Gas odor
 

Some of you may have noticed that there is a gas odor coming from the outside of your vehicle and on occasion on the inside of the vehicle. Its most likely a problem thats not easilly diagnosed that i discovered 4 years ago that applies to 97-04 A6's with all available engines. Most technicians replace the large O-ring for the fuel pump or fuel sender which is located under the rear seat. 90% of time thats not the cause of the leak and or smell.
About 4 years ago i had problems diagnosing a gas odor from both the inside and outside of the vehicle on a 3.0L A6. I found a few drops of gas on the floor after it sat over night but i could not see where the leak was coming from. In order to find the leak i had to remove the entire rear end and drop the gas tank out. What i discovered was 4 EVAP lines attached to the top of the tank, two of which has broken off. The reason the lines broke off the nipples on the tank was because a small steel insert had backed out the fitting causing it to bend with the movement of the car, eventually breaking off the nipple and causing a leak after topping off the gas tank. It will still leak if you are driving with a half full tank causing the gas odor. Replacement of the gas tank is the only cure for this condition which is a very expensive repair. I have since replaced 50 gas tanks for the same condition and i have heard from my friend at the dealer that there may be a recall out for this condition now. I sent several pictures to audi over the years trying to get it covered for you guys, but i had no luck while i was still working at the dealership. I would check with your local dealership and ask if there is a related recall for repairing this issue, or at the very least buying an extended warranty that will cover this repair.

If you have any questions about the issue you can PM me.

Edit: oc audica supplied this recall statement from volkswagen: http://nhthqnwws112.odi.nhtsa.dot.go...8V157-4839.pdf
but the recall appears to only cover 01-04 which i believe should take care of it since audi has probably done more research on the issue. I can't remember the year models i worked on but i do know i have replaced tanks on 2.8L,2.7T, 3.0L and 4.2L's. The 4.2L A6 doesn't appear to be in the recall as of right now, so hopefully that will change. Better yet i could be wrong about the 4.2L altogether and you 4.2L owners won't have a problem.

there was a recall on a valve nipple, iirc, that required dropping the tank to fix ~ it applies to all 01-04 A6 iirc.

i have the same problem right now, sadly my 99 doesn't qualify under the recall and I don't have the funds to diagnose it (thinking it costs at least $500++ ??)

I'm dealing with this now too. First, the dealership said that it was a valve cover gasket leaking oil. Next, it was coolant flange leaking coolant, oh, and might as well throw in a timing belt (+ kit), water pump, thermostat, and who knows what else while we're at it. Spent my Christmas budget on various 'fixes' (okay, some was just standard maintenance, but not as important as me making it to work without passing out!) all to no avail and now I'm back at square one. I guess I didn't do a good enough job describing the problem - my own fault really.

Just came in from the garage after removing the rear bench. I thought I would try to check the o-rings for a leak myself before doing anything else. I'd obviously be interested in a recall so please keep us posted. Thanks.

Can you give any more specifics on detection? Because my gas odor is only when in conjunction with the exhaust, otherwise i don't smell anything out of the ordinary.

i half pass out from the fumes on the highway.. sucks

it barely started around 180k

awesome - I'm at 188k now with no smell (keeping fingers crossed)

There is some recall bay Audi Canada (I received the letter, but never had the time) in relation with fuel tank nipple or something. (I have to find the letter).
As far as I remember the specified time to fix it is ~1h.
Could that be the same as described issue?

Memohm, you should post a copy of that recall here so i can see what audi has for a fix to see if it coincides with my repair. It may very well be the same repair. What im thinking audi is gonna have the techs do is loosen the straps that hold the gas tank in place and let it hang on the rear axle, then opening up the service ports under the rear seat and trying to access the two front nipples from the service holes. However you wouldn't be able to reach the rear evap nipples that way.

Hey Im having this same problem with my '98 A4 (67xxx mi) and i was wondering if the A4 also had problems with EVAP lines? Thanks.

Nope, you're looking at the gas cap or the filler neck assembly most likely.

Do you mind specifying what you mean by the gas cap (closes correctly as far as i can tell) and filler neck assembly im a bit of a noob Thanks.

The gas cap has a valve in it, you can only tell if its bad if someone pressure tests it. You can have a fuel smell just about anywhere though, is it inside the car or outside the car? Do you have a leak? PM me so we don't confuse the A6 members.

NHTSA Official release

http://nhthqnwws112.odi.nhtsa.dot.go...8V157-4839.pdf

"Volkswagen is recalling 68,240 Audi A6 vehicles due to faulty gas tanks. Specifically the recall affects 2001-'04 Quattro models with the 2.7-, 2.8- or 3.0-liter engines and 2001-'05 Allroad Quattro cars with the 2.7- or 4.2-liter engines." ~ Edmunds

^^^Why did you quote me, i was giving him info or an A4.

I quoted the wrong post... obv

Ah, well that appears to be the same thing as im talking about so thats good to know. I'll change my original post.

"The aging of the plastic material in the fuel tank rollover valve"

This seems to be the Canadian recall as well...

Auditech79, do you have concerns in regards of the efficiency of the proposed fix?

I can't say how well the fix will hold up, but i did see guys doing hack repairs that seemed to do the trick. I was never a hacker at the dealer so i did everything by the book. I would say if the person doing the recall doesn't repair it good enough or if it fails in the next year or so then you have grounds for a dispute. It will never be as good as a new tank though.

Whats the going rate for a new tank installed? ~not at the dealer of course

Hmmm, then the question would be:

in case of no odor complains - should one voluntarily undertake the recall-procedure or wait till some problems appear?
(my personal experience shows that preventive maintenance has to be done very wisely).

