That Nasty Egg Smell

[rockinvibe]

Has anyone else encountered that nasty egg smell, after you first drive the car for a couple of miles. I was blaming the guy I take to work, however he wasn't in the car yesterday, and I smelled it again. My guess is the convertor, but I wanted to know if anyone else smelled it too ? Steve

[Vibe Rater]

I would just keep blaming the guy you take to work. Tell him he has ruined your new car by farting on the seat. Tell him he needs to see a doctor. He needs to know that eating so many pickled eggs will aid in raising his bad cholesteral, which can lead to heart disease. The little pickled sausages in the big jar beside the pickled eggs aren't much better.

[csjrishere]

I get the same smell and I buy my gas at BP.

[millster]

quote:I get the same smell and I buy my gas at BP.Quite honestly, I would avoid BP. I had no end to trouble with my Saturn (not that that thing wasn't trouble to being with, but BP really upset it) when I was using BP gas. Like SilverAWD, I've had the best luck with Mobil.

[Flip-Side]

quote:I get the same smell and I buy my gas at BP.Hmmm...I always though BP was good gas. Oh well. You cant go wrong with Mobil, Shell, Amoco, Texaco, and Chevron. They are all clean burning and dont have alcohol added to them, so they have always given me good performance. Auto makers in Detroit transport Chevron fuel long distances because of the quality and help it gives in passing emmisions tests. Texaco and Chevron are the same company.

[m4VibeGT]

FYI. Amoco was bought by BP. So all Amoco stations in my area are now switching to the green and yellow "BP" signs.

[vibe owner]

Unless you're breathing exhaust, the gasoline has nothing to do with the smell. There is a thread at matrixvibe.org that claims there is a Technical Service Bulletin about rotten egg smell, but the TSB itself isn't posted yet.

[vibe owner]

The cat could run hot because of a fuel choice, but there still has to be something outside the converter that smells when it gets hot. I'm guessing some part of the exhaust is touching some undercoated part, probably only briefly when the engine torque bends stuff around when you start in first gear. I'd look for tight clearances where the exhaust pipe passes under the car.

[millster]

quote:Unless you're breathing exhaust, the gasoline has nothing to do with the smell. There is a thread at matrixvibe.org that claims there is a Technical Service Bulletin about rotten egg smell, but the TSB itself isn't posted yet.Do you mean MatrixVibe.net? MatrixVibe.org is but a memory now. The TSB states that if you are not seeing a CEL then switch your fuel. Yes, a failing catalytic converter can smell, but more than likely it's the fuel. Refined petroleum contains a certain amount of sulfur and different brands of petrol contain different amounts of sulfur. This excess sulfur is then burned off in the cat and there's your spoiled egg smell.

[millster]

No problem. My Saturn dealer and I went round and round on this one. Finally, he showed me the info and told me to stay away from BP. Once I went to Mobil the smell went away.

[millster]

No, driving it hard won't help. One thing I forgot to mention is that different brands also differ by state and region. Just because one brand is bad say on the east coast doesn't mean it will be bad on the west coast. To stick with out BP example, they market a low-sulfur product to Colorado, California and Washington, to name a few. This is done to meet with emissions standards and remain competitive in those markets. However, to save the cost of the extra refinement, states with no or lesser restrictions are sold a different product.

[vibe owner]

Sorry millster and silver, but I'm still not buying it. Unless the smell is only noticed while standing still? If you're driving, any smell coming out of your exhaust will never get inside your car.

[millster]

quote:Sorry millster and silver, but I'm still not buying it. Unless the smell is only noticed while standing still? If you're driving, any smell coming out of your exhaust will never get inside your car. I've never noticed a smell from my Vibe, only my past vehicles and it can be smelled while driving. As I stated earlier it was only an issue until I changed the brand of fuel I was buying. The only times I've smelled anything exhaust related in the Vibe was driving behind a poorly tuned vehicle with my climate control fan running. It is possible there is a problem, though you should have some other indication than just a smell. If you suspect there really is an issue, contact your dealer and keep us posted on what they find.

[Lorin]

quote:This excess sulfur is then burned off in the cat and there's your spoiled egg smell. H2S is the classic rotten egg gas - other sulfurous compounds can smell similar but even stronger. You only need 1-2 parts per million of H2S before you can smell it - that's not very much! Change to a gas with less sulfur and you solve the problem. That is, as long as the source wasn't the passenger f@rting in your seat! Refer to the waterproof seat cover discussion in the "Interior" forum for 'extreme' cases!

