strong smell of gas????

[GReeves]

Hi there, Im new to the volvo XC, my wife has been nagging me for a bit so have got her a 2002 V70XC with 82,000 miles on the clock. Its a great car but it smells of gas when we stop the car. There is no obvious leaks, I park on a private drive. Is this normal or should i be worried? Thanks

[Xilikon]

A strong fuel smell always mean there is a fuel leak somewhere. Do you see any fuel puddle under the car ?

I experienced the same issue when I bought my 2000 V70 XC Se and in the end, it was a bad fuel pump assembly (crappy Scan-Tech aftermarket). After replacing the pump with a OEM, the leak stopped. The smell was so strong that it gave me headaches unless I don't fill more than half.

[Ocean Racer]

Someone has opened the fuel tank under your rear seats.
If the tank has been opened to replace the senders etc, you need to replace the large 8"? rubber o-ring.
No other way around it :(

[Astro14]

NOT Normal...should be worried...but, there is hope.

There was a recall on some of these for a faulty fuel pump. One of the symptoms was a strong fuel smell by the rear passenger side door.

Have the dealer check your VIN for the recall....if applicable, replacing the pump is free under the recall.

Both my Volvos had the same symptom...and were fixed by Volvo gratis...

[Ocean Racer]

Just dont light a cigarette !

[GReeves]

Just called our not so local and freindly volvo dealer and he reluctantly said that there wasa recall on it for life. So a big thank you, does any body else know of any recalls for a 2002 V70XC?

[backinblackXC]

Input your vehicle info here. Should give you all the recall info and service codes.

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/recalls/recallsearch.cfm

[Ocean Racer]

Just called our not so local and freindly volvo dealer and he reluctantly said that there wasa recall on it for life. So a big thank you, does any body else know of any recalls for a 2002 V70XC?

Unfortunatly no such recall is honoured in Australia :rolleyes:

[tooberand]

I wanted to give this thread a bump and a thumbs up. My dealership took care of me, but it sure was nice to know what was going on ahead of time.

[Allen]

Mine was fixed for free, too.

[PierreC]

Unfortunately no such recall is honoured in Australia :rolleyes:

Same here in South Africa - however, there was a similar recall on a fuel tank leak in the 850, and when my (now gone) '96 850 GLT within the S/N range developed a leak, I assembled all the information from the US recall, took it to Volvo SA with the request to honour the recall here in SA. After about 2 weeks of serious negotiation without making progress - during which I threatened to go to the press exposing their "lies" about Volvo being the safest car around and also some legal liability - they suddenly changed their mind, sourced the part and arranged for a dealer to replace the complete fuel tank. I guess Volvocars in Sweden wrapped them on the knuckles ... and the part / labour was probably paid for by Sweden, so the local crowd didn't have to "fund" the recall ....

[NJ03XC]

Same issue. Big time gasoline odor around my 03XC. But my dealer is declining to repair. The recall action apparently covers up to 10 years or 150k miles, and my 03 is resting at 237k right now. Can anyone tell me if the pump assembly isaccessible w/o removing the tank from the car? Can it be accessed via the rear seat or through a body panel, or does the tank have to drop?
Many thanks for any feedback.

[Ocean Racer]

Same issue. Big time gasoline odor around my 03XC. But my dealer is declining to repair. The recall action apparently covers up to 10 years or 150k miles, and my 03 is resting at 237k right now. Can anyone tell me if the pump assembly isaccessible w/o removing the tank from the car? Can it be accessed via the rear seat or through a body panel, or does the tank have to drop?
Many thanks for any feedback.

Unless you know Volvos EXTREMELY well and know what you're doing, take it to the dealer to fix or a VERY good Volvo Indy.

[ericjp]

There is an access plate that is behind the passenger side back seat. Not too hard to pull out. One 14mm bolt that you access by taking the side bolster off. Disconnect the wiring harness by the bolt. The other attachement point is basically a large stud that goes into the drivers side. Move the seat forward and it should slide out. You'll have to remove the metal bar under the seat as well. 15 and 17mm if I remember correctly.