September 9: Fuel leak, 93935 . . .
Read MoreThe Dodge van seen in the photos above and below arrived at the shop for a fuel smell concern. The driver mentioned that he filled the van up with fuel recently and noticed a strong smell of gas for a brief period of time, after which it disappeared. I've seen a similar issue with the older Ford vans in our fleet. The rubber section of the fuel filler line dry rots and cracks after many years which results in a small fuel leak after the vehicle is filled with fuel. But the smell disappears after the vehicle is driven and the fuel level in the tank drops. Another possible cause would be an issue with the o-ring on the fuel pump assembly.
This van recently had racks and shelves installed. Whoever did the install used those miserable self-tapping screws, (I hate those things !). If you look closely at the screw seen in the photo above, you will see a black substance on the screw that looks suspiciously like plastic, which is the same material the fuel tank is made from.