This sounds goofy, but we are noticing an especially foul odor from under the hood of our 2001 Forester. It only occurs after we have driven the car. The odor dissipates after a few minutes. It's a strange odor, like nothing I've ever smelled before. I've looked under the hood and everything looks clean and ship-shape. I'm a total auto novice, so I'm debating whether this merits a service call. Any suggestions or ideas?
Many thanks.
A broken seal or boot leaking fluid on hot exhaust system can be odor source. If you can drive on ramps and look underneath, it is easy to find. I had that problem on my '98 and it was repaired under drivetrain warranty. Frank
On 2006-03-13, SB penned:
This happened to my mom's car once. Turned out that mice were hiding dog food in the engine somewhere. It was amazingly expensive to get it all cleaned out, too.
Most likely so. CV boot split and that grease gets on exhaust - nasty smelling stuff from all reports.
Carl
I've also experienced mice building nests near the fan. You can imagine the result. Very expensive to have it cleaned too. Makes mechanics hate their job.
If this is the case, you might only smell because the fan is importing the odor.
Thanks to those who replied. A follow-up question if I might: If this were some kind of fluid leak, wouldn't we notice residue underneath the car? We park in the same spot every night, and we've never noticed any stains or fluid on our driveway.
Thanks
If it is a leaky boot, it is grease that will be leaking, not a fluid, and it will drip down onto your exhaust pipe and cat, thus the stink as the grease burns off.
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