Sunday I got in my car and noticed a distinctive odor coming from the a/c and to my surprise not cold air. The temp seems to work as well as the fan and controls.
View 5 RepliesFor the past month or so I've noticed that there are a few strange smells coming from the air vents on my GTI. Firstly, if the car sits for awhile and then is started it smells like that model airplane glue or some kind of strong adhesive inside the cabin. It goes away rather quickly. The second one worries me more. When I run the car hard for a few minutes (higher speeds, highway pull or two, etc.) and then come to a stop at a light, there is a very distinctive "burning" smell. It might sound gross, but the closest thing I can think of that smells like it is the smell in a dentists office when you're getting a cavity drilled out of a tooth.
View 7 RepliesIn the last few weeks the odor coming out of my AC is pretty stinky. Is there something I can check easily or does this require a dealer visit? Also in the last month I hear a strange "warbling" noise as if my car was on SUV tires. I do not work on my own car but would love to learn if it isn't too hard .
View 14 RepliesCo-Worker's '03 Jetta TDI
Blower works intermittently. Sometimes all speeds will work. Sometimes only on high. Sometimes on all speeds but at a slower speed than normal. Sometimes it doesn't work on any speed.
Switch doesn't bind, blower motor doesn't make any unusual noises and I don't think it is the blower resistor. He did notice a strange odor coming from the vents the other day and, it appears that the foam on the blend door is starting to disintegrate.
I have a 2004 prius with about 350k miles on it, bought it about a year ago and we have had our first trouble with it (it's been great so far, and when you consider it's mileage, pretty impressive).
We were driving along and a constant alarm started (beeeeep!!!) and lights on the dash lit up. I assumed it was cranky because the rear hatch wasn't closed or something and kept driving (we didn't have far to go). It wasn't long before smoke with a distinctive burnt electronics smell started coming up from the dash at the front left lower corner of the windshield. Then the brakes started to feel very unresponsive and sluggish (no regenerative braking either). She still runs and drives. So here is where I am now:
The car screams constantly and the brake light, ABS light and the (!) light are all lit.
I've been poking about and figured out that my inverter coolant pump isn't working properly. At this point I am wondering if this is just pure coincidence though (i.e. perhaps its not been working for awhile). I will be replacing this soon.
I checked the error codes and they all seemed to be un-related and or old (catalytic converter not working properly, ran out of fuel, etc). I cleared them and no new ones are populating. (car has only been driven around the block 3 times though)
The 12 V battery seems to be working fine, and it's getting the proper charging voltage. (voltage tested through the console under various conditions)
I have reset the braking system (bridging the #4 and #13 pins thing) and this turned the buzzer and lights off for about 20 seconds. Still no proper brakes. And of course the noise and lights just come back. Still no error codes via my Bluetooth reader and smartphone.
I have my doubts that replacing the inverter pump will fix this brake issue. I am familiar with working on cars, but this is my first foray with 1) a modern car and 2) a Prius. (Previous cars are all mid 90s or older, so I'm a little bit overwhelmed here...)
I have a 2001 VW Jetta 1.8T manual transmission... I just purchased it...upon starting it up, it runs fine... After I have run it for a while, it gets a distinctive, constant, pretty fast ticking sound near the engine...
It's hard to pinpoint where it is coming from, but it seems to be coming from the right side of the engine or from an EGR valve?
It only makes the ticking sound AFTER it has fully warmed up and i have driven it awhile...and only at idle...if i rev up the engine, it goes away instantly...but starts again when it idles...
My 8-year-old (2003), 134k mile Nissan Maxima has a new quirk. When the car is started from completely cold (as in over night), there is a distinctive intermittent squeaking noise (think water being rubbed against glass) coming from the left front somewhere near the tire. The car only does this for about 5 minutes or so until it's warmed up and it has to be going 20 miles an hour before it starts. Once the car is up and running you can turn it on and off all day, let it sit for a few hours even, and it's fine. What's going on?
View 4 RepliesOver the last 2 days here in NJ were its been cold. When starting the Treg and get out of the car I smell a strong odor of gas from the Exhaust. This normal? Haven't had this smell before. Seems like it drives normal. Don't get to drive it everyday anymore. Only on weekends as my wife take the Treg to work now.
View 7 RepliesI remember reading very recently about someone who found a fix to the strong fuel odor on cold starts. I can't seem to find it anywhere. I think it mentioned something about a bad ignition coil or something.
View 4 RepliesHad a bad smell coming from the a/c vents when you first turn it on. Goes away after a couple minutes but it stinks... My passat still under warranty, wanna be able to tell them what's wrong when I take it in.
View 11 RepliesI purchased a used 2007 prius last month. Back then, I noticed a faint smell that reminded me of a barn, horse along those lines. I didn't smell too often because the car still smelled of whatever dealer cleaned with. Now that "fragrance" has worn off, the "horse" odor is more intense. I notice that it smells more in the back seat.
This morning I smelled the vent, and it seems to be coming from there.I heard it was the battery duct battery insulators that accumulate a sticky substance that smells.
Decided to take my 2013 GS to work today since I haven't been driving it as much after getting another commuter car. It was sitting in the garage for about 4 days. Didn't quite go wide open throttle, but did push it a little this morning on the freeway and noticed a stank rotten egg/sulfur smell after I did that. Spoke with a former Lexus tech and he told me it's normal. Performance did not seem to be impacted.
