What Causes the Smell of Gasoline During a Cold Start?

[Myron]

Cold starts emitting a gasoline smell can be attributed to: 1. Issues with the carbon canister or its solenoid valve, leading to an overly rich air-fuel mixture during startup; 2. Low local temperatures combined with excessive carbon buildup inside the engine, resulting in poor fuel atomization; 3. Leakage from the fuel injectors causing an overly rich mixture, where unburned fuel exits through the exhaust pipe, thus producing a strong gasoline odor. It's advisable to warm up the car during a cold start, but idling for too long isn't recommended. Additionally, avoid rushing to drive immediately after a cold start—allow the car some buffer time. After hitting the road, drive at low RPMs; typically, 3 to 5 minutes or about 4 kilometers at low RPMs is optimal.