fuel odor in 182

J

jrs182p

Filing Flight Plan
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jrs182p
I have noticed a fuel odor in my 182 after a period of inactivity. if someone knows what the cause might be please advise.
 
jrs182p said:
I have noticed a fuel odor in my 182 after a period of inactivity. if someone knows what the cause might be please advise.
Click to expand...

How long of inactivity? And does the odor seem stronger in any one particular place than any other?
 
Well, if you have a tank leak, it'll run down the inside of a door post and leave a stain......
 
A few question come to mind.

How long of inactivity?
Where was the plane kept?
What was stored in the plane?
How was the plane stored?
Are you sure it is a fuel smell, and not something else?
If you air out the plane and then close it up again does the smell come back?
Any stains outside or inside the plane?
How old an 182?

Doug
 
Fuel gages in wing roots or on panel, can't remember old 182 configuration. Or seeping gasket around sending unit?

jrs182p said:
I have noticed a fuel odor in my 182 after a period of inactivity. if someone knows what the cause might be please advise.
Click to expand...
 
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wabower said:
Fuel gages in wing roots or on panel, can't remember old 182 configuration. Or seeping gasket around sending unit?
Click to expand...

Fuel gauge senders are in the wing roots and those gaskets get old and seep. Old fuel bladders also seep, as well as those short bits of hose behind the headliner. I've also seen a real slow seep at the primer lines at the inside end of the firewall bulkhead fittings, just enough to cause an odor.

Lots of places for fuel to slowly seep and stink the cabin up.

Dan
 
No signs of leaks anywhere
Plane kept in a hangar
Odor is prominent in cabin when I open the door
Occurs if plane is left overnight. But not after short stops of say1 to 3 hours
No noticable outsie of plane even in the hangar
 
Pull wing root covers, snug screws on fuel qty senders and hose clamps, report back
 
Also check the condition of the vent crossover hoses. And fuel selector valve.
they have been known to seep just a tad. (enough to emit odor, but not stain anything)
 
How about the primer? Easiest thing to check first.
 
Fuel selector valve under the floor prone to seep out "O" ring. Lift carpet pop open the inspection lid work the valve left right, see if you see fuel seeping out of top of valve.
 
Before you pull carpet or the wing roots or the headliner, just pull 3 screws from a round panel by the wing strut on each wing and smell to eliminate a bladder leak.

If the wing smells horribly like fuel, its not the fuel selector, primer etc.

I pulled the landing light lens off a 172 once and it was like I stuck my whole head in the gas tank the vapors were so bad.
 
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I noticed this for a long time when I was in primary training. One day it occurred to me that after sumping the tanks, I left the tube in the back pocket of the seats, as I was taught.

The smell was coming from the strainer.
 
Maybe it's in my head, but turning the fuel selector 'off' in the hangar seemed to make a difference in my cabin fumes.

And the wing root senders and hoses. Duncan's right about that. That's a given. Check those and tighten. I try to check and do it personally each annual.

And give your fuel selector valve a good look. Mine needed new O-rings. It was fuming up the cabin.
 
and when you find the leak get some of this, it really does work.
 
Another note on the fuel qty senders, if they are ever out for some reason, hex head screws are much easier to tighten up in there...
 
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