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Gas smell when truck is cold

C

canadianwheeler

NAXJA Forum User
Location
canada
My 92 xj has a very strong gas smell from what I think is coming from under the hood when first started up. The smell goes away in about 10 mins of driving. I did a little searching and it appears that xj's have a common problem with there injector o-rings wearing out but I have look and mine seem ok. I have been smelling this gas for a few days now and I dont know if this has anything to do with it but it has been very cold (snowing) were I live for the past week.
 
when in doubt about the condition of your injector o-rings, STOP DRIVING IT and have someone check for leaks under the hood. the injectors are ONLY right over the exhaust manifold.......


and then, get a fire extinguisher and mount it in the jeep anyway.
cannot be too safe.
 
My 96 ZJ did this ... It was one injector not the o-rings. Replaced that one then another failed. Ended up replacing all of them problem solved..

Good luck

Nick
 
I have this smell come up recently too. The injectors spin a little bit, I dont know how tight they're supposed to seat in there. I'm going to get new o rings from advance auto or something
 
your injectors will spin they are not torqued down inside the manifold or the fuel rail. what XCM has already told you about injectors is the absolute GOSPEL, do you want to see your rig go up in flames? go ahead and get cheap or lazy with this problem...

back to the matter. try not to spin your injectors, you are only putting stress on the already questionable O-rings that seal up the fuel. All you have to do to check for leaks is turn on the ignition to cycle the fuel pump (no starty engine, OK?) lift the hood and look for the wet spots, that will be your leaky injector. Keep in mind that you really should consider all new O-rings, and lube them prior to reinstalling them. A warm work environment would also be nice. and keep in mind what hanaxj87 said, even after you've replaced the new O-rings, you may still have a leak, that would be a faulty injector, they are not the greatest design with their plastic and metal crimped body. It's a simple job, new injectors can be had from ebay for a song, and you can be rolling along safely in short order.
 
Sounds like your injectors!! Replace them before your Jeep goos up in flames!!
 
i had the strong smell of gas when cold out with my 89 until i replaced the injectors(new injectors and new o-rings), fpr, and new fuel line quick disconnects. dont know for sure which were leaking as all the work was done at the same time, im assuming it was the injector o rings.
 
I found the problem. It was the rubber o-ring on the fuel pressure regulator. I noticed a little wet spot around it. Took it out and cleaned off the ring and inside the fuel rail. Re tightened the bolt and fired it back up. No more leaking.
 
I have been having this problem with the freezing weather also.

Its leaking on the input size of the rail. I replaced the quick disconnect o-rings at this point earlier this year.

Could the freezing weather ruin o-rings that fast? Is there anything to do about this problem so i dont have to replace o-rings every year? The stupid quick disconnect kits are expensive...

The o-rings seal fine when the Jeep is warmed up a little bit, but when it has been sitting out in the cold at work, thats when i get the gas smell, and the leak.

Suggestions? Comments?
 
Aren't those disconnect rings the same as the injector o-rings? I don know Jeep spec'd a much harder material in theirs, but (!) when I installed the Ford Mustang injectors, I just used Ford rings. It's been about 4 years now, no problems.

Ford rings are slightly less expensive and a lot more available.

Side note for leaking - the injector body is usually the culprit when you note gas leaking from it. The manifold is under vacuum at idle, but the gas pressure is still 30 psi +.

If you smell gas, it's not the oring, it's the injector, and they aren't rebuildable. TIme to mod up to a better performer -early '90's orange Ford injectors.
 
Muad'Dib said:
I have been having this problem with the freezing weather also.

Its leaking on the input size of the rail. I replaced the quick disconnect o-rings at this point earlier this year.

Could the freezing weather ruin o-rings that fast? Is there anything to do about this problem so i dont have to replace o-rings every year? The stupid quick disconnect kits are expensive...

The o-rings seal fine when the Jeep is warmed up a little bit, but when it has been sitting out in the cold at work, thats when i get the gas smell, and the leak.

Suggestions? Comments?
Click to expand...

seal/0_ring must be shrinking because of the cold, maybe wrapping the connection with some type of insulation would stop the shrinking. dont know, i havent had that problem on my 89 and its been rather cold the last few days in PA
 
Muad'Dib said:
Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...

those Q/D fittings are prone to failure on a good day, especially if you don't use the plastic inserting tool that comes with a new "kit" from OEM. there are usually two O-rings in that union, but YMMV. I base my experience on several Renix era rigs and FSMs for the same. I have seen those Q/D unions completely removed and used rubber fuel line and dual hose clamps, but the success there was marginal at best.
 
Id really like to find a solution to this.

I bought another kit from the dealer and installed it that night. The next day everything was fine as it was before, and then the Jeep sat in the cold outside work. Once i left for the day, the gas smell was back. I checked it out, and the leak was from the same place.

Around that time the weather was about 3 to 25 degrees out during the day (i dont remember how cold it was on that exact day). Now its been a little warmer, and it hasnt been a problem.

It makes me wonder if maybe one side or the other of the fitting is messed up causing this, but it seems odd that it only presents itself when its that cold outside.

I would consider some type of insulation for this area... but it makes me weary. First on what to even use. Second, what if the insulation fails or doenst work. The gas is more likely to collect (say if some type of wrap was used) inside whatever insulates it... and thats just plain scary..

Does anyone else have some sugestions or any type of advise and or experience with this?

Thanks very much for your time.
 
Muad'Dib said:
Id really like to find a solution to this.

I bought another kit from the dealer and installed it that night. The next day everything was fine as it was before, and then the Jeep sat in the cold outside work. Once i left for the day, the gas smell was back. I checked it out, and the leak was from the same place.

Around that time the weather was about 3 to 25 degrees out during the day (i dont remember how cold it was on that exact day). Now its been a little warmer, and it hasnt been a problem.

It makes me wonder if maybe one side or the other of the fitting is messed up causing this, but it seems odd that it only presents itself when its that cold outside.

I would consider some type of insulation for this area... but it makes me weary. First on what to even use. Second, what if the insulation fails or doenst work. The gas is more likely to collect (say if some type of wrap was used) inside whatever insulates it... and thats just plain scary..

Does anyone else have some sugestions or any type of advise and or experience with this?

Thanks very much for your time.
Click to expand...

where is it leaking again? between the fuel rail and the fuel pressure regulator? did you replace just the o-rings or replace the whole quick disconnect?

i would try smearing rtv or some typ of sealant that is resistent to gas around the connection. may look ugly, but it might stop the leak. i know it doesnt sound like a great repair, but it seems like you have change the o-ring and/or connection, the only other option would be to replace the fuel rail as it could be bent or scored allowing the leak.
 
I've been getting this gas smell intermittently on my XJ for the past couple weeks (rarely drive the thing). Got really bad when I went up to the mountains where the temps were much lower. Only really get it on startup.

I read the JP article about fireproofing your 4.0L and I think its time for new injectors.
 
TiRod said:
If you smell gas, it's not the oring, it's the injector, and they aren't rebuildable. TIme to mod up to a better performer -early '90's orange Ford injectors.
Click to expand...

It could still be the upper o-ring going into the fuel rail.
 
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