general problems of the 1997 Nissan Maxima

I needed to replace a muffler on my 1997 Nissan Maxima. On 092209 I took my Maxima to a muffler shop, the mechanic noticed a very strong rawfuel smell. He said he could not use a flame torch due to a possible explosion. He replaced the muffler by hand and told me to have the fuel system inspected because this could be a dangerous situation. On 092609 I had the fuel system inspected by an independent mechanic, he discovered that fumes and possibly gas were escaping from the fuel filler neck and tube because of corrosion within the wheel base. I have tried to locate replacement parts from 3 salvaged vehicles and each were also corroded. New parts have been hard to located and remain uncertain as to whether they will fit.

There was a strong fuel smell that entered the vehicle through the vents. The heavy gas smell would fill the vehicle while driving, and without a/c on. The repair shop could not duplicate the problem.

Faulty part seems to be the vent control valve to the evap canister, but odb-ii results in many faulty codes. Dealer wants to replace the whole system (approx. $500. 00) seems to be a common problem on this car according to the dealer. ***dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis****769313.