Wildcat gas smell entering body when driving.

Fran

Member
Hi, after storing my 65 Wildcat convertible in our heated shop this winter and doing a few minor repairs then, i took it out for a drive and now i smell gas inside after reaching speeds of over about 40 mph. Nothing is leaking, it has all new carburetor, fuel pump, filter, hoses installed last summer and no visible leaks anywhere. The only thing i did in the winter was take the dash apart and rear seat to put in new speakers and try to figure out where the little vacuum lines coming through the firewall go since only one seemed connected and two others had screws in them to plug leaks by previous owner i guess. Is there any way i could be getting fumes through those hoses now from the fuel canister or whatever? I never had this smell last year so something new is going on and it makes me nervous driving it. Thanks for any help.
 
I would not be too nervous driving the car as the fumes would have to be in pretty high concentration to cause a problem. If you don't see a visible leak, you will have to experiment a bit to track down the source. You mentioned the vac lines. While I doubt that is the problem, you could just block them again and see if the smell stops. Also, try driving with the windows up and then down and see if that makes a difference. If it smells with the windows up, the leak is likely under the hood somewhere. There could be a small perforation of the fuel line somewhere that is just starting and not leaving a puddle yet. I have an old '57 Mercedes that had a gas smell for the last year sitting in my garage and it turned out to be a tiny pin hole in the fuel line. Good Luck, Gary
 
I would not be too nervous driving the car as the fumes would have to be in pretty high concentration to cause a problem. If you don't see a visible leak, you will have to experiment a bit to track down the source. You mentioned the vac lines. While I doubt that is the problem, you could just block them again and see if the smell stops. Also, try driving with the windows up and then down and see if that makes a difference. If it smells with the windows up, the leak is likely under the hood somewhere. There could be a small perforation of the fuel line somewhere that is just starting and not leaving a puddle yet. I have an old '57 Mercedes that had a gas smell for the last year sitting in my garage and it turned out to be a tiny pin hole in the fuel line. Good Luck, Gary

Thanks for the reply. I just wanted to say that I found the source of my gas fumes. It turned out that the larger of the two hoses coming from or returning to the tank is leaking a little. It's the hose directly above the rear axle. When you run the car for a couple of minutes the hose gets wet with gas. If i bend it a little gas will drip from that spot so it needs to be replaced. I measured the pipe it slips over and it measures .038 approximately so what size hose should that be? Thanks.
 
The best thing would be to take a piece with you to an AutoZone or a place like that. Probably 5/16th., but by taking it with you, you can't go wrong.
Get some mini clamps while you're there as well as you will likely need them.
 
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