Sniffing Out Trouble: Recognizing 3 Smelly Automotive Problems

Diagnosis is often the most challenging part of dealing with any automotive issue. Many problems can produce similar symptoms, and mechanics need to use their experience, knowledge, and specialized tools to get to the bottom of these tricky complaints. However, experienced mechanics have another valuable tool at their disposal: their noses.



While not every problem with your car will produce a fragrant warning sign, your sense of smell can alert you to a surprising number of issues. If you've already learned that you can spot automotive trouble just by listening, then check out these three potentially pungent problems.

1. Rotten Catalytic Converters

Your catalytic converter is crucial for your car's exhaust and emissions systems. This component is essentially a fancy chemistry experiment built into your exhaust stream. As combustion gases pass through the converter, it uses heat to create a reaction that reduces them into less harmful substances. This process generally produces oxygen, nitrogen, and slightly less benign carbon dioxide.

Unfortunately, a failing catalytic will produce another gas: hydrogen sulfide. This substance has the telltale odor of rotten eggs. Depending on the severity of the problem, you may even be able to smell this gas inside the cabin. Smelling any exhaust gases in your car is a severe warning sign, but a rotten egg smell means you've likely got a catalytic converter problem.

Replacing a catalytic converter isn't fun, but you'll also want your mechanic to look into the problem a little more deeply. Catalytic converters often fail when unburnt fuel enters the exhaust stream, which means you may have another issue. Resolving this problem will ensure that your new catalytic converter doesn't suffer the same smelly fate as your old one.

2. Burnt-Out Clutches

If you drive a manual transmission vehicle, you'll likely eventually need a clutch replacement. Worn-out clutches often produce a range of drivability symptoms, including gear slippage and even problems starting from a dead stop. Once your clutch fails entirely, you probably won't even be able to turn your car on.

However, you have another potentially far more noticeable sign of a clutch that's in trouble. Burnt clutch material can often produce an extremely unpleasant odor. If you've ever smelled burning brakes, the smell of a burnt clutch is similar but often far more intense and pungent. This acrid smell indicates that your clutch slips far more than it should under normal circumstances.

If you already suspect problems with the clutch, a strong odor can signify that a replacement is in your near future. On the other hand, this can also be a sign of poor driving habits. If you can frequently detect this odor, you may want to adjust how you start and shift your car to avoid prolonged clutch slippage. A few minor driving adjustments may drastically increase the lifespan of your clutch.

3. Leaky Exhaust Systems

Your car's exhaust system has a surprising number of roles to fill. A correctly functioning exhaust system reduces harmful gas emissions, controls noise levels, and directs exhaust fumes away from the cabin. Automotive engineers need to design vehicle exhaust systems to do all this while also flowing freely enough to avoid sapping the engine's power.

Unfortunately, your car's exhaust also has plenty of locations that can spring leaks. Constant exposure to the elements, engine vibrations, and even physical impacts can all damage your exhaust system and allow gases to escape from locations other than your muffler. When these leaks occur, you may smell exhaust fumes inside the cabin.

Any time you can smell fumes in the cabin, you should take immediate action. Exhaust gases can be harmful, and excessive amounts of carbon dioxide in an enclosed space can even be fatal. In this case, your nose is letting you know that your vehicle has a severe problem that you need to address as soon as possible.

Powers Transmissions can help you sniff out any trouble you may have with your car, smelly or not. Give us a call when you're ready to get to the bottom of your automotive issues.