I'm a = newbie on this particular list, but figured someone out there may have seen this = problem. Here goes... I have a 90 Westy. I traded up from my 1994 = about two years ago. The 1990 runs great, idles perfectly, gets about = 20 - 21 mpg on the highway and uses very little oil (<< 1 liter between = changes) (heads done by a previous owner at a dealer). Here is the = problem. There is a slight, but constant fuel smell (it actually smells more like = fuel air mix than raw fuel) eminating from an area behind the little black = oil breather tower just to the left and behind the alternator. = You can smell it when the engine gets up to operating temp. It then takes = several hours for the smell to dissipate - almost like all the fuel vapour in = the manifold has to evaporate??? When the engine is warm you can sniff = it on the passenger side rear wheel well (but the strongest smell is over the = engine where I described). There is no sign of any leaks anywhere and = like I said, the engine runs beautifully. My mechanic is quite good, he = was the VW dealer mechanic in town here before the dealership closed, and he = can't find it. He says this van runs better than any one he has ever = driven. I really wouldn't care about the leak except that I have a toddler and a = baby who routinely sit back there and eventually small amounts of odor enter the = back seat area on long trips - this is obviously bad for little kids. = Also, when you camp it takes about 3 or 4 hours for the smell to dissipate = after the engine is cooled off. The smell has gotten stronger over the last = 3 or 4 months since I first noticed it, but still not enough of a leak to find it. Here is what we have tried so far:

1. dropped the fuel tank to discover that the prevvious owner had replaced it - in = great shape - no rust, all fittings tight.

2. repaired the lines and valves on the two little overflow fuel tanks on either = side of the body.

3. replaced the the little fitting where the fuel line comes through the firewall, = and the fuel lines from the firewall to the engine, the fuel lines on the right = side (I think that's cyl 1 and 3 right?) both to and from the injector = rail. Also replaced the o-rings on these two injectors as he had a couple of spares = lying around. Checked the operation of the little fuel pressure valve - = seems fine.

4. replaced the four little rubber hoses and clamps at the top of the intake = manifolds going into the intake air distributor.

Then I really started grasping at straws....

4. I replaced the little rubber o-ring at the base of the oil breather tower. He = said it wouldn't make a difference and he was right - but hey only $5 and a half = hour of my time...

5. replaced the hose from the oil breather to the air intake.

6. even replaced the charcoal cannister and checked the valve since my = mechanic had another used cannister lying around he swapped me for free....

7. Also replaced the rubber gasket around the engine hatch just to cut down on = the odor a bit - no change.

Still = have the smell - aaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhh!

My = mechanic suggested taking a propane torch (unlit of course...) and running the = gas all along all the fuel lines, manifold, air intakes, etc... while the engine = was idling. If there was an air leak then the propane should be sucked = in and the idle speed would increase. I tried this and no change. = My brother in law has a 1991 and his has no smell whatsoever so I know I am = not crazy...... and my engine runs better than his.... :-) It seems to = me that if there were some really small leak in the intake air distributor - = perhaps underneath where I couldn't get the propane - that this might = account for the smell. Then again, these engines are extremely sensitive to = air leaks, especially at idle, and mine idles perfectly at about 875 rpm. I = also thought that perhaps the intake manifold gasket might be leaking on that = side, but again my mechanic says if that is so the engines usually run poorly = (and the smell really doesn't seem to be coming from the gasket, more toward the = right center of the engine). I might change the gasket anyway since it = is an easy and cheap job, but first I thought I would put out this plea for help.....

So if = anyone out there has any ideas or has seen this problem please send me some advice.

Thanks = in advance,

Forest Research Ecologist

Kamloops, B.C. V2C 2A3