Gas Smell Around Outside of Truck

[Rapid Roy]

74 C10 350 single fuel tank passenger side. I purchased truck July 2015 and have always smelled gas around right side. Have not figured out why. My thought is aged fuel filler hose and vent hose. Appears to be original tank and possibly hoses. Cap has been replaced recently. Does have the charcoal canister. Possibly bad? Smell has been real bad lately. More than before.

Any suggestions?

TIA

[zieg85]

Check for pin holes on top of tank...  Do you have the plastic guard below the tank?

[VileZambonie]

If you smell it, you are not imagining it. You have a fuel leak, check around thoroughly

[Rapid Roy]

Update.  Replaced tank, sending unit, hoses. Original tank had been leaking at sending unit gasket (deteriorated) and started rusting thru where the plastic guard was. All is good now, and now gauge works great. Thanks for the advice.

[75gmck25]

Glad you were able to find the exact problem.

Its often one of the small fuel hoses on the sending unit that are cracked and seeping, since there is usually three (feed, return, vent) attached to the sender for each tank.  If you have dual tanks, you also have a 6 port switching valve with six more short hoses.   The hoses at the switching valve are even more prone to leaking, since its mounted lower and fuel tends to pool in the hoses.

I plan to go through my truck and replace all small rubber fuel hoses with fuel injection hose and full circle hose clamps.  The old rubber hoses do not last very well with the new gas that is part ethanol.   

Bruce