After one whole day with the E-Type, I need to ask about the car smell in my garage 
Is there a way to calm the fuel odors? Is there a charcoal filter on a US 1970 and a vented gas gap?
Any suggestions on how to ease the scent of the garage?
Thanks!
Remove the panel that covers the spare tire and the smaller panel on the left side and stick your head down there and sniff. Smell gas? One frequent area of leakage/seepage, are the two plates that cover holes in the top of the tank. The oval one is the fuel pickup and the round one is the fuel level sending unit.
The banjo bolts that go on most of the fuel lines can leak, as can the fuel pump, the filter unit under the bonnet and the carbs. Just start checking things one item at a time.
How to get rid of the smell. Find the source and stop any leaks. Clean up any spillage residue, and air out the garage.
David;
There is a charcoal filter on the 70 E Type. It is on the left side just under the brake booster. I think the fuel cap is unvented.
The fuel smell may indicate leakage from the tank sump, supply hoses and/or cover plate assembly.
Regards, Joel.
Thanks. I don’t like messing with fuel. I hope to bring the car into a jag guy soon for a post purchase inspection and I will make fuel a top priority.
Still interested in a venting/air purifier solution if any one has ideas.
I agree with the above comments - if you have a strong fuel smell then there is a leak somewhere.
To make matters worse, those plates are submerged in fuel when the tank is really full. They need to be well-sealed but in the meantime - if you think they are the source of the fuel smell - do not fill past Âľ full.
3 Likes
Oh, I forgot, Geo’s post reminded me. The fuel filler neck connects to the tank by a length of fuel resistant rubber hose held on by two hose clamps. You might have a leak there. It’s another reason not to fill the tank beyond 3/4 full until you pinpoint the source of the smell.
1 Like
Any idea how big the tank is? I filled up yesterday from pretty low and added just over 13gallons, but not sure how big the tank is.
Thanks.
This is a difficult subject because smell is such a subjective thing, as are expectations of “normal” smells. If you’re used to modern fuel injected cars with just a throttle body, then the completely normal odors from a 50 year old antique with side draft carbs and leaky rear main seals right over the exhaust may smell toxic to you.
Unfortunately it’s the reality for these cars. You either learn to love it or it will drive you nuts. So the real question is whether what you are smelling is uncharacteristically strong. So relative fuel smell is important. People are pointing out the boot area because sometimes a bad sender or pickup plate seal can let fuel vapor out. This is a much stronger smell than the odor from residual fuel in the carb bowls. Also check under the car with the ignition on but the car not started and see if the overflow tubes are discharging fuel onto the ground (Assuming the S2 cars still had overflow tubes)
You could also try running an air cleaner with a charcoal filter in your garage but that might get a little spendy over time.
1 Like
Erica, thank you and I think there is wisdom there. I suspect it may be a little of both.
I probably will add an air filter as the real concern is scent entering the house. Clearly though, I will investigate leaks as fuel is dangerous.
Thanks.
No overflow tubes on the Strombergs. When the float gets stuck/needle valve won’t close, fuel overflows through the throat of the carb, into the air filter plenum and onto the ground beneath. Consequently, it takes a little longer to notice than with SUs. However, as with SUs, if you’ve got an original design “points” fuel pump, just turn on the ignition and listen to the clicks from the fuel pump. If they don’t stop, or come close to it, you have a leak somewhere downstream of the pump…
-David
When I got my car it was obvious that the previous owners were trying to resolve the fuel smell in the boot. Lots of sealant around the fuel pickup plate and the fuel gauge sender. I, of course, ordered new gaskets, copper washers and fibre washers for the fuel pump and banjo bolts. I then drained the tank and removed it for cleaning since it had some rust inside. The tank underside had some rust spots due to a broken fuel filler drain hose that had allowed water into the boot and the pad had gotten wet. I could also see a dark, almost black stain around the pad and on the boot floor. After looking closely at the underside of the tank I found tiny pinholes that had allowed the fuel to slowly drip out causing the black discoloration and was the likely cause of the smell. I ordered a new tank from SNG and installed it along with the new gaskets and washers. This resolved all of the fuel smells. They do return when the tank is filled completely as there is some seepage from under the copper washers that hold the pickup cover and sender cover in place.
–Drew
It was there that I discovered what a WONDERFUL thing Stat-O-Seals are!
…provided the screws that you use are short enough. The holes for at least one of the top plates are blind holes, so if your screw is too long or washer too thin, the screw bottoms out in the hole before the gasket is compressed, so it doesn’t seal properly. You get the same effect if the hole has crud at the bottom. Two washers with a little fuel resistant sealant can help if you think this may be your problem.
-David
1 Like
Stat-o-seals are indeed fabulous. I use them under my acorn nuts on the valve covers.
–Drew
1 Like
After searching the forum I found this that answers the question as to why the parts manual calls out 12 copper washers for the 6 fuel sender bolts! I was wondering why double up on washers? I now assume because Jag found out the standard size bolts were bottoming out and adding a second washer was the fastest/cheapest solution! Another bit of assembly floor engineering?
3 Likes