I have an '88 Formula with 250,000 miles on it. It runs great by the way. However, I have noticed a very strong gasoline smell rioght after I fill up the tank or park it facing uphill. It has done this since I bought it. I replaced the fuel pump a few months ago and I did not notice any deterioration of the fuel lines at the tank. Also, I replaced the fuel lines in that area. Has anyone run into this problem?

You may be getting gasoline into your carbon evap canister - not a good thing. I remember reading here on the forum sometime back about filling your tank too full. Something along the lines that if you top it off, you can get gas into the tank vent, which in turn can put gas into your evap canister - again not a good situation to have - all that gas vapor in your engine compartment.

I probably haven't gotten this explanation 100% , but I think if you do a search in the archives you probably can come up with the original posting on this.

If you were not careful to get the rubber O ring properly seated it could be leaking out the top of the fuel tank. Easiest way to check is fill the tank and check for leaking fuel under the car.

If it is leaking, it needs to be fixed ASAP since the leak is in VERY close proximity to a hot cat.

quote Originally posted by fieroguru: If you were not careful to get the rubber O ring properly seated it could be leaking out the top of the fuel tank. Easiest way to check is fill the tank and check for leaking fuel under the car. If it is leaking, it needs to be fixed ASAP since the leak is in VERY close proximity to a hot cat.

if you have done gas tank work recently, make sure O-ring is on right (like guru said) and that the metal cap for it is tightened down

Some one told me that the vaper recovery tube could rust out,you would need to drop part of the inner fender well to see it.But I dought it's that.possibly you forced too much gas into the tank,causeing the filter on the bottom of the exhaust fume recover tank to become saturated.Then theres the posibility as your pumping gas,the air and fumes in the tank might be forced out of the filler neck.Take a flash light and look at the top of the motor and make sure there isn't any fuel on top,also remove the ruber air cleaner neck to make sure any fuel isn't leaking into the neck from a bad fuel pressure regulater (I had this happen in a diffrent car)...............just a wild guess

Assuming you aren't spilling fuel you have a leak.

As noted it could be a problem that is related to taking the tank down. It could be rust in a vent or fill line or the expansion tank has a hole.

It is nearly imposible to get the canister on the later cars wet. A bad canister or damaged vent line to the canister can still pump out allot of vapor after a fillup or when the tank heats up in normal operation.

This is a pretty serious problem that you need to get fixed ASAP.

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The only thing George Orwell got wrong was the year...

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top of every forum page...)

My bet is the vapor canister. check the vacuum line and see if the valve will hold vacuum. ( top line ). blow through the bottom line with no vacuum applied, you should not be able to blow through it. pull vacuum on top line and then you should be able to blow through the bottom line, if not then replace the canister.
Don

Thanks for the help guys, I will look into it this evening.
Maybe I did not make it clear, but I do not believe this problems related to my changing of the fuel pump. The problem existed before I did any work on the tank. I was just trying to say that I have looked at the fuel lines around the tank and they seem to be OK.
Keep those suggestions coming!

Check to see if you are leaking from the fuel recovery line. (The smaller of the two the run from the gas tank.) I would smell gas ONLY when I filled the tank completely. I noticed it was dripping down the tank from there (very slowly) . I tightened the clamp and that solved my problem. I have seen where that fitting at the tank can break loose and move. So, see if you can wiggle it. If that is the problem, you need to drop the tank or permaweld it.

Chris

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"It's not the years, it's the mileage" - Indiana Jones

The fill hose going to the tank from the gas port might be rotten as well.

quote Originally posted by Indiana_resto_guy: The fill hose going to the tank from the gas port might be rotten as well.

That was my first thought as well. I think the Fiero Store just starting selling these. A bit pricey though ($28). Part # 66636.

quote Originally posted by Indiana_resto_guy: The fill hose going to the tank from the gas port might be rotten as well.

that was my guess also

What is a "gas port"?

The point where you add the fuel to the car.
You know, you shove the pump nozel in it.

https://www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives/Archive-000001/HTML/20030204-2-023644.html
See the link above and try not to over fill or top off the tank.

I think I will go ahead and order the replacement hoses from the Fiero store. My car has 250k on it and I do not think they have ever been replaced. I do recall that I replaced the evap canister about 5000 miles ago. One of the plastic hose nozzles broke off.

I wonder if this problem has had anything to do with fires in Fieros in the past. My friend all tell me that Fieros have a habit of spontaneously erupting into flames. I try to argue with them but I am forced to admit that I have seen two Fieros fully engulfed in flames at the side of the road.

Sure enough, I filled the tank and I am leaking fuel from the rear of the tank. It sure looks like it is the filler hose that is leaking, but when I took it (or them) off I could not find an obvious leak. Theends of the hoses towards the gas tank have obvious cracks, but those cracks seem to stop at the hose clamps.
You guys that replaced your filler hoses: Was the deterioration of your filler hoses obvious?