What would cause a gasoline odor in the cabin ?
 

1993 Civic.
I replaced the fuel pump ( over a year ago ), which is under the rear seat, and thought there was a fuel leak there, but it seems fine.

When I fill up, there is a strong gasoline odor in the cabin - strong enough that i search my clothes to see if i got any on me.

I try not to 'top off' but the crappy gas station lines usually fail to shut off before it spills out the side. Even if i stop the gas before it get to where it spills over, i get the odor.

I can smell the odor for nearly a week after a fill, so I was sure there was a leak in a fuel line somewhere in the cabin area ....like under the seat where the fuel pump would be ( duh ) !, but when I pull up the seat and check around the pump, it seems fine.

The fuel filter lines seem ok too. No obvious leaks.

Any clue what to do ?

What

What are you driving? Nothing I own has a fuel line or access to anything fuel system related from the interior cabin. Has the fe dropped?

P.S. "What are you driving"- smacks head. :rolleyes:

1993 Civic.

Has the FE dropped ? Yep. Quite a bit actually, but I won't know how much until i fix the odometer.

I have had the issue before and thought that the charcoal canister was clogged ( i read that it will give off a gasoline odor when clogged ) but it's only in the cabin and at random times - mostly after a fill.

BTW Thats what has me puzzled. There are no fuel lines in the cabin.

EDIT : Google is my friend :http://www.google.com/search?client=...UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

I'd like to delete this thread. I thought there would be an option in the tools menu to delete it, but no.
Which one of you mods can delete this for me, and what's the procedure for something like that ( you can PM me if you like ) ?

It turns out my fuel odor problem is more common than i had thought.

Thanks for your patience guys.

I had this problem in my 98 civic and discovered the gas tank itself had rusted through. When you top off, fuel leaks out through the rust and the smell gets in the cabin.
Frank, the civic has an access panel under the rear seat to reach the top of the tank and the fuel pump.

Look at the top of the crimped seam of the tank. Dirt and water collect there and cause rust.

What is this " rust" of which you speak ?

:p

Sorry - No rust here. This is Texas. I have checked the seals. They are all fine. I saw a couple of people on other forums that had the same problem, and they blame the charcoal canister. BS.
If it was the canister, then I would smell it in the engine bay.
Besides, the car only has around 125-150,000 miles

Feel free to delete this thread guys.

Well what ended up being the problem? Threads shouldn't be deleted; instead the solution should be posted so that others can reference it.

I agree, it really upsets me when someone says 'Oh I figured it out' but never actually posts what was wrong/how they fixed it.

Hmmm. And here I was thinking I make everyone mad by posting a question I could find by just searching elsewhere. :)

I haven't found the problem yet, but I'll let you know when I find it.

Filler neck, venting hoses, overflow from the filler area--all could have cracks that let fuel smell out, or hoses could be disconnected or mis-connected. I believe the fuel pump is accessed through the plate on top of the tank, like in my CRX? If so, the seal around it is a huge suspect--you disturbed the seal when changing the pump, and if the seal was compromised somehow you can get fuel odors.

-soD

I had this problem in my '98 Nissan Almera (in 2012) and my inlaws had it in their '96-ish Lada (in 2003).
In both cases the fuel filler pipe had bursted.
Apparently those suffer under mechanical stress between the filler opening and the tank, when that moves about, or something.

Maybe rust is not common in Texas but it is a 22 year old car. Has it been in Texas the whole time? Has it been dry the whole time? Crawl under the car and feel around above the pinch seam above the middle of the tank. Probably near the front, under the rear seats. Is there a build up of dirt? Is any of it wet? Does it smell of gas?
Please don't dismiss a a proven cause just because you don't think it could happen to you. Look first. Like I said, I had the very same symptoms you state and this was the cause I found after trying many other repairs. If it turns out to not be rust, great.