just a guess, but I did have a problem like this on one of my Vette's a few years back.

Good luck.

I see.. I really need to get a newer automobile.

What I would like is a newer (lower mileage) '91 Seville or 99 Deville Concours..

This 1990 has been one heck of a $1000 workhorse of a little automobile

I don't think there is a vacuum leak for the vent door control because they change nice and quick like.. The FPR has a vacuum line on it too, right, I've never looked (and it's 27F out )

[jfreezn]

In my 1990 Seville,

It sure is odd because I can smell gasoline with the a/c running..

Never smell gas anywhere under the hood or at all

Never smell gas with the heat on even with the compressor engaged..

I think you will find you have a faulty vapor recovery solenoid, which is supposed to open just after you start the engine and syphon off the vapor recovery cannister. If this solenoid does not open, the cannister basically free vents to the fender well area, making it real hard to identify the source of the fumes.

The solenoid on my 94 Northstar is just to the rear of the throttle body. These solenoids will fail over the years and failures have been accelerated by the ehtanol based fuels. The solenoid may click but the rubber stopper will have melted and is not opening to the intake manifold.

Topping off the gas tank further aggravates the situation, as does warm weather. The fact that you notice it when the AC is on confirms the warm weather portion.

Let the forum know what you find.

Jim in Phoenix