Hello all,
I have been noticing a fuel smell in the cabin while driving and in the garage after driving, which seems to disappear after 1 or 2 days (without moving the car). I have replaced the purge valve as I was able to find one online. It did not fix the issue. My current research has been getting me to a potentially broken/malfunctioning charcoal canister. It looks like mine is still the original one (Rochester) with one port for the carb and one for the tank. Has anyone ever rebuild one? Are there any compatible ones out there? It doesn't look like the original one is available anymore. I found a Duralast Vapor Canister VC120 on Autozone that looks pretty much exactly like mine, but the website says it won't fit an 86 Caprice. The number of ports and measurements are the same. Maybe the original clamps won't fit? I could possibly affix it without the clamps?
Could anything else be causing the fuel smell? The fuel smell inside the cabin while driving for a little while is very annoying.
FYI: the carb has been tuned properly. float level is set correctly, too. The problem started a few months ago.

I appreciate any feedback.

 

1. Look for fuel leaks. This commonly causes fuel smell and is dangerous.

2. Use the search function to find what you need in the forums.

3. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...ebuilt-my.html

 

no fuel leaks. Smell is coming from the engine bay.
i did read through other threads in this forum, too. Nothing was related to my case.
my canister is a closed bottom canister. I found the one at Autozone but just wanted to check if that one would work as the autozone website says it won’t. If it has 2 ports and is closed bottom it should work, shouldn’t it?

 

Follow your nose...get close to fuel lines / sources..my guess is you got a fuel line leak or a leak at the carb.

 

if it was a broken fuel line or a fuel leak of any kind, wouldn’t the smell be there permanently? That is not the case. Is anyone knowledgeable about canisters and their interchangeability?

 

86_Caprice,

I drove an 85 Caprice from 1989 to 2009. Whenever there was a fuel smell, it was a leak somewhere like gas pump, filter, and maybe gasket at base of carb?

I never had to do anything with the canister.

Interested to know what you find out.

 

not always. I had one that would come and go.

Could be an old rubber fuel line rotting and on occasion letting a drip or two come out that evaporates and leaves a smell that lasted a while.......I had that on more than one occasion. Or if its got the old Quadra, it could be leaking cause the filter gasket is missing.