gas smell inside my car???

[dmorlow]

Ok, I have a 95 olds aurora. I know about the fuel rail recall. I scheduled an appointment to get my recall done at a local chevy dealer. I brought my car in today and then they said that they thought the car had a 3.8 liter engine in it and they didn't have the right tools or parts to work on a 4.0 liter. My car has been smelling like gas a little lately. But today, by the time I got to the dealer, I think I was high from the fumes of the gas. But I look inside my engine compartment and there is no gas that is visible. I've seen other posts that people claim to see puddles of gas inside their engine compartment when theirs starts to leak. Well, after I was probably too high to drive legally and the possibility of my car catching on fire, I decided to call a toe truck to toe my car home. But I am wondering that if it is leaking that bad to be almost giving me a buzz inside my car, shouldn't I see the leak? The dealer put it up on the hoist and said there was no visible leak so he said it had to be inside the engine. I need to get another appointment to get the recall done and I'll probably have it toed their also but I am wondering if anyone knows if I should expect to pay to have the fuel leak fixed because it doesn't sound related. Or maybe somebody had the same problem and theirs was an easy fix. The dealer I took it to said there was special tools to get the engine apart that they didn't have. So I probably can't fix it even if I wanted to. But any suggestions would be appreciated! So when it comes down to it, I am asking does everyone think this problem would be related to the recall or a completely different issue given my description.

[Sweet William]

My leak was very small and under the cover on the top of the motor. The puddle would form on top of the intake and evaporate before it got large enough be vissable with the cover on.
Remove the nuts holding the cover on and take a look with the key turned on. If the rail is leaking you should be able to see it.
Sounds like you need to find a different dealer to do the job. There are GM dealers doing tons of these a week on Caddys and Auroras. Why have your car worked on by someone that has never seen a Northstar before?

[dred98]

I'm suprised they scheduled an appointment for you - the recall doesn't apply to any chevs or any 3.8 engines. Sweet William is right - look for an Oldsmobile dealer or a Cadillac dealer, someone who knows what they're doing and will recognise a Northstar when they see one.

[dsatt12]

I had no warning on my 95- it just started smelling like gas exactly as you described.

This was maybe 2-3 weeks ago. I actually had mine done at a Chevy dealer just since it was close to my place with no trouble. They didn't say anything about special tools needed.

I never checked for a puddle- it was very very strong, so I just called AAA and had them take it to the dealer. They looked up the recall with my VIN and fixed her all up.

[dmorlow]

Does anyone know how dangerous it is to drive the car with it leaking gas from this recall issue? My car's had a ton of problems lately. My air conditioning compressor's pulley froze up. I had my car towed home. Then I had it towed to a shop to fix that. Then I had my car towed back home from the dealer when they told me not to drive it. Now I have to have it towed to the dealer to get this fixed. I have a feeling my insurance is going to skyrocket from all of this towing.

[Sweet William]

If you don't need the air right now you can put a shorter (Gates 6k739) on to skip the ac compressor. Or is that fixed and they told you not to drive because of the a fuel leak? And if that is the case why the back and forth?

[dmorlow]

No, I first had the air go out. I had to have the car towed to get that fixed because the belt broke because of the frozen pulley. After they fixed it, my car drove fine for a few days. Before this, there was no signs of a gas leak. It then started to smell like gas a few days later after getting the air fixed. (I am sure it has nothing to do with the air.) I kept on driving it anyway though thinking it was my imagination. I was thinking I was smelling the leather. But I brought it to the dealer for the recall and they said it was definitely gas and they said not to drive it.

[Smo0ve]

Ok, now I am getting nervous. When I first heard about the recall, I sent a message to GM to find out if the 95' Aurora was affected. Here is what they told me:

Thank you for contacting the Oldsmobile Customer Assistance Center. We appreciate you taking the time to write us to see if your 1995 Oldsmobile Aurora is included in the fuel rail recall. We have created a service request for you. Please refer to service request number 1-24120481 on any future correspondence regarding this concern.

We have processed the information on your 1995 Oldsmobile Aurora and did not find any open recalls. Recalls are vehicle identification number specific so not all vehicles of a model year are affected. The recall you are inquiring about involves 1996 and 1997 Auroras. If your vehicle becomes involved in the recall you will be notified by mail.

If you are experiencing a concern with your vehicle, please visit a dealer. If you were not already working with a dealership another option you may choose to pursue would be to contact your dealership of choice for assistance. If you would like to search for dealers, please visit our Web site and select the "Dealer Locator" option on the tool bar or by simply clicking on the following URL:

Are they BSing me? I could have sworn that I smelled gas while I was driving this morning on the expressway, but a minute later and the smell was gone. When I got home, I popped the hood and I didn't see or smell anything. Should I just take it to the dealer?

[dred98]

That information is old - there's definitely a recall on the 95's - it was in the GM computer later than the other models affected because the parts are different.
Check your local dealer and they should make the repairs.