i found out today that i have a gas leak and my mechanic told me it could be the lines runnin from the pump or worst case i need a new tank. i smell fuel in the car after its been drivin weather its full or not, but it dosnt drip out onto the ground below the car. i removed the rear seat and access cover to the pump and lines and can see no obious leaks. is there a common problem that could be the cause of the smell? or is there a method to tracking down a potential leak? ~thanks~

 

you will nearly never 'see' a fuel leak unless it sprays you in the eye LOL... fuel evaporates so fast you won't see traces of a leak. all you might see is discoloration of the dirt where the leak occurred. use a nice bright light and get under the car... start inspecting. have the pump primed (ignition turned on but not running) to build pressure in the system, if it's a line you might see it get wet under pressure. if it's the tank, you won't know. tanks usually go around the top of the seam where the two halves join together, start there.

 

in addition to what bruno said already, check your charcoal canister lines

 

The hard lines that run under the body tend to rust out where they turn to go up to the tank, as well as where they turn to leave the engine bay at the firewall and move aft on EG's. Check those out too.