I have a 97 bonneville ~37k miles (sat in gpa's garage for a while). Recently it has had a very strong gas oder when it idles. I've also noticed, that if the air conditioner is on, the gas smell is even stronger. The smell seems to go away when I'm driving, but when ever the car is idling the smell comes back. When I get out of the car, there is a strong gas smell coming from the engine. No apparent leaks.

Every time I start the car I've also noticed that the "check oil" light has been coming on a few seconds after I start it even though the oil was recently changed/filled.

Any suggestions??

Well...turns out there is an obvious leak. When I took off the engine cover, I could see fuel dripping from the fuel line at the bend right before the connection into the fuel rail system. It is the larger of the two lines, from what I can gather I think it is the supply line.

It started as a pin hole leak, but then after I twisted the line to inspect it a little more closely, it became a larger crack. Now it sprays gas everywhere when I start the engine. I'm hesitant to drive it somewhere to get it fixed.

Does any one have any tips for replacing the fuel line? It is a flexable hose, and it looks like it runs from the fuel rail on the top of the engine along the back of the firewall, then down the passenger's side corner of the engine compartment into a solid fuel line. The flex hose is covered in insulation foam, so I can't see the connectors. Is this a "do-it-yourself" fix?

Dorman sells a repair kit for these connections. It's a piece of the plastic fuel line ending in one of the connectors that goes onto your fuel rail. You'll need to cut the old line off and join the new piece with the included connector. It's a bit of a pain because you need to soak the fuel line in very hot water to soften it before pushing in the connector. It is a real PITA getting the connector in far enough. Get the part number off of Dorman's website and then call around for the kit. Most places don't carry it but some should be able to order it for you.

Oh, btw I really don't recommend even starting the car until you get it fixed.

Thanks a lot for the reply. I searched on line, and found some fuel lines for a bonneville, but none of the connectors going into the fuel rail matched the one I have on my car. I wasn't sure if it would be worth it to order one only to find out it wouldn't work.
When I spoke with the Pontiac dealer, they said that you can't just replace the flex line, that you have to replace the line all the way to the fuel filter (under the rear passenger seat) because the flex line is "fused" to the steel line. (Which I think is a ridiculous design, but welcome to the world of car parts.)
From your comments, it sounds like the Dorman replacement part allows you to just replace the flex line, you just have to heat the end up in order to slip it on to the steel line.

Time was of the essence for us, so we ended up having it towed to the Pontiac dealer to get it fixed. (No way I was going to drive it with gas spraying every where!) The fuel line cost $102 and the labor was twice that amount.

If I would have had some time I may have tried to do it myself, but I had to fold this time.

Sucks that you had to be pressed for time. It is possible to save so much money repairing your car if you have the extra time, which is not always the case. Oh well, at least you got the car running. Hope its a while until you need to fix it again.:icon16:

Well here's an idea that worked for me, I had a fuel line problem at the same spot. Previous owner had tried to patch it with some rubber hose and hose clamps, DUMB####. I cut the flex line off at the top of the engine and at the firewall. I replaced it with fueline from NAPA and some screw type hose clamps. Put some blue or red Loctite thread locker on the clamp at the top of the engine. Total cost about 6 bucks, time about 30 minutes.