Recently my car started smelling like gas. I took out the rear seat and noticed gas leaking from the left fuel filter. I swapped out the filter as well as installed a new seal. This was last Saturday.

A couple of days later (Monday) , I got the "Tighten gas cap" error. I pulled over and tightened it and then the error went away. Today (Wednesday) the "Tighten gas cap" error came again. However this time the "Service Engine Soon" light came on and stayed on.

The car is 2006. Is it just coincidental that I would need a new fuel cap? Should I have disconnected the battery before doing the fuel filter change? I'm thinking that the car probably was used to the previous "fuel leaking" pressure.

I don't smell any gas anymore. I would use INPA but I can't find the laptop I had it installed on. Any tips on what I should look for would be appreciated.

 

The car doesn't get used to the pressure. It pressurizes the fuel system and checks for pressure loss. The "check gas cap" warning is just a generic message.

You likely have a small leak in the area you worked on that does not hold pressure during the test cycle.

 

Wouldn’t that leak cause a gas smell or leak near the filter? The weird thing is that I never got that message with gas pooling under the car due to an obvious leak.

 

Hard to say. Could be the pump itself as well.

If the pump doesn't pressurize it properly it will just be reported as the same problem

 

Hmmm. Maybe I have to go back in and make sure the filter is tightened down. I used this as a guide.

BMW E60 5-Series Fuel Pump Replacement (2003-2010) - Pelican Parts Technical Article

 

"Service Engine Soon" could mean anything. A code reader will tell you exactly what it is for.

Is your fuel gauge working? The leveler on my fuel filter/pump (I can't remember which one) got blocked by one of the hoses when I didn't install it correctly. With that problem and the covers not properly tightened/sealed, it also suggested that I should tighten the fuel cap; I didn't have to change the fuel cap because it wasn't the problem.

Good luck!

QUOTE=balbs;1592993]Recently my car started smelling like gas. I took out the rear seat and noticed gas leaking from the left fuel filter. I swapped out the filter as well as installed a new seal. This was last Saturday.

A couple of days later (Monday) , I got the "Tighten gas cap" error. I pulled over and tightened it and then the error went away. Today (Wednesday) the "Tighten gas cap" error came again. However this time the "Service Engine Soon" light came on and stayed on.

The car is 2006. Is it just coincidental that I would need a new fuel cap? Should I have disconnected the battery before doing the fuel filter change? I'm thinking that the car probably was used to the previous "fuel leaking" pressure.

I don't smell any gas anymore. I would use INPA but I can't find the laptop I had it installed on. Any tips on what I should look for would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]