I have a strong fuel smell in my 2000 XJ8 car periodically…. It does not seem to matter how full or empty the fuel tank is or if it has been recently filled. It doesn't seem to matter if it has sat for a while or just been driven. The weather doesn't seem to make a difference (We live in South Texas and the weather changes all the time). I have checked the vapor canisters and lines under the car and don't see any damage/cracks/split lines…. ? Any idea's of what else I can look for as culprits?

 

I had a similar problem a year ago & it turned out to be a corroded section of metal fuel pipe that passes from the fuel filter outlet at the rear. There was a tiny pinhole leak in the section that passes right behind the left-hand rear wheel arch. My guess is that road dirt had built up over the years around the wheel arch & started the corrosion in that area.