In my 2006 Civic I intermittently get a dirty gas smell in the interior after I drive and park the car, and then come back a few minutes later and start it. Do I have a gas leak of some kind? I have not noticed a loss in mileage. Thanks.
Can you explain “dirty gas” for us?
Do you mean a gasoline odor, or are you referring to something like a methane gas odor, or…?
If the problem is a gasoline odor, then perhaps there is a problem with the Evaporative Emissions System, or maybe you have a leaking fuel injector.
Is the Check Engine Light lit up?
Do you have any problems with restarting the car?
Thanks for the responses. There is no problem starting the car and the check engine light has never come on. It has very low mileage , < 13,000. It is not a methane smell it literally smells like a dirty rag with oil and gas stains on it. Because it is intermittent I tend to forget about it.
Did this problem start after you had the car serviced? You might want to go through the interior looking under the seats, in the compartment along the door, etc for a grease rag that may have been left by a careless technician.
Are there any oil drips underneath the car after overnight parking? I’m thinking some oil is leaking onto the hot exhaust components and the odor is being drawn into the cabin.
I have checked the cat interior the first couple of times i had the smell, there was nothing there. There are no oil noticeable oil drips, either. On the show awhile back there was a discussion of an oil or gas smell in the interior and lead to a discussion of a fuel leak somewhere. My distinction and problem was the intermittent nature of my smell. I once had my mechanic check for a fuel leak and nothing was found. Thanks.