1985 Honda CRX - Smelling gas fumes.

Hello everyone,

I own (just bought) a 1985 Honda CRX-Si with 339,700 miles. Lately when
I have been driving it, I start to notice a gas smell coming from the
rear (I think, I smelled in the engine and that didn't smell like gas)
of the car. I originally thought the car might be leaking, so I left
the car in the garage overnight with cardboard underneath it, but came
back today and everything was dry.

I also started the car up and let it idle for about 15 minutes in the
garage to see if anything would start leaking. The only thing I noticed
was some sort of clear liquid coming out of the exhaust pipe. Is that
normal?, also what else could be causing this gas fume smell?

Thanks

 

The clear liquid is probably water. Condensation forms in the exhaust pipe.

Good things to check include Cap, rotor, wires, plugs. If these have not
been done in the last 50000, its time. Also good to check for exhaust leaks,
holes in the A pipe etc etc.

Oh yeah, and your PCV valve and tube need to be checked.

If you do all of the above, it would be good to get the timing checked, also
when is the last time you changed your timing belt (and water pump)??

t

 

Check the filler neck for the gas tank. Honda's of this vintage had a
problem with the filler neck rusting through. I believe that there may have
been a recall on this item but you'll have to check to see if it covered
your model/year. Also check for leaking fuel lines etc.

Eric

 

good point, there is a repair kit available from Honda for this, you may even
be able to get it for free if you try real hard. My dealer dug his heels in
on it and I paid $40 for it.

t

 

I'm not familiar with the "repair kit" for the filler neck. The best repair
is to replace the complete filler neck assembly.

Eric