gas smell

[mverps]

does anyone have any ideas why when I stop I smell gas really bad, I don't see any obvious leaks anywhere. My mileage is bad about 45 mpg. My idle is a little high, but that shouldn't dump gas somewhere. /any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks, Mike 

[windwheeler]

You could have very small leak from the fuel pump to the carburetor.  As soon as you stop the engine you would not be able to see anything, but it constant leaks while driving. 

Also, removing the whole seat assembly (2 floor screws, 4 seat bolts) will expose anything that would leak under there if you run the engine.

I think what you describe you'll have a leak on the "positive pressure" side.

[mverps]

Thanks Windwheeler, I will pull the seat assembly off and see what I can find.
Mike

[MaryK]

Or the float bowl may be overflowing due to a leaky float needle valve.

So, while looking for a hose leak, also look at the floatbowl and the drain tube at the bottom of it.

scoot safely,

[mverps]

Weird, but here is what I did. Pulled seat assembly, checked all lines and carb, no gas leak anywhere. I readjusted the Idle back down to where it is supposed to be, put everything back together and ran it around the block, turned off and no gas smell. Went for a 70 mile ride today with several stops where it was shut off and no gas smell. So what does the idle have to do with this mystery?

[Vivo]

Maybe you filled the fuel up to the brim and it overflowed to the vapor canister... you can smell gas with that...The fuel vapor canister, also known as a charcoal canister because it is filled with charcoal, is part of a vehicle's pollution control system and is used to capture fuel vapors emanating from both the fuel tank and the carburetor. Filling up may cause gasoline to reach the hose/tube going to the canister...

[windwheeler]

HOW did you turn the idle down, via (1) mechanical butterfly adjustment screw, or (2) idle/pilot mixture screw?

If (1) no rational explanation, coincidence, probably "will come back", if (2)a possible explanation

However, smells here or not, what counts at the end how your gas mileage shows clearly that everything is OK.  If its mpg fell into the 40's and even the lower 50's mpg it does indicate a poor running Kymco G/V engine.

PS: MaryK: I like your idea of the stuck float bowl; I had that on one motorcycle and had similar symptoms like "mverps" G/V.  However, at one point it poured out gas when driving, so it was VERY obvious what happened.  Sometimes fuel additives can help to get rid of impurities in the carburetor, or better soltion, taking the float bowl off, or draining it if it has a large bottom nut, and cleaning out any possible impurities.

[mverps]

windwheeler, #1.  Vivo, I may have overfilled it, how close to the top should I fill it to? When I filled it yesterday,  I quit when the nozzle shut off. Time before I squeezed some extra into it.

[Vivo]

Not familiar with the GV tank....

[windwheeler]

I fill my G/V always full to the very top to get proper gas mileage readings and never had a problem;  on two different G/V's. I don't think that's your problem.

[mrbios]

windwheeler, #1.  Vivo, I may have overfilled it, how close to the top should I fill it to? When I filled it yesterday,  I quit when the nozzle shut off. Time before I squeezed some extra into it.

When I fill to the top (almost always) sometimes I get a gas smell but it goes away after a few miles.  Not supposed to fill to the top but I'm afraid of running out when I go beyond 110 miles.

[windwheeler]

When I fill to the top (almost always) sometimes I get a gas smell but it goes away after a few miles.  Not supposed to fill to the top but I'm afraid of running out when I go beyond 110 miles.

With 55 mpg what you get you can go safely 115 miles; you WILL run out of gas at about 128 miles.

[mrbios]

With 55 mpg what you get you can go safely 115 miles; you WILL run out of gas at about 128 miles.

Once I got to 119 mpg and I was afraid of running out.  It is good to know 110 to 115 is a safe max.  Thanks.