...and no, its not while I'm driving through a Taco Bell Drive Thru

My MINI was in for repairs a couple of weeks ago (clutch/flywheel) and since then the air coming out of the a/c vents has had a gasoline-like smell to it. Relatively strong at first, but then seems to taper off after a few miles of driving (or maybe I just get used to it).

Does anyone know what might be causing this?

 

Try a Bic lighter, see what happens. :smile:


Just kidding, bad joke.

No idea, good luck!

 

Sounds like a fuel leak. Check the engine and ground when cold and running to see if there is any fuel leaking or dripping. Once the engine gets hot, it will vaporize and be harder to spot. The smell will decrease when the airflow increases and blows the fumes elsewhere. Good luck.

 

YIKES! If it is a fuel leak, is my MINI still safe to drive? That would be a bad day, blowing up and what not.

I park 'Winston' in the same spot every day at home and havent noticed any type of residue on the ground.

Is there anything that the dealership might've fiddled with that could've caused such a problem?

 

When they worked on the car they probably unhooked a fuel line fitting and damaged the mating surfaces or else they damaged a fuel line. Make an apointment and get it there fast. If you don't see leaking it is probably not enough to burn while you are in it, but inside a garage may be a bad thing with fume build-up = explosion.

 

You are unlikely to have an explosion while driving. The more likely bad outcome would be to have a fire under the hood. The last time I had a fuel leak similar to one you may have, I drove my car (a non MINI) to the garage for repair. Of course, I didn’t love that car as much as you probably love your MINI. I agree with SRTech that you might be able to either locate the leak or at least confirm its presence on a “cold” idling engine. Unfortunately much of the fuel rail is covered up by the intercooler.

 

Ok, a fire under the hood isnt so sexy either, lol.

I would hope that this is covered under my warranty.

I'm about 4k away from 25k on the odometer...I'm wondering how close I need to be to be within the parameters for the 25k scheduled free maintanance. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.

 

Personally, I would have it checked out as soon as possible if I couldn't do it myself. I carry a fire extinguisher and have snuffed a couple of fires for other people I have come across. It's not pretty.

Steve

 

FYI it is not that hard to take the intercooler off.. just unscrew the bolts and peel the intercooler boots off..be sure to put them back on properly.. the fuel rail is right there.. Goodluck, and try to avoid driving it long distances and in stop n go traffic.

 

Might be hard to run with the intercooler off and it might only leak once the fuel pressure is up if it's a small leak.:smile:

Steve