2004 XC90 fuel smell

jbarrow8081 · Post by **jbarrow8081** » 24 Aug 2016, 14:51

Hello,

I have a 2004 xc90 with approximately 130k miles. I am smelling fuel outside the cabin. My kids drive the car primarily but I can smell the fuel when I walk past the car in the driveway etc. There are no check engine lights on, there is no dripping under the car nor do I hear any fans running in an add manner when the car is turned off etc. I feel like I can also smell the fuel if I was to sit in the car as well. I saw a few suggestions from several years ago about a fuel pump. The car seems to be running fine when I do drive it. Meaning it seems to be getting fuel to the engine in good shape.

Any suggestions on what I should be looking for or checking outside of the obvious things like a drip/fuel spill in the driveway etc etc?

Thanks so much in advance for any suggestions.

Joe

Post by **FLXC90** » 24 Aug 2016, 15:41

Have the injectors ever been out of the car? Remove the fuel rail cover and check for sprays or leaks. Also, the surge damper at the end of the rail. Besides the injectors, check for clogged air filter, any damaged lines on intake manifold, air box etc... Check the evap lines also.

matt_linegar · Post by **matt_linegar** » 02 Sep 2016, 05:55

I had a similar issue. It was the seals around the fuel pump and sender unit leaking which is a common fault. This was was always worse when the tank was full as the seals are below the top level of the tank. Simple cheap repair, hopefully this is the problem. Good luck.

Matt

jbarrow8081 · Post by **jbarrow8081** » 04 Sep 2016, 05:35

Matt thanks for the reply. I am hoping I have the same issue. Much appreciated.

matt_linegar · Post by **matt_linegar** » 11 Sep 2016, 05:25

It takes less than 20mins to remove the 2nd row of seats. Then the carpet can be lifted and both the fuel pump and sender unit can be accessed enough to remove the locking ring and oring. You don't need to remove the units completely, just slip the old oring off and the new one on making sure the mating surfaces are clean. Top tips... make sure fuel tank is no more than 1/4 full, disconnect battery and vacuum up all the dirt before removing the locking ring. Oring cost $10 and the whole job was completed in less than 2 hours.

Good luck!

70bronco · Post by **70bronco** » 01 Nov 2018, 12:50

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I'm having the same issue with my 08 XC90. If my issue is the o-rings, is it possible to replace them without fully removing the fuel pump and sending unit?

Post by **ggleavitt** » 03 Nov 2018, 08:41

Once you have the threaded ring off, it'll be more intuitive. O-ring will slip off and on from the disconnected top, least that's what I recall when I had to go back a second time to properly clean out the channels and do a reseal after a sender replacement in 2014.

70bronco · Post by **70bronco** » 05 Nov 2018, 05:56

Thanks for the response!

70bronco · Post by **70bronco** » 12 Nov 2018, 06:14

I have more information on my fuel smell situation. I removed the access panel for the fuel sending unit, and it was pretty filthy. I cleaned it up and replaced the seal. The old seal looked fine. I didn't notice any obvious cracks in the sending unit, but after I filled the car up with gas, the smell immediately returned. I re-opened the access panel and there was a puddle of gas sitting on top of the sending unit.

What is my next step? Could there be a little crack in the sending unit that is causing this?

Thanks.

Post by **SuperHerman** » 12 Nov 2018, 10:37

Yes the cracking could be the cause, it is fairly common on the fuel pump side. You need to confirm this is the source of the leak. Two options for repair. 1) Replace faulty part; 2) Clean area very well, scratch/sand up top of plastic with sand paper or the like, clean again and then flood the cracked area with JB Weld Epoxy so the entire area is covered in a thin layer of epoxy, sealing the crack and near by surface.

You can always try the latter to confirm the source of the leak and then order the correct replacement parts and implement a proper repair.