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Strong smell of raw, unburned gasoline from the tailpipe: Causes & How to Fix It

If your vehicle is showing strong smell of raw, unburned gasoline from the tailpipe, here are the most likely causes and the parts you'll need to fix each one.

Most likely causes

Ignition System Misfireurgent

Worn spark plugs or failing ignition coils prevent the air-fuel mixture from igniting in one or more cylinders. The unburned gasoline is then pumped directly out through the exhaust system.

Faulty Oxygen Sensoraddress soon

A degraded oxygen sensor can falsely report a lean condition (too much air) to the engine computer. The computer compensates by dumping excess fuel into the engine, causing a rich exhaust smell.

Leaking or Stuck Fuel Injectorurgent

A dirty or mechanically failed fuel injector can leak raw fuel into the cylinder even when it should be closed. This creates a severely rich condition that the engine cannot fully burn.

Dirty or Failing Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensoraddress soon

The MAF sensor measures incoming air. If it is dirty or failing, it can overestimate the amount of air entering the engine, causing the computer to inject too much fuel.

Faulty Engine Coolant Temperature Sensoraddress soon

If this sensor fails and constantly reads cold, the engine computer will stay in 'warm-up' mode, continuously injecting a rich fuel mixture as if the engine is freezing cold.

Ruptured Fuel Pressure Regulatorurgent

A failed mechanical fuel pressure regulator can allow fuel pressure to spike, or its internal diaphragm can rupture, sucking raw fuel directly into the intake manifold through the vacuum line.

Related problems

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