View 8 RepliesI’m owning a Honda Accord for last 6 months and I have noticed a bad odor coming from the AC. I tried many air fresheners and similar options. But, nothing worked. When I talk about the same issue with my friend who is a mechanic ( Apex automotive ) in Edmonton, he told that the first thing I need to do is change the cabin filter. Right now, I’m thinking of doing it. What else do I need to check a brand new one?
View 10 RepliesMy wife and I purchased 2014 Toyota Camry SE and now just only 6000+ miles on it and couple of weeks ago we noticed bad smell coming out of the AC.
We will be taking our car to the dealership tomorrow for cleaning.... It is frustrating since it is a brand new car,and we are all suffering from allergies.
I just had a customer drop off their 2001 Chevy S10 pickup with a complaint of a gas odor coming from the vehicle. They said this had been happening for about a month. Before bringing it to me they brought to another shop and they were told that the top of gas tank was rusted out.
When they arrived, I took a flashlight and thru the rear wheel well I could see that the gas tank was made of plastic. And at the same I could see that half the fuel pump wasn't completely seated down to the top of the gas tank and there was gas all over the top of the fuel pump and on top of the gas tank.
If the gas tank is leaking this bad, why hasn't the Check Engine light come on with an EVAP code? This is an OBII vehicle. And if you leave the gas cap loose the Check Engine light comes on.
And I did check to see if the Check Engine light worked with the ignition in the run position. And it does.
Every morning, just as I get into my car and right before I press start engine, I have to hold my breath for a few seconds because there is odor coming from my vents. It lasts for a few seconds. 2013 RX ...
View 13 RepliesI bought a New Toyota Camry in November of 2012. It is a 2012 model. Since we bought the car in November we rarely ran the AC. Well summer is in , and we recently began running the AC on a daily basis. About a month ago we began having a foul/musty odor coming out of the AC. We brought it to the dealer twice.
The second time we brought it back, the dealer told me that they believe the problem is my dogs.Because there was a very minimal amount of hair on the seat covers. Rat terrier and jack Russel. They are white and I noticed the hair thing after the first ride with us. So they do not ride in the car anymore. What upsets me the most is the fact the dealer wants to charge me to take the AC apart and clean it.
Told me the only reason they could account for the odor is pet dander. They did flush the ac through the drain hole and installed a charcoal filter. Same thing it lasted about 1 week. Is there a simple resolution to this? I am at wits end. Because it has under 10 K miles, I do not feel I should have to run the heater or do anything to get rid of the odor. It is hot enough here in Fl.
09 Corolla S. Odor from the vents when air / AC is on. I know about the TSB. [URL] …..
Has it been pegged to one particular problem ? Is it a clogged drain, evaporator / coil , cabin air filter, or all of the above ?
I can do the CAF and probably even the foam - out / deodorizer before hitting up the dealer. Was curious what other's course of action was.
I am having this serious issue with my 2007 gs350 awd, whenever I'm on the highway or any were, the air is contaminated with any odor for example (skunk, garbage, smoke from old car) the smell comes in through the vents, I've changed the cabin air filter and still same problem, how to get it resolved?
View 4 RepliesI have a problem that I cannot pinpoint. For at least 2 months now, I have noticed a strong odor almost like a diesel coming from the exhaust. I replaced the plugs, wires, air filter and cleaned out the throttle body but it remains. No check engine light and runs smooth. Also, noticed a significant loss of coolant from the overflow bottle. Filling it every 3 days. Took it out to inspect for holes or cracks and nothing. Not sure if all these are related. Every oil change the used oil smells like fuel. I was thinking rings going bad but don't think that would solve the coolant loss which is unseen. Everything under the hood is dry.
View 5 RepliesOK, I've been reading a lot about this problem occurring in the pre 2010 prius where there is a crack around the hatch that fills the 12V battery well with water. About a month ago, I started getting a whiff of something rotting. A mix of the dead smell and rotting fruit. I was certain one of my kids left some food in the car or something got in the HVAC vent. As time has gone by, the odor has changed to more of a rotting leaves kind of smell.
I got out my shopvac and a snake camera. I went through the HVAC system and found that the filter was pulled back a bit. I replaced it on the spot. I found a few leaves and dust and that was it. The air coming from the vents from the outside smells clean. There were lots of wet leaves in the engine bay, but it wasn't the problem.
I started tearing apart the trunk because sometimes stuff spills into the tire well. I found the spare tire had turned brown on the tread.
I opened the battery compartment and found about an inch of standing milky white water. The kicker here is that the water didn't seem to smell that bad! I dried it all up and bleached the metal to kill any mold that might be in the residue...but the odor remains. The car smells awful!
I have torn apart the back of the car but I cannot find the source of the leak. I actually think it was from the car wash or going through a puddle and water got in the rear vent. The battery fender vent vanes were flapping with gusts of wind today, but even after a heavy rainstorm no new water has gotten in.
The car was hit in the parking lot and the rear fender moved about an 1/8th of an inch from the bumper, but there are no obvious signs of water entry anywhere... in fact, I was even suspicious that it might have come from the battery itself, but I didn't touch it (used paper towels on a snake to dry it up under there). I didn't think to try baking soda to see if it was an acid, which makes bleach pretty stupid to use...but I didn't see any foaming.
TL;DR Found water in my 12V battery compartment. My car smells bad. Cleaning out water did not improve smell. Nothing in HVAC system, it is only clean air source in car. No signs of water ingress above 12v battery well. After rainstorm, no additional water found in battery well. Fender vent flaps in gusty wind, but still no new water.