1997 850 wagon gas odor

Tobers · Post by **Tobers** » 04 May 2015, 20:09

I have fought with my daughter's PO401 code. I tried the VW air pump trick. Also replaced the SAS valve. I found all sorts of bad tubing and replaced it. But to no avail. I am close to trying the Radio Shack diode trick, but ...

Recently a slight (but clearly noticeable) gas smell is in the car, enough so that my daughter was worried. I can't find any visible gas leak; I think it is emissions related.

Is there a flow chart or something where I can systematically search out section by section, or part by part? I'm growing weary of guessing here and there, only to always be wrong (or if I'm right then there is other parts broken). Thanks! Rick

Post by **erikv11** » 04 May 2015, 22:50

You mean p0410, right? Your experience begs for a diode. But if you want to keep hammering at the SAS, maybe the solenoid next.

For fuel smell be sure to look at the fuel pump, first task is to pull the cover and see whats up. The hoses on top of the tank are a hassle, but could be one of those, or the pump itself (gasket, sealing ring, hose connections). Is there a smell of fuel under the hood, or only in the car?

Post by **jreed** » 05 May 2015, 05:12

The two times I've smelled a strong smell of fuel from my '97 855 were when the rubber elbow connecting the small evap hose to the intake manifold had rotten away and when the rubber hoses connecting the fuel vapor line to the roll-over valve (near the fuel filter) had been damaged. Those might be a couple of places to do a quick visual inspection to see if you've got any damage. Good luck!