Throttle surging and gas smell
 

I have 2 problems with my 97 Concorde. The engine surges occasionally, and recently I started smelling a gas smell. The gas smell is not really strong, but obviously is there is a gas leak I want to fix it. I had planned on changing the VC gaskets (oil leaks pretty bad there) and the plugs and wires so this seems like a good time to do it. But the more I read about it the more of a job it looks like. Like these instructions for replacing just the intake manifold gasket.

Replacing the 3.5 V6 intake manifold gasket

I am decent with a wrench, but don't even know what or where some of the parts in that guide are! I guess what I need to do is get under the hood with a flashlight and see if I can find a fuel leak. No need to go replacing a bunch of parts that don't need it.

There is a plastic fuel supply line on these engines that has a tendancy to crack & leak.
Rear of the fuel rail back to the tank.

Thanks, I will check that out.

I had a similar problem with the gas smell on my 300M. This is what I did.

Well after doing some more research, and some inspection work, I found that the problem was a leaking fuel supply line/tube. It appears that this is a common problem on this car. It is NOT an easy fix to do on the ground. I was lucky and had access to a hoist for this job. You need to remove your windshield wiper arms, cowling under them, then the strut support bar and the duct work to the throttle body. You now have access to the back of the engine where the upper connection is located. Disconnect here and then go to the bottom of the car and remove the connection in the rear, by the fuel tank.Some fuel will leak out, so be careful not to get any in your eyes!! Remove the fuel line from the clips underneath and near the front wheel. Line should be loose now, so CAREFULLY fish it out and install the new one, in the reverse order! Be VERY CAREFUL when fishing the new line in as to not kink or bend it. This is the part where the hoist makes it easier! If you do not have access to a hoist, then get the car as HIGH UP in the air as you can. Don't forget the jack stands people!!! After installing the line and making all the connections, BEFORE you put the strut brace back in, start car and check for leaks. If all is well, re-install remaining parts in reverse order of removal. Pretty easy! The part # for this fix was 05010225AA, cost is about $80 at the dealer, and much to my surprise, the part was in stock! Now my line was leaking at the plastic line that is attached to the metal line, you could probably just splice some new fuel injection into the existing line without having to replace the whole line. However, if it is the plastic connector itself that is cracked, you have NO choice but to replace the whole line. I choose to just replace the whole line to HOPEFULLY prevent any future problems!

Thanks for that info Racer. Was fuel actually dripping from that connection? I will go with a flashlight in a bit and see if I can find the leak.

I looked around the rear of the throttle bodies and couldn't find any leaks but noticed some wetness near one of the injectors. So I pulled the decorative cover off the top of the plenum and there is a lot of wetness in the middle injector on the passenger side. So I will get the o ring set from the parts store along with intake man gasket and vc gaskets to fix the oil leaks. And also the plugs and wires while I'm at it. Anyone know the torque specs on the vc and intake man bolts?

The intake manifold bolts torque specs are 105 in lbs. still looking for vc bolt specs.

VC/Rocker Covers also 105 in lbs

Well, I replaced the o-rings in the leaky injector and the plugs and wires. I noticed that some of the VC bolts were very loose, so I snugged them to 105 in-lbs and decided not to replace those gaskets. It looked like I'd have to pull both fuel rails and maybe the coil to get them off so I decided against it. I got it all back together yesterday afternoon and it runs fine. We'll see after the fluids burn off if the oil/fuel smell is totally gone.