The other day I brought the 69 LS swap bird to a buddy's place for some ideas on some interior work I was planning. When I left the battery light was on from the Dakota gauge but it was a few weeks since I started her up so didn't give it much notice. 30 mins drive later the battery didn't get better so we throw is on a charger. At about 90%, reconnect the terminals, car started well but drops to 8.9 volts before I leave the driveway. We stop off at the local Autozone and pick up a replacement for surprisingly expensive $150 replacement. Head home and the when I get back, low battery again. Seems like a bad alternator was my guess.
Park the car in the garage and wife says she smells gasoline. Again didn't take much notice as the exhaust smells a bit strong when I park the car in and close the doors right away. Next day I take the car to my regular mechanic who won't work on old cars and he confirms it's a bad alternator. I do some google and seems like a reasonable job for even a know nothing like me. On the way home I fill my tank with Premium and take her home. All the while tending to the battery gauge with concerns of getting stranded.
So I get home with no incident but smell gas on the way home. Too many things on my mind to think I have another issue, as my buddy also pointed out a leaky rear differential. Park the car in again and I get a complaint upstairs of a gasoline smell afterwards. I check the gas cap and it seems right, though the seal on it is loose. Maybe a tighter twist will solve the problem?
Next day we go our for a quick spin as we're have an "Indian Summer" in our parts at almost 80F. 20mins in and the battery indicator goes on and I head home. No incident, but the wife says the car smelled like gas and didn't go away after sitting outside for a few hours before putting her back in. Yesterday, I swap garage spots with another car as I'm preparing to winterize the convertible. Again strong gasoline smells outside and inside.
Thoughts on what I should check before crawling for leaks in the line? The battery is still in the front. Any chance we may have loosened or damaged a hose? Odd it happened after the battery change and fill up. It's also an aftermarket tank so the cap is ventless. Should I start with getting a new cap?
My repro tank (69) did not come with the vent tube in the fill neck (I added it so I could run the original vent tube though the trunk) but without that vent you will need a vented cap. Pressure and vacuum in the tank can be a problem, my old tank had a plugged vent that caused the tank to “oil can†eventually cracking the tank and leaking. Could unvented pressure in the tank push gas through a float bowl vent or somewhere else in the fuel system? Do a thorough visual. NO SMOKING!
