# Tailpipe fuel smell **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** legacy, subaru\ **Created:** [April 17, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailpipe-fuel-smell/89692 "2015-04-17T19:25:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![subaruwagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@subaruwagon](https://community.cartalk.com/u/subaruwagon)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2015, 7:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailpipe-fuel-smell/89692/1 "2015-04-17T19:25:55Z")
Ive read previous threads on this topic from this site, but need further assistance. When I turn the key all the way over, I hear only one click, and no engine sound. Playing with park or neutral positions do nothing. Battery and connections are good. Im getting a raw fuel smell out of the tail pipe after it finally starts. The check engine light intermittently comes on, by now it is mostly on. My guesses are: fuel pump/relay problems, starter/connection problems. Any other ideas or ways I can troubleshoot? ---
**Author:** ![UncleTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@UncleTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UncleTurbo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2015, 7:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailpipe-fuel-smell/89692/2 "2015-04-17T19:30:52Z")
Very confusing and contradictory symptoms. If you only get one click and no engine sounds - to me that means the starting motor isn’t turning over the motor at all. Then, you say when it finally starts you have raw fuel smell - how can it start if you only get one click? Then you have a CEL that is “mostly” on now. All this means the car is very sick but doesn’t help with getting to a reason why. ---
**Author:** ![subaruwagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@subaruwagon](https://community.cartalk.com/u/subaruwagon)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2015, 7:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailpipe-fuel-smell/89692/3 "2015-04-17T19:38:24Z")
Thanks for the reply. It starts only sometimes. For eample…I turn the key over…nothing, the one click sounds like electricity engaging. Wait five or ten minutes and it starts just fine. ---
**Author:** ![UncleTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@UncleTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UncleTurbo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2015, 8:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailpipe-fuel-smell/89692/4 "2015-04-17T20:03:35Z")
On the starting issue. Are you sure your battery and connections are good? A marginal battery will get a bit warmed up from start attempts and then can have enough juice to turn over the starter. The same can said of the connections, moving some current warms them up and then the contact improves enough to move enough current to turn the starter. The click is the starter solenoid engaging - so the ignition switch is doing its job. Another possible is a bad starter. When one of the windings on the armature of the starter goes bad the starter might not work if it stops on the “dead” spot. Sometimes a whack with a hammer can get it going and that makes for a good diagnosis of a bad starter. A couple of start attempts can also warm the starter a bit so it makes contact - same symptoms as above. I’d move from simple to complex. 1st put a charger on the battery and get it up to a full charge. A load test of the battery could be helpful. If the problem goes away - solved. Full charge but same issue, then clean off the battery cable connections at the battery side and at the other end where the cables connect. If problem is solved - great. If not, now I think you are looking at a bad starter as “likely” cause of your problem. All this has nothing to do with the raw gas smell or CEL - different problems to figure out there. ---
**Author:** ![subaruwagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@subaruwagon](https://community.cartalk.com/u/subaruwagon)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailpipe-fuel-smell/89692/5 "2015-04-17T20:15:39Z")
Thank you for the steps to take. Ill try those. This was the similar thread that made me check for unburned fuel smell, and think about CEL. > **[1996 Subaru Legacy Randomly Will Not Start](http://community.cartalk.com/discussion/2283219/1996-subaru-legacy-randomly-will-not-start)** > > We bought a 1996 Subaru Outback Legacy Wagon a year ago. It has a salvaged title with some back-end damage that doesn’t seem to effect the overall ride of the car. The car really seems to run fine, but the main problem is it randomly won’t start. We... ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailpipe-fuel-smell/89692/6 "2015-04-18T17:41:52Z")
Regarding the CEL take to a car parts store and ask them to read the codes, let us know what they are. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailpipe-fuel-smell/89692/7 "2015-04-18T18:16:01Z")
+1 to Texases post. Your car’s ECU has store some real clues for you. Start by looking at the clues. ---
**Author:** ![subaruwagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/51bf81/32.png) [@subaruwagon](https://community.cartalk.com/u/subaruwagon)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2015, 7:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/tailpipe-fuel-smell/89692/8 "2015-04-18T19:02:38Z")
Thank you guys, ill do that. Went to NAPA yesterday and tested the battery…all good. Replaced battery terminals and fuel filter just in case. Still worried about the CEL and fuel smell coming out the back. Will post codes soon.