'02 Venture Van, 181k miles, head gaskets, valve job, intake gaskets, thermostat all replaced at 169k miles. Van actually runs great, fuel mileage is good. No visible leaks.
Recently with a cold weather snap it seems as if there is a raw fuel leak somewhere. We are smelling gas in the van. After tracing down all the fuel lines it appears that the evaporator canister might be under the fuel tank. Any problems with them ?
Any ideas ?
Thank you for your replies.

 

Hi !
Most likely you have a fuel leak/seep under the hood by the motor . Start the engine run for 5 minutes . Open the hood and look , if you smell gas or see any leaks.
It may be:
- Fuel injectors (seal)

- O-rings seal the connections in the fuel system

- Fuel regulator (seal)
and
- pipes from valve evaporation control (EVAP canister solenoid valve)


Good luck to you. And keep us updated.

 

Want to thank you Sergeimoskva for your reply. I had visually inspected the entire fuel system and could find no leaks. Since the fuel tank was already down to 1/4 I would soon need fuel. I opted to put about 6 oz. of Marvel Mystery Oil and filled the tank with fresh fuel. After driving for a bit the gas smell was GONE. Imagine that. At this time all I can summarize is perhaps the previous tank had some additive of some kind, maybe a Winter blend or something. Fortunately, for now there is no smell. If it happens again I will have the fuel system and evaporator system smoked to see if there are any leaks. Until then..................
Everyone drive safe and have a Happy Thanksgiving.