[V8] car smells bad when running

[Bryan Kamerer]

I had this problem with my first '91 when I lived in New York, and in the
winter only.  It was some formulation of gas they used only in winter, and
that the cat didn't like. It was mostly from the Mobil stations that then
were the main places I bought gas along the Thorughway.  I switched brands
and it was gone.

Bryan


On Mon, Jan 21, 2013 at 2:47 PM, Ed Kellock <ekellock at gmail.com> wrote:

> Another long-shot suggestion... a plastic bag melted to the catalytic
> converter, slowing burning off as you drive.
>
> Ed
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: quattro-bounces at audifans.com [mailto:quattro-bounces at audifans.com]
> On
> Behalf Of Fred Munro
> Sent: Monday, January 21, 2013 3:38 PM
> To: 'Kent McLean'; quattro at audifans.com
> Cc: 'v8-list'; doubldz at aol.com
> Subject: RE: car smells bad when running
>
>
> Dee;
>
> In addition to the items Kent mentioned, if the odour smells like rotten
> eggs it could be a problem with the catalytic converter. The sulphur in
> gasoline is normally oxidized to sulphur dioxide. If the catalytic
> converter
> is defective or raw fuel is bring burned in the CAT in an oxygen-lean
> environment, the sulphur can be emitted as hydrogen sulphide, which is the
> compound that gives rotten eggs that characteristic perfume. Sometimes
> switching to a different brand of gasoline with a lower sulphur content
> will
> reduce the odour, but if the CAT is bad you may have to replace it.
>
> HTH
>
> Fred Munro
> '97 S6
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: quattro-bounces at audifans.com [mailto:quattro-bounces at audifans.com]
> On
> Behalf Of Kent McLean
> Sent: Monday, January 21, 2013 5:09 PM
> To: quattro at audifans.com
> Cc: v8-list; doubldz at aol.com
> Subject: Re: car smells bad when running
>
> EllenO wrote:
> > ... my car smells really bad when its running ...
> > Dee
> > 1990 Pearl V8q
>
> It could be a few things:
>
> 1) Oil dripping from the engine onto the hot exhaust.  It's probably an
>     old seal or maybe a sensor leaking.  When the car is parked, open the
>     hood and see if it smells worse in the engine bay. You might even see
>     smoke from where it's hitting the exhaust.
>
> 2) Antifreeze. This wold be a sweeter smell. If it is stronger inside
>     the car than in the engine bay, it might be the heater core leaking.
>     Look for a wet, sticky spot in the front floor wells. The heater
>     core is up inside the dash and is 8+ hours of labor to get to and
>     replace.
>
> 3) If the car has been parked for a while, don't discount a dead mouse
>     that made its home inside the ventilation system.  Stick you finger
>     in the coolant overflow tank and smell it. Pull the oil dipstick and
>     smell it.  If your bad smell isn't one of those, it might be a dead
>     critter.
>
> I CC'd the V8 list as they may have more insight.
>
> --
> Kent McLean
> Audi-less for the first time since Bad Puppy.
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