smell of fuel( i think)

[DONKEYT5]

When i accelerate hard, i can smell a weird smell, it smells like fuel, but only when i boot it! any ideas??
Its bad enough for the traffic cop to notice after he pulled me at 430am yesterday morning, he asked me, 'what u running it on?' so i replied 'optimax' he then said, i can smell it as i come up the hill behind u!!
I got pulled for being silly and doin 85 in a country area with a 40 mph limit, the officer told me he could only hazard a guess at what speed i was goin and he also told me he struggled to catch me, and started to ask what mods etc it had! he was in an s60 t5!!!!
Anyways, he let me off, and i have slowed down!! i was gutted cause it was 5 degrees celsius and i wanted to get that lovely cool air into my intake!!!
Sorry to go on, Don

[Al115]

I don't know answer to your fuel question (what are the chances your car is running very rich?) but MAN you were lucky to get let off for that kind of speed!

[DONKEYT5]

How can i detect if it is running rich and if it is, what can i do about it???

[spesh]

Pull the plugs out and have a lillte look wat colour they are! That should give you some indication. Jammy sod you got away with that, wish we had coppers like that down here with me.
You have had that car 2 mins and you have broke it already, lol.

[DONKEYT5]

ur just jealous i never got caught!!! we have 'reasonable' policemen up here!! i estimate i was doin 85, thats what speed i was doin when i looked down after braking, the copper couldnt tell how fast i was goin!
it aint enough to be lucky, u gotta be good!

[Al115]

Er - if it's running very rich, you can tell by ignoring it for two years and then failing the emissions test at MOT!

Or, more usefully, have a wide-band lambda probe monitored / logged while you drive.

Or look at the plugs (but the symptoms might take a while to show there?)

Or....?

[DONKEYT5]

will a decent garage be able to tell?

[DONKEYT5]

so what causes it to run 'rich'? is it a major problem and willl it cause permanent damage? How is it fixed?
Don

[John Ret.]

I'm pretty sure mine's running rich.

It smells like it and I've got the Lambda light on already .

[DONKEYT5]

my lambada light isnt on yet!! my bloody starter motor went on me today too!