1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Fuel Smell In Cabin When Idling/Stopped

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Technical Discussion' started by mack_attacc, Dec 3, 2024 at 12:45 PM.

  1. mack_attacc

    mack_attacc New Member

    Joined:
    Yesterday
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    New York, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    Hi folks, I've been researching everywhere and just wanted to see if anyone had any additional suggestions.

    Symptoms:
    Fuel (gasoline) smell only inside the cabin when the ICE is running, with HVAC turned on, and car is parked, stopped, or at very low speeds. Smell reduces when I flip the HVAC to recirculate. Issue persists through all weather conditions, all fuel levels, all lengths of time, all engine temp states.

    Investigation:
    I can find no fuel smell at all anywhere outside the cabin, including anywhere in the engine bay, or anywhere underneath the car.
    No check engine codes, no fuel smell in the exhaust, no reduction in fuel economy, no visible fuel leaks anywhere I could see. Fuel cap is tight, no smell there either.

    Per other posts I found, I plan to make sure my spark plugs are torqued correctly, and perhaps replace my fuel injector o-rings.

    Several mechanic friends have suggested it's probably something with the EVAP system, perhaps even the purge valve, which I believe is nearby the HVAC intake.

    Any suggestions or advice I'm happy to take. Found plenty of other people posting about gas smell issues, but usually it's dependent on fuel level, temperature, and/or can be smelled outside the car.

    Thanks in advance.