Pontiac Repair: 2005 Pontiac Montana Van, fuel pressure regulator, pontiac montana

Question
I smell gas when I start my van, it is worse when the heater is on. At first, I smelled it just a little when I started it and sometimes I wouldn't smell it all. Now, I smell it all the time after starting and to the point I have to crack the window to get air. I have had the van checked and no one can tell where there is gas leaking under the hood or underside of van. Please help. Thanks !

Answer
Hi James:

This is an Odd one. if you can smell it does it smell like "raw" gas like when you pump gas at the pump or is it exhaust fumes you smell? There is a difference.. If you start the van right after fueling it up you can tend to get a gas smell that is normal. If  it's a raw gas smell it may be an injector leaking externally from the fule rail on the engine. it could be the fuel pressure regulator leaking externally or into the vacuum line and the fumes ate in the engine intake and that is how you smell it.. Lastly the overlooked thing is the charcole canister for the evaporative emission system. If that is saturated with gas you would smell it as well. It' mounted on the top of the gas tank and if it's loaded up with gas you could smell the fumes in the van. The only way to see that is by dropping the gas tank down to look at that. That would be the last resort. All the other things I mentioned you can see from under the hood. What ever it may be I would get it looked at ASAP it's not a safe situation if you can smell the fumes the vapors could ignite if theay have an ignition source..