Gasoline fumes in trunk

[Topless]

When I open the trunk, I smell gasoline fumes strongly. I realized the other day that the fuel tank and lines are right in there to the left. Everything looks ok I think (but if it didn't, I'm not sure I'd notice). Is this a common issue? Is there a checklist I should go through to find out why gasoline fumes are building up in the trunk?

[aj81spider]

I'd check all the hoses. If you don't know when they were last replaced I'd replace them all. If one has cracked they're probably all at end of life. There's a bunch of them routed to the fuel separator in the trunk, so replace them one at a time (or take lots of pictures so you can recreate the routing).

Don't forget to check the fuel filler hose. That one can be a PITA to change, and seems least likely to be the source of your problem, so if it feels OK I'd be tempted to leave it alone.

I'd also do a check of the tank just to make sure you don't have a rust hole - that's also a less likely possibility, but it's easy enough to look closely and tap it a little bit.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Topless, in addition to what A.J. suggested above, here's one additional thing to try: Slightly loosen the gas filler cap for a day or two and see if you still have the same problem. Don't take the cap off, but just loosen so it's not tightly sealed. The idea is that, if there is pressure building up in the tank which is forcing out the gas vapors that you smell, loosening the filler cap will release any pressure inside the gas tank.

If you try this, let us know what happens.

-Bryan

[txspider]

Also make sure you have a good seal/gasket between the sending unit and the tank.

[Topless]

Thank you all for these suggestions.
I don't have the car in front of me and wonder if they are rubber hoses or metal?
Also, I figured out vise grips can close off 5/16" fuel lines to the carburetor, but connecting new ones to a full gas tank sounds like a deluge waiting to happen... any tips from experienced Spiderers for the cleanest possible job?

[scrapironchef]

The hoses are mostly cloth coated rubber and are simple enough to replace in the trunk area. There are a couple of pieces under the car just behind the driver's side door that are a PITA to replace but should be done at the same time. The fuel feed is actually out of the top of the tank so if you blow air back through the lines from the fuel pump/filter under the hood you can avoid all but a few drips of fuel during the job. Blow out the lines and then disconnect the hose at the sender and you can proceed from there, reconnect the line at the sender last. Take a bunch of pictures and do one piece at a time to preserve your sanity.