I have been having issues with fuel vapor smell

Here are the fuel odor Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) and the Customer Support Program (TE) for fuel odors in the 5th generationn RAV4. Print them out and take them to your very stupid dealer and insist he make the repairs free under warranty.

 

Since the leak is at the connectors to the HP fuel pump, there is no scanners or equipment that can be used. The smell test is all that the TSB says to do.

The high pressure pump probably ONLY leaks when it is running which is ONLY when the engine is running and the pump is spun by a camshaft. There is a test you can easily do (the dealer won't do it) to find a weep or small seep of fuel at the connectors or coming from the body of the pump--just put tissue or toilet paper touching the connectors and pump and start the engine. You will SEE the dampening on the white, fine paper no matter how small that leak is and it won't quickly dry up and disappear.

 

When conducting the tissue test, I will push start, I will wait until EV changes to ICE. Do I need to press the accelerator or let it idle?

Thanks Tazio.

 

Where is the fuel smell coming from? If in the engine compartment, it could be the high pressure fuel pump leaking. There is a T-SB on the problem.Seems that some of those fuel pumps had faulty manufacturing, causing them to leak.

 

It is my opinion (and I've been blasted before for it), the the leak is just a seep, and thus evaporates quickly or is blown away by air or the fans. Thus there is no possibility of fire.

It is also only the high pressure fuel pump that provides gas for the direct injectors. There is a separate low pressure fuel pump for the port injectors. The engine does not always use the direct injectors.

Thank you FKHeath. At least I'm not that afraid anymore. I will tell my wife that it's safe.

It IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS!! FKHeath is completely INCORRECT. The low pressure fuel pump is submerged inside the gas tank. That low pressure pump feeds BOTH the port injectors AND the HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP through a shared "Y"connector. The high pressure pump bumps up the fuel PSI in the direct injectors' fuel rail. The high pressure pump feeds the direct fuel injectors. That high pressure pump is ALWAYS PUMPING because it is MECHANICALLY driven off one of the camshafts. The ECM turns those direct injectors on and off but the high pressure pump is ALWAYS pumping up the PSI in the fuel rail. CAR CARE NUT has warned of the extreme high pressures in those direct injector fuel lines and the hazards of disconnecting that high pressure pump and the fuel rail for the direct injectors. In my opinion--ANY FUEL LEAK IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IS A FIRE HAZARD!! A fuel leak from the high pressure pump, the direct injector fuel rail or lines could drench the engine compartment in a bath of gasoline in seconds. There are numerous possible ignition sources for a fire. If you are on a highway at 60 MPH an engine fire can burn its way into the cabin before you could pull over and stop. IF YOU keep smelling a fuel odor get that high pressure fuel pump leak checked out by a reliable mechanic. There may be a slight pinhole leak now that will suddenly rupture without warning and turn your RAV4 into a fireball.

 

I detected the fuel odor for about a minute at an intersection while driving. However, the smell disappeared after we crossed the intersection and headed towards the highway. I am not sure if I should take the car to the dealer or wait and observe. Could the odor have come from outside sources and not my car? How is it possible for a brand-new car to have such an issue? Will there be any alert on my display if anything serious is happening?

After driving for 30 minutes, I decided to pull over at a gas station. I opened the hood of my car and couldn't smell anything unusual.

 

I didn't encounter the odor today.

If i don't smell the odor for a week does it mean it's nothing?

Let me understand this. You only smelled the gas odor once for a short time and not since? Smelled in the passenger compartment and not in the engine bay?

Could have come from a passing car and entered your car via the A/C system. Could have been a drip of gas from another car. Could have just been fumes, blown by the wind from across town. We can speculate on a thousand sources of your smell. I don't deny you smelled something but the source is unknown.

We have oil refineries here in Salt Lake City, right beside I15, and I smell fumes from them almost every time I drive past them. (Sorry to say we don't have the pollution emission standards for large industries that California has).

My opinion is if you don't smell gas while the engine is running, right at the fuel connectors to the high pressure fuel pump as shown in the TSB, you don't have a problem. The high pressure fuel pump is easy to get to: just pop off the top plastic cover to the engine and the pump is right there.

