Smell gas while driving

marcarm

Did a fair few miles on Saturday and on occasions I thought I could smell gas. Couldn't narrow it down to any specific occasion, ie following someone else and it was their exhaust etc.

Both myself and my wife have used the car since then and nothing untoward, but she has just come home this evening saying she could smell gas while accelerating.

I'm going to get the car booked in to the garage to get it checked out, but could this be exhaust gases leaking into the car?

Quite worried about it as she is 8 months pregnant and we also have a 2yo, so obviously need to get it looked at.

Ford Focus 2005 is it makes any difference.

thank you

Edit: just googles it, and of course I get loads of American pages as they call petrol gas. What we can actually smell is like gas that you use for the oven and not petrol gas.

Strider590

Could be burning the clutch, once you've done it, the clutch plates become glazed and more inclined to slip/burn in future.

Gas, as in natural gas, has no smell, the smell is added so that it can be detected.

The smell of a burning clutch is quite similar.
Of course this would point the finger at one of you riding the clutch.

marcarm

I've never witnessed the wife riding the clutch ever since I've known her, and I know I don't do it.

I have noticed that sometimes when accelerating the revs shoot up, as if the clutch was depressed, even when my foot is on the floor.

Yeah, I did mean that it smells like the aroma added to natural gas as that was the closest thing I had to describe it.

I will get it checked out as it's not worth taking the risk with it.

Muscle750

Sounds to me like the clutch is slipping easiest way to test it is get it in 5th. Gear at 30mph and acelarate hard as poss staying in 5th and see if the revs go throu the roof whereabouts does the clutch bite in relation to pedal postion?

marcarm

It bites in the same place as it always has, I think. We've had the car about 18 months and I don't think it's getting higher.

I'll be out in it tomorrow so will try that and see how it goes.

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

Could be the catalytic converter, they can smell like rotten eggs. Volvos used to be particularly noticeable.