For how long are the recalls good for?

The warning from the recall letter is that failure of the rollover valve could cause a fire.
How serious a fire hazard would be?

$1500 to drop old tank for quattro
$900 for new tank
plus small parts

Just got this done...cracked fuel tank is what they told me. Took about 3 weeks because they had to order the new tank. We were able to catch it because the check engine light came on for an evap leak. I only have about 74K miles. I was told by a friend if they don't install the recall on the roll over valve nipple right, it can cause this to happen.

Fire related to something with the gas tank, I would say pretty serious.

I have the 2003, 4.2 quattro and had the same leak. had to replace. cannot believe it won't cover 4.2s.

I would say the fire hazard is nominal, the recall for the headlight rewiring behind the drivers side dash has a higher fire hazard than this leak. Unless you can manage to occomplish a 4 wheel burn out on dry pavement and throw some hot rubber on top of the tank its not gonna catch fire.

If you fill up then let the car sit a day or so, a small puddle could gather... that scared me once...

I get so scared when people throw their cig butts out the window in front of me :eek:

I certainly can't afford fixing this. I wonder how much the dealer charges for their "fix"

I luckily had an extended warranty that was able to cover it.

Well if you want to know a quick bandaid fix then do this. Buy some clear silicone sealant.
Get under the car and loosen one of the bolts on both straps holding the gas tank up, this will make it sit on the rear axle. Then pull up the rear bench seat, and un-bolt the two access panels. Locate the two evap lines and try to seal the leak with the clear silicone. Thats what some techs did at the dealer before the recall came out, i call them hackers, but it should work for you guys for a while.

thank you very much for this... if it doesn't work I'll be trading in early next year :cool:

I have a 96 A6 avant that has a gas smell only when the tank is half full or more. Not sure if the same problem applies. Any ideas on a McGiver fix as I can not afford a new tank. Could it be where the filler neck meets the tank. Sux not being able to fill the tank.

read the thread beefski

I did read the thread oc, these problems & fixes are for newer models than mine. I have pulled the rear seat and did not see anything that looked like an access panel. I do not want to just randomly start taking things apart. Secondly, since you did not start this thread who are you to coment on my question. Since auditech is the starter of this thread if he has a problem with my question it should be up to him to say not you.

Well what year is your car beefski? If its a pre 96 than i don't really have an opinion on gas leaks as i haven't worked on too many of the older models.

I've been having the same issue, with my A6. Took my A6 in for a Diag (Resently Bought my A6 from Non-Audi Dealer) having the same issue of smelling Gas especially when I fill-up I sometimes wonder if will I make where I'm going fumes can make you want to pass out... Anyway Took to Audi they said the same thing about a recall of the Evap-Nipple sh!*.. I stopped smelling the gas for a couple of days, until I filled back up the tank and the scent was stronger than ever!!!! Now I'm back at Audi and ripping hell.. Await for my update... Riverside Audi I'm about to rock ya socks off!!!!

UPDATE!!!!

Okay it turns out the pervious owner had a System in the trunk with a Amps (The Whole Works) and it looks like the owner Drilled a screw to hold up something (Amp maybe) and drilled the screw directly into the fuel tank, They probably had no idea they where drilling into fuel tank.. fuel Tank is located behind the rear seat and in between the speakers... If the gas your smelling is coming from the rear of the Audi its probably you mistakenly drilled a whole in the fuel tank.....

Well thats a mistake from a pimple headed idiot radio installer, i can imagine that the gas odor would be insane with a hole like that in the tank. I have seen that at the dealer once before though, thats the first thing i think when i see an A6 with really big chrome rims that looks absolutely rediculous.

I need to learn to keep my mouth shut...I noticed the gas fumes when I walked out to the car the other day after I had started it to let it warm up but it went away once I started driving down the road.

Why would the recall apply to '01-'04 2.8l but not to the '98-'00 2.8l? What's the difference between the two?

Had the same problem with my 2002 A6 3.0. Gas all over the floor in my garage. Mid Atlantic Sales Manager here in VA recognized it was a problem and replaced my tank free of charge over a year ago. Took a full week to replace, as they have to drop everything in the rear. I recieved the Safety Recall notice (JY-20L8) in June of 2008. Don't know if there is a time limit on it. They will reimburse you if you paid out of pocket for the repairs. Hope this helps.

Just brought home a MINT (inside/out) 95 A6 w/ 114k miles on it.

auditech79, I had a fuel pump (aftermarket) installed at the AUDI place. By mistake he got a little bit of gas under the back seat. I was wondering 1 how long would that smell take to go away and two do you think i just smell it really strongly when i drop the window down? Also why would the whole garage smell like gas? ( he got a tiny bit on the side of the car but it was wiped down when it happened.) I don't think the nipple is the problem but I just wanted to see what you thought. Either pm me or post back if you don't mind. Thank you

If he got gas on the pad under the seat it takes a few weaks for it to go away. What i do is pull up the rear bench seat, open both doors and set up a fan over night and let it air out. It should be good in a couple days if you do that. Pulling up the rear bench seat is a snap, just pull up on it and you will see where the gas stain is on the pad.
When someone changes the pump they have to take out the main O-ring to get at it, so make sure no gas is leaking under the car either.

After letting the car sit I noticed zero gas leaking from the car. Even when staging a launch or reving it, the smell of gas wasn't un-noticable outside the car. Thank you for that great idea to use a fan over night that should make it quiet speedy! Also we replaced the original O-ring with a new one so I don't believe that is a issue but can easily pop the cap off and take a look. I watch my tech do everything so i get educated while watching him :). Thank you for educating me a little more about my car.

Thank you for your help,
Sam