I have about 1900 miles on my PT Cruiser and it has worked very well until recently. Now, when I stop and go at a stop sign, usually while making a turn, I get a very strange smell in the car. If it is an exhaust odor, it is different from any I've smelled before. It smells more like cat urine, actually. But it only occurs as I mentioned above. Straight stop and go results in no odor. ANy ideas?
2004 PT Cruiser - New unusual smell
Sep 13, 2004
5 Replies
This sounds like the same problem that previous models had in the A/C Ducts. Moisture collects and turns sour inside the ductwork.
The turning motion activation is a new wrinkle, but I could guess that it is moving the water where the odor can be dissapated by the air flow through the ducts,
CLK ... interesting handle ... :-)
Could it be a smell like "rotten eggs"? That would make me think about the cathalytic converter ...
No it is definately not "rotten egg smell". I have experience with that. Nor can it be from water in AC ducts. That would appear either all the time or at least much more often.
My odor only appears as mentioned, I believe it has something to do with the exhaust but can't imagine what is the cause.
When my 2002 was brand new, ( a month old) It developed a burnt-oil smell, no leaks anywhere, from what I saw and found out, it was probably a coating burning off the engine. Never gave me any trouble, just smelled for a while. It went away slowly, but I kept an eye on all fluid levels all the time.
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