Garage stench after parking car - does non-ethanol help?

[AR67GTX]

I have Mopars, an old Corvette and a Cobra replica with FE build, all in a garage and of course it has a distinct old car aroma in there even with AC/heat running a good part of the year. I switched from E10 over to running 91 non-ethanol fuel from Murphy Oil a couple of years ago. Some of these cars have pretty good post-drive percolation issues and there was usually a really pungent, sharp, and sickening element to it for several hours after parking. Some of these Corvette guys really go nuts over the same thing and get a lot of grief from wives.

I’ve noticed recently that while I’m still getting that good old exhaust odor in the garage after a drive, it seems to have lost most of the really pungent stench element that I used to get. My wife still reminds me that I smell very automotive when I walk into the house but it’s more just tailpipe odor.

I’m wondering if this might be due to the switch to non-corn syrup fuel? It kind of seems to make sense because alcohol/ethanol has such a low boiling point that any ethanol portion of fuel in the carb bowl probably boils off from heat soak immediately and I’m speculating that the ethanol might be responsible for that really pungent, sickening odor?

Anyone else notice this after going to non-ethanol?

 

[#41]

I only use non-ethanol and still get grief. It's a product of old cars that have carb and tank vents to the open air. I leave the house garage window cracked an inch and that has relieved the complaints.

 

[WileE]

Here.... just

 

[Dave6T4]

I blocked the exhaust heat ports to the intake manifold on my 1967 R/T, and that helped quite a bit with the fuel percolation smell in the garage after engine shut down. I used non-ethanol Mobil or Shell 91.

 

[Unkle Krusty]

You park inside?
I have a roof over my Tukvan. The bikes are inside. I let them sit a bit before moving them in, unless it is raining.

 

[Bird 426]

Another thing that I do is open the hood so that the engine cools faster. The cars seem to start faster too. Less percolation? I use 10% gasohol in my 318 driver and straight premium on the other two.

 

[Dennis H]

Breathe and enjoy. This is Nostalgia.

 

[Kern Dog]

What kind of snooty, intolerant wives do you guys have?
I smell one of three ways:
1) Of soap and shaving cream with a generous blend of hair care products.
2) Sweat, dirt and a hint of "manly aroma" from doing things to keep the house and yard in order.
3) Greasy, gritty with a hint of gasoline and PB Blaster.
Mary loves me the same through all of those.
To reduce the naturally occurring gasoline smell in old cars, you might try to integrate a return line from the front to the back to minimize fuel percolation.

 

[gtx6970]

I can smell fuel in my garage for a hour or two after I pull it inside
But thats about it

And Ive been over it , multiple times and no leaks anywhere

Once all cooled down , It just smells like a garage

 

[AR67GTX]

Another thing that I do is open the hood so that the engine cools faster. The cars seem to start faster too. Less percolation? I use 10% gasohol in my 318 driver and straight premium on the other two.

I sometimes park a big fan in front of the grill of mine with the hood open to cool it down. None of them run hot - usually 180-190 running. But it can’t help much with shut-down heat soaking and ethanol with a boiling point of 173 F.

 

[Bighouse]

I built a detached garage- but before then I parked the cars in the garage under the house.

The only thing that helped with fuel odor would be to park the car infront of the garage door to cool down and literally push it in before I went to bed.

It was crazy

 

[beanhead]

Maybe consider buying an EV

 

[OneWheelPeel]

My garage has a water heater with a pilot light, I always wonder if the fuel fumes are enough to ignite. Doesn't really matter too much because it was a squeeze to get just a Miata or Karmann Ghia into it so I won't try with anything from the current fleet.

 

[Kern Dog]

No.
Don’t belief the stunts you see in movies.

 

[OneWheelPeel]

No.
Don’t belief the stunts you see in movies.

No what? The fumes aren't flammable enough for a pilot light?