Reasons Why Your Car Smells Like Gasoline

Your car is a machine, and there are endless possibilities of things that could go wrong. While you can keep your car well-maintained to ensure car problems stay at bay, you can never be sure. Out of all car-related problems, one of the riskiest is a gasoline leak. Under normal circumstances, your car shouldn’t smell like gasoline. However, if you smell a strong gasoline-like stench in your car while you’re on the road, you need to do something about it right away!

If you’re stuck in traffic, it might be coming from the adjacent car. But if it continues long after you’ve passed the other cars on the road, it indicates an underlying problem. There are many reasons why your car might smell like gasoline. Whatever the reason might be, you need to get your vehicle checked immediately. It’s best if you can make it to the nearest workshop. But if you’re somewhere far away from the city, like on the highway, you should consider calling a roadside assistance company to look into the problem.

Let’s first have a look at what the possible reasons for gasoline-like smell might be.

1.     Problems with the Gas Pump

There may be no issue with your car. Sometimes, at the time of fuel refill, the gas pump’s shut-off mechanism may not function correctly and fail to shut off after your tank is full. It results in some fuel to flow out of the tank and to the car’s side that might cause the smell of the fuel to infiltrate inside your car. However, better to be safe than sorry. Get your car checked to be sure.

2.     Damaged Fuel Tank Cap

The purpose of the cap over your fuel tank is to keep the fuel from spilling. It also keeps the vapors of gasoline from escaping. However, the fuel tank cap lasts only for a few years, after which it requires replacing. One of the reasons why your car may smell like gasoline is a faulty, broken, or worn out fuel tank cap. The fumes of the gasoline may make their way inside your car, and that’s what you smell.

3.     Gasoline Leak

Problems with the gas pump auto shut-off mechanism and damaged fuel tank cap are only minor issues that don’t pose any safety threat. However, one of the reasons why your car smells like gasoline is gasoline leakage. And this is one of the most dangerous problems. You may check under the engine to see if the gasoline is leaking, but you may not always be able to detect a leak. It can be higher up in the engine. It poses a serious risk of your engine catching fire! If you suspect a gasoline leak, you need to get your car inspected by a professional right away. If it happens somewhere on the highway, call a roadside assistance company and have them check and fix the issue!

4.     Incorrect Fuel Ratio

The fuel and the air form a mixture in a specific ratio that provides the engine with the power to run. At times, the efficiency of your car engine to mix the two in an ideal ratio gets affected, and as a result, the engine uses up more fuel. As a result, more of the gasoline vapor escapes and causes your car to smell like gasoline. It doesn’t pose any immediate risk, but it needs to be fixed nevertheless.

Summary

​It’s always better to be safe than sorry. It’s possible that there are no issues with your engine, but you just can’t afford to neglect a gasoline-like smell in your car. Getting your car checked by a professional, be it a workshop or a roadside assistance service, is wise.