My wife needs a nose job!

[spineguru]

And I don't mean the cosmetic kind. She needs to have her nose removed. She says the TR3 still stinks of "gas". If some of you may remember I had a fuel leak a while back and (I think) I got that fixed up. It was leaking around the fittings at the fuel pump. I have gone over every inch of fuel line and everything is dry. I checked out the tank and it is in fabulous shape. No rust. No sign of fuel. I thought maybe the fuel was leaking when I pumped it and maybe getting in the trunk or the back seat area and I just don't think so. I have stuck my nose in just about every corner of this car and I cannot find any other leak.

On the other hand, I actaully agree with my wife, the car stinks. We just got back from a week vacation and the garage smells. Not real strong, and not necessarily fuel, but there is a definite odor. The car does leak quite a bit of oil, so I thought that the oil on the hot engine may cause a smell, but I think this should go away after the car cools. Like I said, we had been gone a week, so the car had been sitting all that time.

Any ideas where to check? I have told her that old British cars will have a bit of an odor, but I am feeling like I am missing something.

Any help or prior experience with a stinky TR would be helpful.

 

[Guest]

I just changed the compression fitting going into my fuel pump where the gas would "weep" constantly, just enough for you to see a slight wetness in the area. Technically this is a leak.
I sqeezed off the rubber fuel line with a pair of rubber-lined needled-nosed locking pliers, unscrewed the line and put on a new brass compression sleeve. The secret to these is just the right amount of torque, too little - it leaks, too much - it leaks. Also, the hardware store variety are not the correct ones. There is a special compression sleeve for this steel line. Just enough leak to hardly be visible and yet stink up an enclose garage, grandma!


Check yours out.




I also installed a Nutone vent fan in my garage wall that is set to cycle for 10 minutes every hour, with a good quality timer. Greatly reduced the smells in my one-car enclosed garage and greatly reduced the amount of complaining from my wife and her nose. She can smell perfume on me that isn't supposed to be there.....
Bill

 

[gsalt57tr3]

Have you tried letting her drive? Joys of driving can lend a little forgiveness of a stinky car. My wife smells everything but letting her drive from time to time has eased the complaining.

The fan sounds like a good idea too.

 

[Guest]

Unfortunately, she is afraid of the car.


Bill

 

[DougF]

TR3's do have a tendency to smell of gasoline, especially after pumping. As I fill mine up, when the pump shuts off, I don't add another drop. I always felt that the gas jostling around in the tank would leak past the hose connections between the tank and the cap. Make sure that hose is in good shape, and the clamps are tight.
The cap itself could be suspect. Make sure you are making a good seal there.

 

[vettedog72]

The smell of old cars is not unique to Triumphs. If you are leaking a little trans mission 80-90w it really stinks. The smell is amplified when it gets on the exhaust pipe. The upholstery can have a significant contribution to the smelly car as well. I am recalling a fellow BCF member stating a comment his wife made about their daughter after a ride with daddy in the Triumph: "Ough, you smell like Triumph!" If it is not leaking gasoline and the smell is coming from old oil and road scum, you might try washing the engine compartment with Tide (I like spring fragrance). The underside needs to be cleaned too.

Even when clean, I think the TR6 stinks because of the exhaust gas getting back in the passenger compartment.

TR6 Bill has the only real, and lasting solution.

 

[Don Elliott]

My wife also has a sharp nose for gas/oil smells from my TR3A. The last time, I knew something was leaking because I could smell it too. The fuel gauge went down to below zero as we drove the last 60 miles home. That's about 10 miles per gallon. I just made it home and there was nothing dripping. The cap for the float bowl on carb #2 was loose and the gas had been spilling out all over the inner fender. Luckily, none hit the exhaust manifold.

Don Elliott, Original Owner, 1958 TR3A

 

[ELTGuy]

Probably be easier to get a new wife than get the gas smell out of a sidescreen TR. ... j/k /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[billspit]

I'll be happy to take that piece of crap off your hands. My wife can't smeel every since she had sinus surgery.

Check around the rubber hose that goes from the gas cap to the tank.

 

[ez_pa_6]

I guess I'm lucky...my wife loves the smell of 94 octane and 20 weight oil!

Ed

 

[MadRiver]

[ QUOTE ]
"Ough, you smell like Triumph!"

[/ QUOTE ]

My girlfriend can always tell when I've driven the 250 to work just by smell alone. She smiles and says "you smell like Greenie!" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[spineguru]

Thought I would bring this one to a close (I hope). After much exploration, it turns out the leak was coming from around the fuel level sending unit. I found this out at the gas pump. I was "lucky" enough to see gas on the ground immediately after I had pumped. I was very careful not to overfill, so I knew there was a leak. I quickly got behind the back seat to find that gas had come out the top around the sending unit. There was also evidence that gas had been spilling out of there already (the paint was eaten away on the tank). The gas was then of course getting on the carpet padding in the back seat. I knew it was a gamble since gaskets can be sensitive to over tightening, but I thought, "what the heck", and snugged the screws holding the sending unit. It turns out it was pretty loose.

After tightening and cleaning up the gas in the back area (it wasn't alot, but a little gas goes a long way from an oder standpoint), I drove around with the back seat out and monitored it to see if any gas spilled out. There was no evidence of a leak. So, I a hoping this is the end of this issue adn I can move on to the next one.

My guess is that the gas was sloshing around and leaking out the top and getting on the interior. And, even though I was careful on the fill, as it approached full the sloshing must have been enough to spill out. I thought I would be able to smell it directly, but since the carpet has that "rubber" backing on it, the gas did not soak into the carpet. It only soaked into the pad. So the smell was a little concealed.

Of course, my wife still thinks it stinks. I told, "tough poopy", which is probably what I should have said in the first place! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks to everyone for there suggestions and for letting me know I am not the only one out there with a wife with the sence of smell of a dog.