1956 Continental Gas Smell Problem

[Braveheart]

I just bought my second Mark II and I noticed the smell of raw gas. I can't find any leaks.
Any suggestions on where to look that may be common to this vehicle?
Thanks
Chris
Christopher Durkee
C56D2662

[lld]

I would remove the air cleaner and look for leaks in the carburetor area, then check the fuel pump and lines coming into and out of the fuel pump, then check the hose connections at the gas tank.

Larry

[Braveheart]

Larry, thank you I will look again
Chris

[lld]

Chris,

Is the smell there all the time or primarily just when it's running? If its all the time, is the smell stronger when its running? If it only happens when its running or its stronger when its running, its likely a leak at the fuel pump or at the carburetor. Sometimes, those type of smells develop when you fill the tank. In that case, the hoses going to and from the gas tank, as well as the gas tank itself should be looked at carefully. The Mark II has several small sections of rubber hose associated with the gas tank.

You might want to put some clean sheets of cardboard under the car to help locate the general area of the leak.

I know that there are dyes that can be added to make the leak visible with ultra-violet light but that would be overkill at this point.

If the gas smell is very strong you might want to keep the car outside (if it is in a garage) until you locate and fix the leak.

Larry

[Don Henschel]

That fuel tank vent tee setup could also cause a stink as well and one thing that makes my day is the rubber hose for the filler directly above the drivers side muffler!! I remember Barry mentioning a pipe was installed in place of that hose on one Mark he helped restore. He thought that was unusual and questionable but in reality perhaps getting an aluminized exhaust pipe shaped and curved in an exhaust tubing bender makes more sense than that rubber hose cooking above the muffler?? Ah yes and then there is the story of the Methanol or alchohol compatible hoses and carburetor/fuel pump parts. I'm still using NOS carb kits, NOS fuel pumps with no problems and a while back I became curious to look at my filler hose after purchasing an NOS OEM and Reproduction ""fuel compatible LOL" hose from Al Davenport and looking underneath I discovered the previous owner needed a replacement and they scabbed together two different hoses coupled with a short piece of pipe and hose clamps. These buckshee jobber hoses must be alchohol compatible because to this day they haven't leaked a drop. I think I will use the NOS hose because it is a firmer rubber instead of the somewhat limp "fuel compatible" hose. It is like brand new and IMHO looks and feels better quality than the repop. That or a muffler pipe LMAO

[Doc]

If you just got the car and filled the tank, I'd also suggest you look carefully at the tank vent lines on the driver's side--that has been a problem area on our car (and others that I'm familiar with).

[jdsnoddy]

And also check the seal on the sending unit. John

[baron]

I had this problem after I filled the tank. If you don't fill the tank to the very top so the gas does not reach the vent lines,the odor should disappear.

[Don Henschel]

The "usual suspects" have replacement T fitting kits for that problematic vent problem and in reality theirs looks like a large vacuum T fitting supplied with hoses and clamps. Using a good brass T with hose barb fittings could also be used.

[LincolnmkII]

I had this same issue and it was leaking around the gas sending unit with a full tank.

[Mark Norris]

As Don mentioned the fuel tank vent tee below the drivers side rear fender is a common failure point for petrol leaks. New ones in nylon are available but a correct sized brass one is probably a better option. This tee connects the front and rear vents on the gas tank and then routes them up a common 5/8" pipe to the gas cap plate via the fender doubler/stiffener cavity and the trunk itself. There is a 90 degree rubber elbow just as the common vent line passes through the fender sheet metal and when this fails (mine did) petrol gathers in the bottom of the fender cavity which is completely open to the trunk at the top. That puts a real stink in the car. The short term fix is just to keep the gas tank less than 2/3 full so the sloshing petrol does not get up into the vent system. Fixing it properly only takes about an hour on your back while wondering what idiot designed such pipework.

Check out a prior posting of mine on where to get a replacement and how to replace it;

https://www.markiiforum.com/showthread.php?9204-Bored-in-lockdown/page2&highlight=bored

[Rob Walker]

My recent experience was that the fuel pump was leaking between the lower housings, removed the sediment bowl and tightened up the single allen key bolt in the center of the housing,re installed the sediment bowl and leak was gone.