Heavy gas smell

[erw38]

I am able to smell gas when I have my windows down at a red light. It seems to me that it is the exaust. Could the o2 sensors have gotten so bad that there is unburned gas in the exaust?

Also, I took off the EGR and "cleaned" it. Might I have not seated the EGR correctly when I put it back on?

[kobalt]

Seems to me that you are running rich - does this happen when the car is cold, warm or both? Perhaps you have an exhaust leak at the headers/exhaust manifold area (common on FWD cars) - to check, open your hood as soon as you smell gas from the drivers seat and see if you can smell the gas there too.

[JimW]

A fouled O2 would produce a sulphur oxide smell (rotten eggs) I suspect its something else as Kobalt mentioned.

Fuel rails ok? Check em out

[hdewees]

Have you pulled your engine cover off to see if your fuel rails are leaking - When I smelled gas I did this and saw fuel shooting out of a leaking fuel rail. Fuel rail recall was done shortly after.

[JimW]

I wouldnt so much expect a 97 to have fuel rail issues, but you never know, due diligence Elan, check it out. If its not that then at least we can strike one off the checklist.

[erw38]

It's not the fuel rail. I got that fixed at the time of the recall. I think the car may just be running excesively(sp?) rich.
When I lpop the hood and smell around I do not smell gas. Can o2 sensors go even if there is no code?

[dred98]

There'll be a code - but not all codes will trigger the light on the dash.

[kobalt]

bad o2 sensors usually produce a code