I have a 1988 XJS Coupe with that same fuel smell many of us have. I've read all the past posts on this but smell remains.
I have had everything torn out of the boot, tank tested, hoses replaced, and a valve up front by the canister replaced.
When I brought it home the smell was ten times worse. Only thing I can think of ( and mechanic suggests) get a new Charcoal Canister.
I started contacting some parts suppliers and no luck.
DMG in the UK was most helpful giving me a part number but they do not stock them.
I went directly to Jaguar in the UK, but no longer manufactured. They corrected the part number to C2S19820.
Checked junk yards here in Nevada, and nothing.
Any other places you can think of I could try?

 

I hope you don't mind a dissenting line of thought. I would think this itself would be a clue that it is unlikely to be the Charcoal Canister. IOW, if after a bunch of work the situation got 10x worse, it seems unlikely it was an existing part of the system 'all of sudden'. Either that work created a new issue, or it wasn't done properly. It's one thing if it didn't improve, and another if gets significantly worse.

If I recall correctly, there is an extensive discussion of the vapor recovery system in Kirby's book that might be worth a read to really understand how the system works. I also think there was recall at some point. Good luck, and I know this kind of issue can be frustrating to pinpoint.

 

Thank you so much.
I think you are correct ..will read and re read, and find another shop who can give a better clue.
He basically gave up on me.

 

The other thing to think about is your fuel rail. Given the age of your car, if the fuel rail has not be refurbished with new injector hoses, the smell could be a early warning sign of imminent failure and the potential for an engine fire.

Given their location in the V12's 'Valley of Death' the are exposed to a lot of heat that degrades the rubber, and they start to leak fuel. Initially vapor, then liquid (then the regrettable fire).

I'd make sure that isn't the source before you do anything else. There is a guy in Florida who does injector service and can completely rebuild your rail. He has a photograph on his website of how the hoses deteriorate (photo is from a 1988 XJS and it's been there for a while):

Jaguar V12 injector hose

 

I had a similar issue with fuel smell and brittle lines, sure enough when the shop removed the hoses and I physically bent them you could see the creases, modern gas just eats up those old lines its best to redo every single one in the engine bay.

Also deleting the stupid cannister helps reduce issues, clutter, and weight.

 

Thanks all.. Those hoses on the rail feel like ceramic hard.
I did see somewhere here how to delete the canister.
Thank you for the link. I'll check it all out.
Love this Jag, just under 50,000 miles. Just a few things to sort out.

 

Do you have fuel smell now?

 

The only smells I get now are the sweet aroma of oil dripping back on the exhaust, and occasional tire rubber.

If ANY line in the engine bay is old and hard like that please order a roll of proper fuel hose (usually has a green stripe) and redo. The engine fire that keeps being mentioned is very very possible at that stage.

 

Ok thanks will do

 

Took it to the shop for a total inspection of the fuel smell.
I'll let you know what they come up with.
I detailed the information all of you shared here.

 

I've never seen a charcoal canister's function go bad, but there's a first in everything. In my 92 It was the gas cap leaking and stinking to high heaven in the middle of Summer. If you top the tank off, the fuel expansion and evaporation is quiet substantial in 115 degree weather. Fuel and fumes travel up the filler neck and leak through the faulty cap.

 

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Could not figure how to type with photos..so my question is what do you think of these photos?
They show leaks .amazing that the last shop who removed the tank didn't replace or even tell me about these.
What would you do?

 

These are the fuel return pipes that take the fuel back from the engine to the tank. Replace them ASAP. The first photo is a pic of the over-axle pipe that goes from the under-car steel pipe over the axle and to the boot fitting. This is a pipe you can unbolt and replace, it is a mix of steel and rubber parts. new ones are available eg:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Jaguar-XJ...5WFn:rk:1:pf:0
The final photo is of the tank outlet to the sump tank. Is it leaking? or is it just rusty. If it is leaking, then a new tank is needed, as the outlet is a welded in part.

 

Welded..that answers why they just stuck the tank back in. Wish I knew all this before, but think I have it covered now.
Thanks Greg for the good reply.

 

Got it back today after 2 months.
Shop agreed that the canister is not the problem.
They found a leak under the tank the first shop missed.Repaired it. Actually the tank shop at first said no leaks, when my shop put the tank back, it leaked, so took back and found the leak and repaired it. Hoping.
They cleaned the carpet back there, but still smells like fuel. Not as bad but still there.
To replace fuel rails over two grand, so just had the tank repaired.
Going to clean entire interior with the old baking soda treatment, and if still bad will have it detailed professionally.
I'm at the point where I have more in it than it's probably worth. Have to decide how much I want to invest vs return.