 

Hi FKHeath, The petrol smell I noticed on the 30th of October was a brief occurrence, lasting around a minute while driving. Yes, we detected it inside the car cabin. I didn't smell it since then. After driving on the motorway for 30 minutes, I checked the engine compartment, and there was no odour. Later, I will leave the engine running and open the engine cover to see if there is a petrol odour near the fuel connectors to the high-pressure fuel pump. If there is no smell, then I don't have an issue. If there is odour I will bring to the dealer asap.

Thank you for your insights.

 

Today I smelled fuel inside the car but it was gone quickly. The recent service I've done is 5k PMS with oil change to 5w20. No check engine or any warning light. The car drives normal though. Is there a cause for alarm?

 

Probably not, but keep checking for gasoline smell in the engine compartment (see post #3 above).

 

Today I smelled fuel inside the car but it was gone quickly.

Is there a cause for alarm?

There are both a TSB and a Customer Campaign for fuel odors in RAV4 Hybrids. Only covers up to 2022 model year and not yet updated for 2023. The direct injector high pressure fuel pump leaks.

 

But it isn't dangerous right, fire or stalling ? No cause for alarm? The odor only happened once yesterday.

 

It is my opinion (and I've been blasted before for it), the the leak is just a seep, and thus evaporates quickly or is blown away by air or the fans. Thus there is no possibility of fire.

The engine is still getting gas, so stalling won't happen. It is also only the high pressure fuel pump that provides gas for the direct injectors. There is a separate low pressure fuel pump for the port injectors. The engine does not always use the direct injectors.

 

Today I drive it and so far no fuel odor. I hope it's not from my car.

 

Could the odor have come from outside sources and not my car?

Very unlikely unless there was a car right next to you with a real bad fuel leak, or a tanker truck leaking fuel, or a gas station with a fuel spill--all right close to your RAV4.

 

How is it possible for a brand-new car to have such an issue?

All the various parts--including the high pressure direct injection fuel pump-- on a RAV4 are literally made in the hundreds of thousands or even millions by numerous suppliers and Toyota assembles them into the RAV4. There will always be a few defective lemons in a production run.

 

Will there be any alert on my display if anything serious is happening?

If ANY part of the fuel system (either the high pressure pump, any fuel lines from the tank or going to the injectors, etc) has a leak BIG ENOUGH to cause the engine to lack an adequate fuel supply or pressure to operate properly THEN you will get a warning--a check engine light. Then there will be DTC codes a scanner will find. However a pinhole, very small leak might NOT be detected by the sensors and you would get NO warning.

 

I detected the fuel odor for about a minute at an intersection while driving. However, the smell disappeared

After driving for 30 minutes, I decided to pull over at a gas station. I opened the hood of my car and couldn't smell anything unusual.

I am not sure if I should take the car to the dealer or wait and observe.

If it was ME and this was MY NEW car under warranty I would go IMMEDIATELY to the dealer and talk to the service manager (not the service adviser) and get it checked thoroughly and get it on the service order that you are smelling fuel odors when you drive and fear a fire. Keep a hard copy in your records in case you DO ever have a fire for legal evidence and insurance purposes. Print out and take a copy of the fuel odor TSB I supplied for the 2022 cars to show the service manager. There are LOTS and LOTS of things that can cause a fuel odor when you drive--the EVAP system can malfunction or its hoses can be loose; the gas tank filler neck or the tank itself may have a small leak; the low pressure fuel pump gasket on top of the tank may be leaking, etc. You should get a MID warning or CEL but NOT IMMEDIATELY and NOT ALWAYS--the technology is not perfect. Any fuel odor while driving is DANGEROUS!

 

Today I drive it and so far no fuel odor.

Let me ask you...when you smell the fuel odor did you just fill up your RAV4? Did you TOP OFF the tank (you should NEVER do that or have it done). Is your gas cap on tight?

 

On that day, I did not fill up or top off my tank. Since then, my tank has remained halfway full until last night. I plan to have it checked at the dealership mid next week. Is it okay to fill up the tank next Tuesday, which is my usual timeline and before the dealers checkup?

 

Yes. If there is a leak and fuel odor I think they might be more visible and obvious if the tank is full--so it would help the dealer diagnosis.

 

If i don't smell the odor for a week does it mean it's nothing?

 

I didn't encounter the odor today. Traveled like 25 miles today. If I fill up gas on next Monday or Tuesday and no odor, what does it mean?

If i don't smell the odor for a week does it mean it's nothing?

