Our 1994 Suburu Legacy runs on Petrol or LPG. For some unknown reason, there is a strong petrol smell in the car. When this happens, the car will eventually stop and the engine stops. There is power, but the engine will not start. Several minutes and many attempts later later, it starts. What may be happening?
View 2 RepliesI have recently purchased a 2003 Subaru Baja Sport, the car of my dreams! I purchased the car in NC and drove it where I live in SC which is over 250 miles. The car smelled of petroleum based fluid and/or cleaner. I just thought the dealership cleaned the engine or oil may have been spilled during maintenance. A few weeks later, I had it in the dealership and they checked out. The head gaskets were replaced and the problem was to be solved…Nope!
Every time the car is driven on a long trip and the engine/transmission gets hot the smell returns and there are other problems as well. The car will shutter from start through the gear change to 2nd (it’s a manual 5-speed). It also has a “bumping” sound coming from the from the front wheel area during a sharp turn at low speeds, again only after a long trip.
I am clueless to what the issue could be and my dealership/mechanic cannot determine the cause either because of the necessary drive time to get the car to present the issues.
I have had my Prius for a few weeks now and have noticed a very strong smell of petrol when I have the vents open to heat the car (without AC). It seems to only happen when the fan is on and vents open. What could cause this and should I be concerned?
View 19 RepliesYesterday, after having driven the car twice, I got in it to move it, and it would not start. It almost turns over, but never reaches a start, until the dash prompts me to to STOP. I also notice a stong gasoline smell when I get out of the car. What this might be?
View 2 RepliesEvery time I start this car there is a strong smell of gasoline. I've already checked for leaks and didn't find any. Could this be caused by the fuel canister in the rear of the vehicle this has gone bad?
View 2 RepliesAcquired a 1997 Subaru Legacy a few weeks ago. Drive it for a prolonged time in the heat, at speed, and you can smell warm coolant from the engine compartment. And the temperature gauge hovers in the middle of the dial, no matter what.
My wife explained the smell away by guessing she'd spilled coolant when she topped it up. But it's been weeks since she did that. Also - this sucker drinks coolant. I'm guessing every 2-3 days I'm adding another gallon.
It occurs to me that ... maybe .. a leak on top of a pipe so the coolant doesn't drip out, but the loss of pressure (from the hole) causes the fluid to boil and flash out? This might explain the 'higher than I'd like to see' operating temperature.
When I turn the key all the way over, I hear only one click, and no engine sound. Playing with park or neutral positions do nothing. Battery and connections are good. I am getting a raw fuel smell out of the tail pipe after it finally starts. The check engine light intermittently comes on, by now it is mostly on.
My guesses are: fuel pump/relay problems, starter/connection problems.
I have a 2005 Subaru Outback XT with turbo. I have had a strange problem the last two winters and have stumped two mechanics, so far.
At this time of year, it is necessary to warm my car up for a few minutes in the morning. Last winter, when I warmed my car up, I would smell gasoline outside of the car and in the cab. It only happened when it is about 25 degrees or less outside. After about 10-15 minutes, once the car was warm, the smell would go away. I figured smelling gasoline was bad news, so, I took it to my mechanic who said he found a loose clamp in the engine. He tightened it and it fixed the problem. I didn't have any other issues that winter or through the next year.
But, this winter, the problem is back. I have moved, so, I took the car to a new mechanic (recommended by friends) and told him the issue. He said that he found a loose clamp between the engine and the turbo and tightened it. He said other than that, he can't think of anything. Well, that worked for a few days. But, now, the problem is back and with a vengeance. The smell is a bit different. Still like gasoline, but kind of like exhaust, too. And it is strong. I have to open the windows for a few minutes to air the car out before I can drive it. I took it back to the mechanic, but he is stumped and not sure what to do next.
I think my next step is to take it to a Subaru dealer, but with a 10 year old car, I'm hesitant to go that route. Though, I love my car and want it to last AND be safe to drive. What is going on?
I own a 2003 Hummer H2 with a 6.0 liter vortec engine with only 62,000 miles. At 50 to 55 mph 1500 to 2000 rpm the engine surges 300 to 400rpm with foot steady on the throttle. There is no engine light on and I,ve checked for codes with a code reader from the auto parts store. No error codes. I've cleaned the mass flow air sensor and throttle body with no change. My next thought was to replace the throttle actuator control sensor or accelerator pedal position sensor. I do enjoy working on my own vehicles so have been reluctant to take it into the shop.
View 1 RepliesMy 2010 Subaru Legacy has been leaking oil since the last oil change, and also smelling like burning oil. I took it back to the mechanics, and they told me something about oil pooling from previous oil changes into the splash pan, soaking into the foam in or around the splash pan, and the foam got so saturated that it is now dripping oil. The good news: no new leak, only a residual leak.They cleaned it up, replaced the foam, and topped me off-no charge.
My questions: Does this sound right/common? Or are my mechanics sloppy to be saturating foam in or around the splash pan? And is the burning oil smell related to all this splashing and pooling oil? This is the third oil change related issue I've had with them. First they didn't fill my oil to the appropriate fill line (I believe they over-filled
Then the next time they did not tighten my oil cap enough, which caused oil to spill and burn, and they couldn't diagnose the issue (I took it in complaining of the smell of something burning-almost like plastic burning, and they looked at me like I was crazy, and told me they couldn't smell anything burning. Getting it fixed took a chance encounter with a different mechanic, and he knew what it was by smell! Now I do, too).
what could be causing a terrible odor when the fan is used to heat or cool my 1998 subaru legacy wagon? note: this occurs only when the outside air vent is open.
