Ford C-MAX (2003 - 2010) - Petrol-y smell in the car

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Sun 29 Mar 2009 20:06
Petrol-y smell in the car - myjess
After my post earlier this month about 24 mpg around town, I want to ask you about a petrol smell in my car. May / m ay not be related.

There is some sort of petrol or chemical smell in the c-max, the wife says it smells lie petrol. When I push the button for air re-circ, the smell disappears. Someone told me to change the pollen filter, but does it still not blow through the pollen filter when in re-circ mode?

Is the fuel pump accessible from under the rear seats and if so, if the lid of the fuel pump was not screwed down tight, I suppose it would cause a smell, but why would the smell disappear in re-circ mode.
Smell comes back when I switch off recirc mode.

It's not an exhaust gas smell.

Mechanic had it up on the lift and we looked about underneath, with the car not running, but just stopped before it went up on the lift, and there were no leaks apparent.
Wife is worried about her and baby breathing in fumes.

Only had it a month, and might have to get rid of it again!

I would take it back to garage I bought it from, but that's two hours drive away.

Has anyone got any ideas of what this smell could be, and where it is from?

Thanks.

Edited by myjess on 29/03/2009 at 20:10

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Sun 29 Mar 2009 20:17
Petrol-y smell in the car - cuthbert
Do you notice the smell when you are outside the car or just inside the car ??
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Sun 29 Mar 2009 20:25
Petrol-y smell in the car - Alby Back
My Signum whiffs a bit of petrol until the engine is warm. I just put it down to whatever is the modern equivalent of running with the choke on. The very fact that it disappears after a while would lead me to think this might be the case.

Alternatively, loan it to a smoker for a week. If it's not a problem he or she will bring it back and if it is a problem you'll get the insurance for what remains of the car.......

;-)
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Sun 29 Mar 2009 20:51
Petrol-y smell in the car - myjess
funny enough, we only notice the smell inside the car. I do know that as soon as a door is opened and if I am downwind, it can be smelled outside then.

Edited by myjess on 29/03/2009 at 20:54

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Sun 29 Mar 2009 21:51
Petrol-y smell in the car - Dry bearings
I had this problem once,not on a Ford though.
The petrol filler cap wasn't properly seated,the symptoms were as you described exactly
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Sun 29 Mar 2009 21:53
Petrol-y smell in the car - cuthbert
My initial thought was a leak from the petrol tank but maybe some of the more technically minded members may have an idea
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Sun 29 Mar 2009 22:27
Petrol-y smell in the car - bell boy
ok half fill the thing with petrol and get mechanic to put car on ramp and lift first the front end then the back end up to stimulate a hill scenario,this may well bring up a leak situation on the fuel tank like i had yesterday on a corsa (dont tell kerattle though)
of course as said it could be something silly like a fuel cap with a bad seal or even a faulty charcoal filter on the return side
ask mech to give it a closer look as fumes are dangerous as you appreciate
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Tue 31 Mar 2009 22:20
Petrol-y smell in the car - myjess
Theres an emissions thingy under the engine, not the cat, saw it in the workshop manual. Is that the same as the charcoal filter?
Thanks.
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Tue 31 Mar 2009 22:52
Petrol-y smell in the car - bell boy
they are normally behind a wing liner
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Tue 31 Mar 2009 23:45
Petrol-y smell in the car - Altea Ego
>but does it still not blow through the pollen filter when in re-circ mode?

No

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Wed 18 Dec 2019 20:25
Petrol-y smell in the car - Britcarfan

This problem also applies to the B max and seems to be a common problem. Strong petrol fumes in the cab after refueling. My guess at this point is that the abomination known as the capless fuel filler is not sealing properly and the eddy currents behind the car might be pulling it in through the tailgate seal or rear windows, though also happens after the car has been stood. As a design concept Ford are making one hell of an assumption that this thing is actually sealing. I can't believe that Ford went into production with these faults unresolved - surely they would have shown up in pre-production field / environmental testing?

Don't forget - petrol can contain up to 5% benzene.

I already have a blood disease called neutropenia which I attribute to petrol exposure in a previous job. A normal person's nutraphil count is 2.7, mine went down to 0.2! was improving at 0.7, now after four years of owning our B max it has not improved but gone back down to 0.6 so the last thing I want is petrol fumes every time we refuel. If I can't sort the problem out soon we'll have to get rid of the car. Could the vent or drain hole next to the filler be adding to the problem? Also I have removed the side liner in the boot and cannot see how fumes can be getting in but they are. At the moment we only fill to 2/3 full but the fumes are still there and quite strong.

After reading threads on the forums I get the feeling this problem is not rare.

Refueled today, just driven home tonight - strong petrol smell, throat swollen.

I feel like dropping this car on Fords head office from a great height, Dave.

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Wed 18 Dec 2019 23:23
Petrol-y smell in the car - Avant

This thread was started 10 years ago, but sorry to hear that this is still a problem.

Have you taken the car to a Ford dealer or (perhaps better, as it's out of warranty) an independent garage specialising in Fords? If it's a common problem, they should be able to deal with it. If not, then time to flog it.

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