Home-Fuel Odor: Sending Unit/Hose Problem

Fuel Odor: Sending Unit/Hose Problem

So, I had a fuel sending unit rupture last year while on a mountain drive, causing me to dump fuel all over and stranding me for a couple of hours. I got that *supposedly* fixed, but I've noticed a faint smell of gasoline from time to time. Well, it's getting stronger recently.

I pulled up the seat and smelled the two lids, finding that there was no gas smell coming from the driver side panel, but a very strong odor coming from the passenger side panel. So, I pull up that panel and... what do you know -- gasoline on top of the sending unit.

I cannot tell where it's coming from, but I have a couple of questions.

1) There is only one hose attached to the top of that sending unit (the passenger side). Is this correct? There appears to be another stem/nipple, but there's definitely not a hose attached to it.

2) That hose that is attached has little-to-no slack in it, so if the end is disintegrated, how can I replace this? The other end of it is up under the metal under the seat and doesn't appear to be accessible from inside the car.

Any other help would be appreciated -- I want to get this fixed ASAP, as I'm getting sick and tired of the gas smell.

So, I had a fuel sending unit rupture last year while on a mountain drive, causing me to dump fuel all over and stranding me for a couple of hours. I got that *supposedly* fixed, but I've noticed a faint smell of gasoline from time to time. Well, it's getting stronger recently.
Are you sure it was the sending unit? This sounds like the fuel line connecting the two sending units burst, not the sending unit itself.


1) There is only one hose attached to the top of that sending unit (the passenger side). Is this correct? There appears to be another stem/nipple, but there's definitely not a hose attached to it.
Don't know about this.


2) That hose that is attached has little-to-no slack in it, so if the end is disintegrated, how can I replace this? The other end of it is up under the metal under the seat and doesn't appear to be accessible from inside the car.
I think the sending unit twists out - this should give you access to the rest of (the bottom portion of) the sending unit.


I had a similar problem a few months ago. The explanation for the leak was that fuel additives in the gasoline cause deterioration from the underside of the sending unit which eventually allow fuel to seep into the upper recess that the lid covers. Usually most noticeable after just filling the tank. The fix is to replace the sending unit.

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