View 2 RepliesI have a 2004 Subaru Legacy Wagon with around 90,000 miles on it. I purchased the car in 2008 with about 26,000 miles on it. Starting two years ago, whenever the air temperature is below 15-20 degrees, my car will develop a smell of antifreeze in the cabin when I start it and let it warm up for a minute or two. It did not do it for the first winters I owned it. I have not been able to detect the smell outside of the vehicle, and I have not been able to detect the smell in the summer months, even if the car is left idling for several minutes. The White Whale (my cars name according to my wife) was worked on by my local mechanic (where the car was purchased) last winter. They considered and replaced the thermostat, a leaking (or at least they thought it was possibly leaking) hose, and then finally after consulting over the phone with the Subaru dealer that is a little over 45 miles from my house, decided that the problem was likely the head gasket.
So at around 65,000 miles I had the head gasket replaced by the Subaru dealer. Problem is, they replaced it in March, and the temps were high enough that I couldn't really tell if the fix had fixed the original problem or not. It had seemed that the smell was at least less intense, but hard to tell. So, here we are in the midst of January, yesterday the car started beautifully (which is one reason that I love this car) after sitting outside all night at -11 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chills down to below -30. Last winter, in these conditions, the smell would be so strong that I would get nauseated driving the entire 15 minutes to work.
This winter, since the repair, the smell seems limited to only the first idling time. After that, the cabin seems to get cleared out with fresh air, and the smell dissipates. There have never been any check engine lights, the oil and coolant levels have never been a problem, the temperature is never higher than just above the mid-line on the gauge which has stayed the same all throughout the time I've owned it, and performance has been completely unaffected by the smell, other than my performance as a driver when trying to navigate in a car that reeks of antifreeze. Also, I have never noticed what some describe as a haze or liquid building up on the windshield when a heater core goes out and my mechanics, both dealership and local, assured me that this was not the problem.
03 Baja, 4cyl, automatic. 195,000+Every now and again I get a fuel smell. Full tank, empty tank, half a tank... doesn't seem to matter. Usually switching up the gas I put in clears the issue. This time, not so much. Really strong and causing me to banish the car for the garage due to it stinking up the house.The odor MAY be coming from the left/drivers side of the car. (I only say this as if it is outside in the parking lot, I notice it more on that side.
View 4 RepliesI have the same problem noted on last weekend's show with another Subaru owner. My car has a burning type smell (burning rubber or burning oil) only when driving uphill on a mountain road. I'm not sure the answer given on the show is correct about the rubber under the carpet smelling because of the catalytic converter. The smell comes through the venting system.
View 2 RepliesI have a legacy. Notice some slippage between 2nd and 3rd and 3rd and 4th. Also noticing an extreme burning smell when vehicle first gets started (for about 15 min) it's gagging it's so strong and pours in through defrost but can be smelled standing outside car also. Finally I parked in friends garage and notice some dark weird colored fluid on ground when I backed out, I dont know if it's oil or transmission fluid.
View 1 RepliesI am getting a raw constant raw gas odor from under the hood - and in the cabin with the ventilation on. This happens whenever the engine is on - hot, cold, at start up or 50 miles down the road. No visible leaks, no drips - nothing. My lousy Honda dealer found nothing. Pressure check on the fuel system was fine,no leaking hoses, no check engine light, no codes. Smell seems to be coming from the behind the engine on the left side (looking at the engine from the front) - behind cylinders 1 and 2. 125k EX V6.
View 4 RepliesMy husband drives a 97 Toyota Corolla. Great little car with one problem, it stinks. It smells like gasoline after its started. I never smell it from inside the car, just after its run when I exit the car. Took to a mechanic.... they couldn't find a leak and of course they didn't smell anything. He told me the LEFT OUTPUT SHAFT SEAL needs to be replaced but wasn't very positive that had anything to do with the gasoline smell. He only suggested replacing the gas cap, again, not with much confidence. Should I take it back, take somewhere else, anyway of narrowing down the possible leak areas myself or other suggested areas for them to look for the leak???
View 10 RepliesI've had the car for 130k/2 yrs, and been very happy with it. Will definitely buy another. That said, I'm puzzled. Yesterday and today, after it had run for 10-20 minutes at surface-street speeds (so was warmed up), I got stuck at a lengthy traffic light and noticed a distinct smell of gasoline - not other cars' exhaust, but a fuel smell coming in on the blown air in the cabin. I have done no mechanical work on the car, or spilled gas into the glove box.
View 6 RepliesI am about 7300 miles from my last oil change about a year ago. I was checking my dip stick the other day and while I was looking at it, I got a whiff of what definitely smelled like gasoline.
I have a little over 47k miles on it, and barely drive it 10k a year, mostly city some highway trips here and there.
Is this normal? Should I be concerned? If gasoline does mix with the engine oil, is the ECU smart enough to pick up any anomalies and alert me with a check engine light?
Fluid level on the dipstick looked fine.
1995 Subaru Legacy wagon.
If I drive up a steep hill for 5-10 minutes, the engine will smoke copiously.
It's fine when I drive 200 miles over lightly rolling terrain.
The temperature gauge doesn't get above medium.
It's been doing this for at least two years (since I bought it from a friend).
What's the story?
I recently had a turbo installed, everything went well, car runs very smooth considering having just upgraded the turbo. However, I keep noticing a strong smell coming from the engine bay. Kind of like a gas like smell or some chemical. At first I thought it was the loctite we used to put the gaskets in place burning off or the coating of the turbo but it has been a week and it still smells. I do not have a check engine light, my vacuum is right on the money, I am boosting fine, and my temperature gauge hasnt moved. What could this be? exhaust leak maybe?
View 6 Replies