Greetings guys,
I have a 1984 Chrysler Executive, and after it runs for a bit, it produces a somewhat burned fuel smell, and it doesn't seem to be coming directly out of the exhaust. It's so strong it gets on me, and I will smell/smell like gasoline for at least an hour or two after. My brother in law who's a mechanic at a dealer says it's normal for old carbureted cars, and "that's just how they used to be", I think he's a clown and doesn't know what he's talking about, the scent is pretty intense and I doubt normal cars let alone a luxury factory limo is normal, even by 1980s standards. The scent is just way to excessive and it gets on me/others around it for a LONG time after we've been away from the car.
I'm going to try a new gas cap, if it continues, some dye in the fuel tank, per Scotty's video. If continues even then, maybe a new exhaust manifold would make sense.
Am I right? If the sent is so strong it gets on me/anyone around/in the car while it runs and stays on us over AN HOUR after even leaving the car, there HAS to be something faulty? There's no way that was "just normal in the 1980s" Unless the car was worn.
Thanks in advance!
Well basically those old cars do smell. I just followed one on the highway and it's stunk. But you could rebuild the replace the carburetor. It will probably get a little bit better
I wanted to follow up on this, since I've done a lot to the car in the past year; Scotty was on point; Carburetor and timing tuning was the fix for the excess un-burned fuel and smells!
Even for cars made in the 1950s and 1960s (before emission controls) strong gas smells would indicate a problem. Most of today's mechanics have never dealt with carbureted cars and have never worked on one. Most had not even been born yet when those vehicles were manufactured.
By 1984 even carburetors had vapor-control/evap systems in place to contain gasoline vapors. My old 1985 AMC Eagle even had a vacuum-operated flap in the air cleaner to prevent vapors left in the carb's venturies from escaping when the engine was turned off!
So I'd say you either have a problem with your evap system or you have a leak somewhere. (Not surprising on a car just shy of 4 decades old.) Old, decayed rubber hoses would be the prime suspect.
Your car definitely has an evap canister, and fuel fumes could be venting out of the carburetor when it gets hot. My '79 Catalina has an evap canister behind the passenger headlight, before I replaced all of the hoses under the hood, I'd smell fuel every once in a while. The canister is supposed to collect the fumes from the carburetor that would be released into the atmosphere and recirculate them to be burned.
I doubt Chrysler followed GM's lead and put that canister in the front, of the car, but you never know. They made things simple back then. It's a little bigger than a 20 oz soda bottle. Follow the hoses and replace any that has cracked. You may as well replace 'em all for good measure. Also check that your hoses are all in the correct places. Over 38 years, people have most likely monkeyed around with them.
Not sure when that started but my '71 Ambassador has an evap canister. That was originally a California car though and that state had stricter regs so probably got it a few years earlier than the rest of the country. That's the earliest car I've seen with an evap system. (Back in the day California cars had less power, used more gas, and had fewer engine and drivetrain choices available than 49-state cars.)
I didn't know they started making those systems that early.
My girlfriend has been watching 70s and 80s Price is Right episodes on Pluto TV and recently asked what they meant by, "with California Emissions," when they are giving a car away. I said basically, it's got enough anti-pollution stuff to satisfy California's strict emissions regulations.
Even with the emissions crap on my Catalina, it was illegal to sell in California with a Pontiac V8 when it was brand new, I guess the old V8 was too dirty. Haha. The only cars that were sold there had Chevy V8s. They phased out the Pontiac V8 by 1981 and replaced it with Chevrolet V8s only I'm pretty sure. I've been told the light blue valve covers signify a Pontiac V8.
Beautiful! Thank you Scotty and Chuck for your input, so I got it now; a LITTLE is normal for a car of this era, but to the degree I'm experiencing is abnormal. Thank you both again so much for your wisdom, it's not easy to find people that know what they're talking about on these old cars that I love, so I try to base my research from period correct documentation or even better, those who directly owned/worked on them for ages.
You guys rock! 🙂