Any answer would be sheer speculation or a guess on my part. You have a fuel odor that comes and goes. Fuel is weeping or seeping someheres or at the least gas vapor is escaping your gas tank or EVAP system.

 

It IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS!! FKHeath is completely INCORRECT. The low pressure fuel pump is submerged inside the gas tank. That low pressure pump feeds BOTH the port injectors AND the HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP through a shared "Y"connector. The high pressure pump bumps up the fuel PSI in the direct injectors' fuel rail. The high pressure pump feeds the direct fuel injectors. That high pressure pump is ALWAYS PUMPING because it is MECHANICALLY driven off one of the camshafts. The ECM turns those direct injectors on and off but the high pressure pump is ALWAYS pumping up the PSI in the fuel rail. CAR CARE NUT has warned of the extreme high pressures in those direct injector fuel lines and the hazards of disconnecting that high pressure pump and the fuel rail for the direct injectors. In my opinion--ANY FUEL LEAK IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IS A FIRE HAZARD!! A fuel leak from the high pressure pump, the direct injector fuel rail or lines could drench the engine compartment in a bath of gasoline in seconds.

Yes. If there is a leak and fuel odor I think they might be more visible and obvious if the tank is full

Beg to disagree.

1. There is no mention in the TSB of any visible indication of a fuel leak. No mention of moisture on the fuel connections to the pump. No mention of residue on the fuel connections from gasoline that has evaporated. No dripping or puddling of fuel. No mention of "drenching the engine compartment in a bath of gasoline". No mention of possible fires. Figure 1 of the TSB clearly shows that the diagnosis consists of a gasoline smell at the connection to the fuel pump.

2. If there was any possibility of a leak that could cause a fire, certainly the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) would order an immediate recall of the possibly affected vehicles. Toyota has no part in the decision of ordering a recall.

3. I have seen no reports in the press of any car bursting to flames due to a leak of the high pressure fuel pump. Certainly with the millions of possibly affected cars world wide (Avalon, Sienna, Tacoma, RAV4, Venza, Camry), there would be some reports in the press if this leak was a serious fire hazard. (So it is not like the DC to DC converter problem where there have been fires reported).

Thus we can conclude the leak is very, very, small, just a seep as I said, and only detected by smell and not visually. Any seep so small will evaporate quickly before it can catch fire from any ignition source.

The sky is not falling.

 

2. If there was any possibility of a leak that could cause a fire, certainly the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) would order an immediate recall of the possibly affected vehicles. Toyota has no part in the decision of ordering a recall.

The manufacturer can have a "voluntary recall." Toyota and the rest rarely do it because it generates bad press and hurts sales. The NHTSA only ORDERS an "involuntary" recall if a certain model of vehicle has a documented history of several deaths, serious injuries, or accidents directly and proximately caused by a defect. The NHTSA usually takes a long time to order recalls--they are NEVER immediate. Look how long it took for the Ford Explorers and their tires to be recalled after the many horrible roll over deaths.

 

Thus we can conclude the leak is very, very, small, just a seep as I said, and only detected by smell and not visually. Any seep so small will evaporate quickly before it can catch fire from any ignition source.

You should be aware that gasoline will NOT ignite UNLESS it has evaporated and is in a vapor state in a proper ratio mixed with the air-- a stoichiometric ratio. Liquid gas itself is not that flammable--but it is the "Boundary Layer" of vapor sitting above the liquid gas that flash ignites. Thus when gas leaks or weeps in the engine compartment it becomes briefly dangerous when the vapor mixture is correct for ignition and you may simply not visually see evidence of that continuous leak from the high pressure fuel pump. When the engine is hot and running, liquid gas evaporates quick--so you won't see it from a pinhole leak... BUT that's when it's most dangerous and flammable. When the engine is off and cold you might see a stain or feel with your finger an actual film of gas--but the direct injector high pressure pump is not working when the engine is off so it may not be leaking when the engine is off.

 

Deleted, inquiry should be posted in another thread.

 

Hi Tazio, no gas fumes or wet tissue in the connector that look like a Y when I removed the engine cover. Did I did it correctly?

 

YES.

 

Thank you, Tazio, appreciate your advise. It's best to seek advice from the experts. Perhaps the odour I noticed at that time originated from an external source. Additionally, my fuel efficiency of 35 mpg is not bad, despite the fact that I've been speeding up more recently. However, I revert to fuel-efficient driving when I'm not in a rush and managed to get back to 37.