Why Does My C6 Corvette Smell Like Gasoline??? (The Cause & How To Fix)

C6 Corvettes often suffer from a gas smell issue caused by brittle fuel pump sending units. Unfortunately, the fix is involved and expensive. Here’s what you need to do.

We love the C6 Corvette. In fact, just recently we made the case that the LS3 C6 is the best Corvette ever. However, that does not mean that the car is perfect. The car has a well-known design flaw that results in a strong gas smell that is not only annoying but potentially dangerous. The 2008 Corvette seems to suffer the most, but the issue can strike just about any Corvette from the 2007 to 2013 model years. Despite hundreds of complaints being filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) no vehicle recall has been issued.

However, that doesn’t mean that the issue should be ignored. If your C6 Corvette suffers from a gas smell, you need to get it rectified. And unfortunately, it is not an easy or cheap fix.

This is a topic that’s been covered many times here on CorvetteForum including in this thread titled, Gas Smell in Garage with Vette , and Danger Fuel Leaks – Saftey Recall. More recently, Lyle from C&S Corvettes posted a helpful video on the company YouTube channel that covered in detail the C6 Corvette gas smell issue. In the video, he covers the cause, and how to fix it. The fix is not as straightforward as you may think. So, if you are attempting this yourself, pay attention to the video. And even if you are having a shop do the work, it might be a good idea to direct them to the video as well, so they know exactly what they are in for.

Why Does My C6 Corvette Smell Like Gasoline?

If you notice a strong gasoline odor whenever filling up your C6 Corvette, rest assured that you are not alone. The issue stems from the design of the fuel pump sending unit. The unit is installed through the top of the gas tank on the driver’s side. The top of that sending unit used to have a metal plate. But starting in late 2007 or early 2008, GM revised the design with plastic components. And as those plastic connectors at the fuel hoses age, they become brittle and prone to cracking.

After this happens, whenever the tank is full, or anything above half a tank, gasoline leaks out and pools on the top of the gas tank and eventually runs down the sides. That not only causes a bad smell, which can be dangerous in closed environments like insulated garages. But now you have gasoline potentially spilling on hot mechanical parts, which can cause a fire.

The Fix

The fix is to replace the fuel pump sending unit. Sadly, that is easier said than done.

The C6 Corvette uses what’s known as a saddlebag gas tank design. There is one tank behind the driver and another behind the passenger with a cross tube that connects the two. Inside that cross tube are two smaller tubes that connect to a hose assembly inside the tank behind the driver.

These connections are ALSO made of are also made of aging and potentially brittle plastic, and reconnecting them in a very tight space is a major challenge. So, in order to properly and safely connect everything Lyle recommends dropping the rear suspension, transmission, and differential out of the car to get the room you need. Once you do that you should be able to install the new sending unit and eliminate the gas smell.

But with all that work, you can expect this to be a multi-thousand-dollar repair job.

While You’re In There

Lyle offers a couple of additional hints in his video.

One is that you may as well rebuild the torque tube while you are in there. Half the work has already been done, so it makes sense to do it now. The same goes for replacing the rear main seal or the clutch. May as well do everything you can with everything out of the way.

Also, Lyle cautions to pay attention to what’s included with your replacement fuel sending unit. The GM replacement part comes complete with the fuel float and rheostat. But some aftermarket units do not. So, before you do all this work make sure you have the float and rheostat if you are using an aftermarket part. The last thing you want is to go through all this only to find that your fuel gauge doesn’t work, and you must do it all over again.

What is not mentioned in the video is that replacing the fuel pump sending unit will solve the problem. But you are solving it using the same poorly designed part. It is likely that the plastic in your new part will eventually crack, and you will be faced with the same issue at some point. I did some research, and I have not been able to find a replacement part with a metal top, they all seem to be plastic. If anyone has been able to locate a more robust metal replacement part, please let us know in the Corvette Forum forums.

Images: Chevrolet; C&S Corvettes YouTube Channel

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