'04 Suzuki Forenza interior fumes

Hey All,

I have a 2004 Suzuki Forenza, 5spd with ~45k miles. Over the last two weeks I have noticed exhaust fumes in the passenger compartment during this scenario:

-Blower is on

-Car is stopped for more than 3-5 seconds

-Only when car is fully warmed up

-Hot/Cold temperature selector doesn't matter

-recirc solves the problem completely

-What I had done:

-removed leaves and debris from intake between hood and windshield

-checked exhaust manifold for cracks

-checked exhaust pipe connections to cat for any leaks and/or soot

-Looked (the best I could) for vacuum lines or something that might have become disconnected

-Checked PCV

Does anyone have any other idea what could cause this all of a sudden and only when the vehicle is completely warmed up? This car does do most trips between 1 and 3 miles, stop and go in the Denver area. On another note, I had 10 gals of fuel that was 1 year old with a double dose of stabil in it. I change it out annually and usually put it in my truck. Truck was full so I put it in this car. I can't remember if the fumes started after that or not but it seems it might have been around the same time. Could that cause the problem? Car is down to

1/2 tank and I figure when it gets to 1/4, I'll put in fresh fuel.

TIA,

Derek

Reply to
genius
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I dont think the Stabil has anything whatsoever to do with your problem. Those types of formulations are antioxidants, and are used in relatively small concentrations. They burn relatively cleanly.

The situation you describe sounds like you have a leak somewhere externally, and that when you stop the fumes get drawn into the car.

If it is really exhaust fumes you smell, there has to be a leak in the exhaust system somewhere EVEN toward the back of the exhaust pipe as it tries to exit from under the car. My first advice is to get the car to a muffler shop or up on a life and look much closer.

Might it be that you are dripping a little bit of oil onto the exhaust manifold or exhaust pipe from, say, a seeping valve cover gasket? That creates noxious smells, but is different from an exhaust leak.

Let us know what you find, but be sure and dont let this drop. Fumes like this can kill you.

Reply to
hls

Thanks for the info. It's strange since I can feel the air getting sucked in the intake in front of the dirver between windshield and hood but there's no smell there. I guess this weekend, I'll get it up in the air and take a look at the rest of the exhaust. So far I only looked at what I could see laying on the gorund. The oil pan is slightly damp but there's no drips or any real oil leak and I know what oil on the manifold smells like. This smells different. Thanks for the help.

Reply to
genius
************Air sucked in at the cowling would normally dilute any exhaust fumes on the exterior of the car so that they might not be even noticeable.

I have noted many times that even small leaks, sometimes as far back as the resonator muffler, or where an exhaust tip has rotted off, can cause fumes to come inside the car.

Agreed, oil on a manifold or exhaust pipe has a smell which is easily distinguished by most people from exhaust fumes.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

Reply to
hls

I finally gave up and took the car to my local mechanic. He knew what it was immediately and for $88, the smell is now gone. I guess on the back side of the engine, under the intake there's a plastic crankcase vent hose that had cracked. It wasn't exhaust fumes I was smelling but it was crankcase fumes. This required removal of the valve cover and a new hose. All seems well now and thank to all that tried to help.

D

genius wrote:

Reply to
genius

Sounds like you've got a good mech. Sometimes that works out best. Crankcase fumes are blowby, so there's not much difference from exhaust. Worse probably. Dumped a VW 1600 mostly because I could never properly seal the engine hatch from leaking crankcase fume. Bad stuff to my nose. Made me hate that car.

--Vic

Reply to
Vic Smith

Yeah, he's a really good mech. Still can't believe I didn't see that but it's so cold I only looked from the top, not underneath. The crankcase fumes are worse than exhaust I think. Within 15 secs, stopped at a light, my eyes watered and lungs felt like they were on fire. It sucks to roll the windows down in -10 degrees.

Reply to
genius

My 70's Ford Capri had a peculiar problem where exhaust would be sucked into the interior. This was a common problem with the model and was caused by a leaky trunk lid gasket. Most of the time we'd just drive with the windows open but it was just awful if it was cold or rainy and we wanted the windows up. Oddly enough, another common problem with the cars was that the back seat vent windows had a tendency to fall out so that helped a little. :-)

Reply to
dsi1

My brother had one of those. Was it German? Shift cable froze up requiring a new one. Twice.

--Vic

Reply to
Vic Smith

Yes it was German. Too bad it wasn't made with better materials that didn't fall off or fail or freeze up or rust away - other than that, it was a pretty good car. :-)

Reply to
dsi1

genius wrote in news:7510f567-c5c3-43d5-897d- snipped-for-privacy@o9g2000prg.googlegroups.com:

Crankcase fumes are WAY worse than exhaust. They contain everything the catalytic converter neutralizes when basically the same stuff makes it down the exhaust pipe, except that it's not neutralized yet.

Plus crankcase gases contain lots more unburnt fuel than exhaust gas.

Modern unleaded ethanolized gasoline produces eye-searing, nose rotting exhaust in cars with no cats, so imagine that coming directly out of your crankcase.

Reply to
Tegger

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