Diesel help

pd52

Astra 1.3 90bhp 2008. In cold weather getting the smell of diesel - not fumes but raw fuel in the cabin and outside the car , noticed this at idle in traffic. Look under bonnet / under car and I see no leaks!
Strange thing is when the outside temp is warm 12.c + as it has been over the last few weeks the smell goes . Today temp is 5.5c outside and it's back again.

Any ideas??

Aylesbury_Duck

Do you have the heating on in the colder weather?

Rolandtheroadie

Have you removed the engine cover when you looked under the bonnet?
At the tops of the injectors?

pd52

Aylesbury_Duck wrote: »

Do you have the heating on in the colder weather?

At first but I'm a generally a hot person so after 20 mins it's back on cool. The smell persists even then

pd52

Rolandtheroadie wrote: »

Have you removed the engine cover when you looked under the bonnet?
At the tops of the injectors?

I haven't yet, I've looked around the HP fuel pump. But I will have a look. Performance seems ok ( for a 1.3!) but would the injectors release diesel in cooler weather?

jobdone1

Have a look at the rubber leak off pipes on the injectors they become brittle and leak fresh fuel

Rolandtheroadie

pd52 wrote: »

I haven't yet, I've looked around the HP fuel pump. But I will have a look. Performance seems ok ( for a 1.3!) but would the injectors release diesel in cooler weather?

Don't really know to be honest, but the 20 mins on high could be drawing it in and making you more aware of it, with the smell taking time to disperse.
I've had fumes inside a diesel before, leaking injectors a couple of times and perished return pipes a couple of times too.
The leaking injectors (it was the seals, cheap copper washers, not the injector itself) were accompanied with a ticking sound you could hear with the bonnet shut, and a black build up of crud around the leaking one.
As jobdone has said, if it's leak off pipes, you'll see evidence of it in the form of a leak.

BeenThroughItAll

My heavy Iveco van (motorhome) has an electric fuel preheated which is only active at low temperatures. It has a separate bypass route controlled by a solenoid so the diesel takes a path through a different pipe before reaching the filter.

No idea if your car may have a similar setup, but if it does it's conceivable there is a minor leak in that alternative preheating path which would only show up when cold.

weejangus

Have the Cabin filters been changed in line with recommended Service intervals? Are they due to be changed?

Not sure if it's linked but I had a similar "fuel / exhaust" scent coming through the vents. Couldn't find any leaks or any blow in the exhaust. Replaced the cabin filters and all was well! The scent never returned!