Hey guys, I'm not sure if I have the same problem as the other guys that have mentioned smelling gas. I don't smell gas near the rear of the car, for me it is always near the front end. Since changing to the carb I capped the vent line and removed the charcoal canister, more of a temporary solution rather than a permanent one. It is possible that I could have a filler neck leaking but I doubt it since I'm not smelling gas in the rear of the car nor do I see any fuel on the ground. I have been fighting with this new carb for a while, so I'm wondering if my floats are set wrong. Would floats set too high give this problem after the hot engine is shut off? That is the only thing I can think of for the front of the car that might make it smell like gas, it makes the garage almost unbearable and the attached house reek of gas.

Any ideas? Thanks

 

You don't want the vent line capped - leave it open (if you are talking about the third hardline in the engine bay). But route a hose on it and have it exit under the car where the fumes (or any gas leaking) will exit away from the engine bay where it's hot. You also need a vented gas cap so that pressure doesn't build in the tank. FI systems purposely build pressure in the tank, but carbed systems are supposed to vent.

Even then, on these hot days we've been having, sometimes it'll build pressure - mine does. I think it's the heat. This is the first year in 4 that I've had any pressure issues and I've been smelling gas as well on some of these hot days.

 

Ok then, I've converted to a carb but I'm using the Mallory fuel pressure regulator to drop the pressure for the carb. With that being said, shouldn't I leave it stock so that the pump continues to run as it always has?

I was just thinkin.... the charcoal canister filtered the vent line and then allowed vacuum from the engine to pull the vapors from it. I wonder if I can use the engine in that kind of manor, plug the vent line in the drivers side valve cover where the pvc goes. and then move the pvc to the passenger side where the pickup tube for the stock evap collection goes.

The fuel smell was a lot worse up front when I had that line open, but I think vented to the engine would work just fine, as long as it's not directly in the intake area where a backfire could potentially ignite.

 

I'm set up the same - carb, intank pump, Mallory 4309. I only ever have fume smells when the weather is hot, and like I said, I have a fuel hose connected to the third line on the driver frame rail, and the hose exits out under the front of the driver wheel.

I have no idea about what your describing. You may end up where the vacuum on that line would pull gas and/or fumes all the way from the tank or something, I don't know.

You could look at the setup on some of the classics (like late 60's and 1970's cars) - some of them had evap canisters as well, and were connected into the carb system. I think they just had a vacuum line to the evap canister from the carb, and a 3rd line from the gas tank. A friend of mine has a 1972 Monte Carlo - it is factory, and it has an evap system in it I was just looking at. I really want to think it was simply a vacuum line off the carb to the canister, and the third fuel line from the tank to the canister. Of course OUR evap canister won't work for this, since they are had actuators that were electronically controlled by the ECM - but maybe a replacement evap canister from an older car like that Monte could be made to work if your really concerned about the fumes.

Even older cars didn't have any evap canisters - you always smelled gas, but usually at the rear (since they had non-sealing gas caps) - my neighbor has a 1970 Malibu that is a stock restore and it has no evap canister.