[MadBill]

"And yes, you can smell fumes sometimes when you are inside your vehicle, it can happen."[/QUOTE]I'm with silverawd26 on this one! You can definietly get a whiff of your own exhaust from time to time! Also, a number of cars have had similar problems over the years (some recent Fords for one) I believe certain formulations of the precious metals in the converter make it more efficent at converting the high sulphur content in some fuels to a noxious compound named hydrogen sulphide ("rotten egg gas")I think I heard that the Platinum/Paladium/Rhodium mix in the Vibe's converter was revised, possibly late last summer, for this reason. About all an owner can do is to find a low-sulphur brand of fuel and stick with it. (You could try complaining to the dealer, but he will likey blame the fuel.) For what it's worth, my base Vibe, built in November '02, has never stunk me out, even with Esso, the highest sulphur fuel in Canada.

[philndz]

anyone drive w/ the rear glass open....hehe...i do on local drives. under 40mph on nice days.....give it some gas and u'll get a whiff.i wouldnt do this w/o all your windows and the moonroof open though b/c then u need to worry about carbon monoxide and what not....so be careful

[philndz]

mine must have more pressure in the shocks than yours then b/c it doesnt move up there at all....no matter what i drive over.i have a 10-15 minute drive back from local state park and after mountain biking on a warm day its awesome to have 6 open air holes in the car....especially when ive got a few stinky peeps ridin in it....!

[philndz]

most of our suburban roads are well paved...and the vibe simply refuses to take to the trails like the old jeep! <<darn!!

[philndz]

gas saver?............whats it help?

[msmyer]

Check this out .... http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=1026 I have around 9,200 miles on mine now and i don't have that problem anymore!

[good vibes]

I also have smelled rotten eggs usually when I back into my "parking spot" at home. I get my gas from various stations. And I smell it most of the time. I'm guessing it is just the cat eating the easter bunny!

[good vibes]

I could do that. It's just a matter of either driving into Jersey, about 15 minutes and getting less expensive gas or staying here and paying another 10 cents per gallon. Hmm what would you do? I think I'll give my money to Jersey!

[Sputnik]

Here's another earlier thread on the same topic...http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=1189Might give ya more information on the smell.

[good vibes]

See the thing that has me wondering is why this waasn't an issue with my last vehicle 1991 Nissan Pickup or any of my parents cars, '01 civic, '02 S-10 ZR2, '97 Yukon. None of them have this problem and we all use different gas stations all the time. I am thinking it could be an issue with our cars.

[coratz]

if it was a major isuse gm would have issued a tsb by now. a recall on 2 cats on the vibe would cost a heck off a lot of money!!. i dont see it happening. i think the cats in canada have like an 8 year warenty. just let your car warm up before flooring it.

[good vibes]

It is definately a Cat Issue you should complaint o your dealer and be a pest about having them replace it. It is NOT NORMAL even if everyone does smell it. Bad exhaust is NOT A GOOD THING.

[coratz]

that smell is the cats actually doing their job.

[NovaResource]

I usually only get the smell if I drive it hard before the car fully warms up. Once the cat is hot the smell goes away.

[good vibes]

I talked to my mom about it (she works at a Pontiac dealer in Jersey and is having the service manager look into it for us. I'll keep you posted on what is said.

[meathead333]

wow, that funny, i too have smelt that egg/sulfer smell a few times. never thought it was me. maybe ill have to shuv a tic-tac up my cars tail pipe from time to time.

[good vibes]

he he he so am I.

[Fredf]

Thanks...I'll try Mobil

[viberations]

rockin, i work at pontiac dealership, we have this all the time, and most of the cause the chemicals in the gas, 5% methanol on pumpsis most likely the cause,and there really is no way to get rid of it sincemost companys use it in there fuel. i have 28k on my vibe and stillget the smell, it builds up in the catalyst and lets out at certin timesreally unavoidable

[joatmon]

For me the problem isn't so much that the exhaust smells bad, it's that people can smell it inside their cars. I've been lucky and haven't had this problem, probably because I've been buying my gas at the same station, and maybe their brand is less likely to stink. Don't know, maybe just luck.I noticed an extra sound when I shut my hatch, and after looking around I found that there are vents in the back on both sides. These are a black plastic frame, and have some sort of rubberized fabric flaps that normally hang down to keep them closed. I guess they are there to provide a pressure release when you shut the doors or the hatch, and maybe also to provide somewhere for the air to go when you've got the heater/AC fan on. I wonder if people who have constant recurring problems with the "rotten egg" smell might have a problem with these vents sealing. Also, after seeing these, I'll make sure that I have lots of positive ventilation going on, to keep from drawing air in through them.There's also a clear blue plastic hose on both sides, and I can see on the underside where hose comes through, not connected to anything. Must be some kind of drain. I can't see where it goes on the inside. I've got the M&T, so it may be for the moonroof, can't tell. Anybody know what the hoses are for?

Attached files

[viberations]

joat nice work,

[joatmon]

quote:There's also a clear blue plastic hose on both sides, and I can see on the underside where hose comes through, not connected to anything. Must be some kind of drain. I can't see where it goes on the inside. I've got the M&T, so it may be for the moonroof, can't tell. Anybody know what the hoses are for? Found a service manual and saw that the hoses are drains for the sunroof.