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Old 12-15-2004, 09:01 AM   #1
SiOrange
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Default Hey guys, need help diagnosing a problem

Last night as I went to leave work, i turned on my heater and I noticed this faint fuel smell coming from the vents. At first i thought it was just the car in front of me so I didn't think anything of it. Later that night I drove to volleyball and my friend was saying, do you smell fuel? I'm like yeahhhhh..shiett...So when i got home, i tried to see if there was a leak anywhere (didn't appear so) and I noticed a strong fuel smell coming from the left side of the car near the intercooler. Have any of you guys had this problem or know what it could be?
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Old 12-15-2004, 09:03 AM   #2
redobs
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It's the infamous "fuel smell from cabin when it gets cold" issue. It's common. AFAIK, it is not been recalled. But, a bunhc of us have filed complaints with the NHTSA (orwhatever it is) so that it gets recalled. I will dig up an older thread in a moment.

But, in the meantime, no need to worry about it.
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Old 12-15-2004, 09:05 AM   #3
SiOrange
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haha, thanks redobs. It might annoy the crap out of my gf to the point where she'll make me get a new car. in the mean time, i'll try not to get too high from breathing in the fuel smell.
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Old 12-15-2004, 09:05 AM   #4
TheMadScientist
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Sounds like the fuel line TSB. The early WRX's had a problem with a fuel line under the intake manifold. It only happens in the very cold weather. If it continues I would take it in to a dealer and ask them about it.

TMS
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Old 12-15-2004, 09:41 AM   #5
fireball_jones
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I notice it right when the heat comes on, for a second.

At least it's not a Corvair, which I've been told used the exhaust pipe to pull heat into the cabin.
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Old 12-15-2004, 10:16 AM   #6
Jduke
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I had this problem last year.... It was not an easy fix... My car sat at the dealer ship for 3 weeks waiting for the parts the needed to fix it. I complained to SOA that I was not able to use my car and was paying for it, and they paied a months payment $450 in my case, and also supplied my with a rental for the full three weeks... So just a heads up that it is a pain unless the dealer has the parts onhand... which they should after the number of peple that had to have this fix last year...
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Old 12-15-2004, 10:43 AM   #7
Snowphun
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I've been researching this a lot lately as my blue WRX smells awful. To summarize:

No recall, just a TSB. The NHTSA investigation is closed, the issue is not considered a safety issue.

This is covered under 3/36k warranty, but not powertrain. Some were able to get SOA to foot the bill, but like the clutch shudder issue, they seem to have stopped doing this.

The fix is to replace one rubber hose and one metal one under the intake manifold with alightly different lengths. Parts are pretty cheap, but it's a fair amount of labor.

Some have luck tightening some of the hose clamps, but most are not accessible without removing the manifold.

I think I'm going to suck it up and fix it. It stinks and isn't going to go away. Dealers want around $400-600 to do the job.

Paul
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Old 12-15-2004, 10:44 AM   #8
Snowphun
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fireball_jones
At least it's not a Corvair, which I've been told used the exhaust pipe to pull heat into the cabin.
All air cooled cars do something like this, there's no water to bring in. The exhaust isn't brought into the cabin, but rather it is used to heat air that is piped in. Same idea, different heat source.
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Old 12-15-2004, 11:14 AM   #9
igor
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I got this fixed free when I complained about it enough. I did have to bring in a copy of the TSB, though, so if your dealer's never heard of it, do a search or something.

Oh, and they had to order the parts from like Zimbabwe or something, so it took forever to do. The fix was like, "Before this pipe was 3" long and this tube was 8" long. Now, the tube is 5", and the pipe is 6"'. Once they had the parts it was pretty fast.
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Old 12-15-2004, 11:53 AM   #10
SiOrange
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ahhh this sucks. My warranty just ran out as i have 40K on my car now. I think if i try to complain enough maybe they'll do it for free at Norwood....they have a pretty good service department over there.
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Old 12-15-2004, 02:29 PM   #11
Jduke
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My dealler did it with no questions asked and I was off warranty, they had heard about it and gotten a heads up from SOA, they took care of the fix and SOA paid a months car payment for me... Cal SOA they will do there best to make you happy...
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Old 12-15-2004, 03:36 PM   #12
TheMadScientist
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Not suprising that they are fixxing this past the powertrain waranty.
I haven't looked in a while but if you check the manual. All emission related equipment is covered to 70k or 100k miles I think. The entire fuel system should be covered by that. Anything having to do with fuel or fuel vapor would be covered.

TMS
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Old 12-15-2004, 04:11 PM   #13
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That seems reasonable, but SOA is not seeing things that way in most cases. If anyone has luck with that in MA, let me know where.
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Old 12-15-2004, 04:24 PM   #14
Leadfoot77
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fuel system = emmission related??
Well I guess if it's "emitting" gaseous vapors
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Old 12-15-2004, 04:30 PM   #15
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Gasoline fumes are a regulated emission from vehicles. The system needs to be sealed. Most states perform a fuel system pressure test as part of the emissions process (I didn;t see the tech do this to my car in MA).
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Old 12-15-2004, 04:38 PM   #16
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Well he said "all emissions related equipment is covered..." which technically would not include fuel system parts since they are not part of the emissions system. So while it qualifies as an emissions issue because gas is leaking, the problem does not lie in the emissions related equipment and therefore would not be covered by the warranty.

I'm not saying I don't think it should be covered because goddam... the car is LEAKING GAS ... but considering how shady dealerships can be on warranty issues I'd think that they could cover themselves with that argument.... assuming that is how it's worded.
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Old 12-15-2004, 04:57 PM   #17
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OK I went out and checked
I am wrong. And right at the same time.
3/36 coveres the entire fuel system
The one I was thinking of is the 8/80, but it only covers the Cats, and ECM.

TMS
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Old 12-15-2004, 04:59 PM   #18
Georgethefierce
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volleyball is for pussies!

I say check your blinker fluid....
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Old 12-15-2004, 05:02 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Georgethefierce
volleyball is for pussies!

I say check your blinker fluid....
Mine was low can I get JDM blinker fluid?

TMS
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Old 12-15-2004, 05:48 PM   #20
SiOrange
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Georgethefierce
volleyball is for pussies!

..
Haha. righttttt. thats a little OT don't you think?
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