Car question, not audio related, but odor related

hellohello

As some of you know, I have a 2001 sentra, its a nice car overall, but theres one thing ive noticed since ive gotten it and i cant quite explain. Let me paint the scenario. Youre on the highway, stuck behind an old lady barely doing the speed limit when the lane next to you opens up. You step on the gas to speed up and pass the old bag in the aforementioned open lane. Standard driving procedure. Now heres something I noticed in my car, about maybe 30 seconds after i initially hit the gas to speed up, i get a faint odor of gas or exhaust in the cabin. Its kinda like a combination of the two. I cant think of any other time ive smelled this in anyone elses car. It seems to eminate from the front of the car, through the dash... It doesnt make me light headed or anything, but its there for a good 2-3 minutes and i cant think of what it could be. I looked at the manifold, it looks fine, and its only when I accelerate hard. Any ideas as to what this mysterious odor could be?

Mike B.

With a 01 car , I'd hit a Autozone and take advantage of a free odb2 scan. This will rule out a sensor or electrical switch in the emmissions system. I'd carfully look over all hoses/vacume lines for frays,or wear.
For example; Vw's (VR6) have a breather hose off the valve cover that would weep a drop of oil under hard driving, in turn it would drip onto the hearder and burn off,smell. Adding a regular clamp fixes it.
With a fuel odor , take care to look over the fuel lines, injector rail, injectors, and evaprative(sp?) system.

When I work on friends cars the 1st thing I usally do is give the engine bay a quick wash. Warm the engine(NOT HOT) ,spray it with a mist of water,mist it with simple green, rinse lightly with water after 5-10 mins.

I'll add more when I'm fully awake,

hellohello

uhhhh... ive never had luck putting water on an engine, usually makes things worse

audiobliss

I don't know how different engines handle it, but I can't wash the engine in my '95 Cherokee; it'll mess it up. It could be ok in a 2001 Sentra, though - I don't know.

That's a good idea to get a scan done, especially if it's free.

Mike B.

If a little bit of water messes somthing up , the engines a hunk of crap, .Do you think it stays dry when driving in the rain?
When I say mist , I use a plant mist tip,and dont soak it . I avoid spraying the dist/coilpack directly. You can leave the engine running , in fact thats how most dealers locate bad coil packs, wires,.... they mist the suspected part with water while its running.
A clean engine bay is MUCH easier to locate defective parts in.
Also if you dont regularly get on it , it maybe road grime burning off the exhaust.

hellohello

well, i need an inspection soon, il have my brother look at it, he's a mechanic, but he has a short temper when it comes to "stupid questions" i.e. if the car runs, wtf is ur problem lol

audiobliss

haha...nice brother, lol.

I suppose misting shouldn't be a problem; I meant get a water hose and wash it off. I was told I shouldn't do that to my Jeep. But like you say, misting certainly is no more water than will get in there when driving in the rain.

hellohello

well, he works in a not so glamourous place with sub-human clientele... i tried to make it sound nicer than the way he describes it. He wants his own shop, but he cant afford it, being a mechanic and all. :rolleyes:

beardog03

If you simple green your motor you can do it cold,
Or start it up and do it while running, but if you start it and then spray the green on then turn it off to soak, let it cool back down for a few minutes, as not to crack anything or f up gaskets..

It` better to use a low power / power washer...just be careful where ya aim it..

hellohello

be careful as to avoid what?

audiobliss

...stuff that it might hurt...

Jstas

Wow.

DO NOT user a power washer of any sorts, not even a hose under the hood of your car. You can and will force water into places like electrical connections and such where it shouldn't be.

Go grab yourself a brush for washing your car from the auto parts store. Get the Simple Green or other degreaser. Regular car wash soap has a degreaser in it too. Dump some soap in a bucket and then fill the bucket with warm water. Use the brush to scrub down the greasy parts of the engine. To rise, use a bucket of clean cold water and just dunk the brush in and brush off the stuff you just cleaned. You are alot less likely to damage anything or cause a problem. You can do it the other ways that have been suggested but it has been my experience that that is quite a bad idea.

As for the fuel smell, I doubt anything is bad. Most Japanese cars, especially Mitsus and Nissans dump a ton of fuel into the engien when you go from a crusing RPM to a high RPM under WOT. This is to prevent the engine from knocking and/or leaning out and having disasterous consequences. If it only happens under WOT like when you are passing someone and you smell it after you let off, it is usually because the engine is no longer running hard enough to burn all the fuel in the fuel rails so it is flowing back down teh return lines to the tank. It is not necessarily unsual and a faint smell does not necessarily indicate a problem. If it worries you, get it looked at.

POLKOROLLA

the main thing to avoid when washing an engine is the distibutor. many people will wash their engine's while they are not running and then they will not start afterwards. this is usually caused by water in the distibutor. a quick fix is to remove the cap and spray the inside with wd-40. as far as the fuel odor if there is any leak in the fuel system or evap emissions system it should cause the check engine light to illuminate, but it still may not be a bad idea to have it scanned for any fault codes.

Jstas

What happens if your car doesn't have a distributor?

hellohello

thanks Jstas, even tho i have no idea who you are, lol, ur words are reassuring. I always thought engines and water didnt mix

POLKOROLLA

usually newer vehicles with individual coils instead of a distributor are not as easily harmed by water. either wat the safest method is to have the car cool and at idle to wash the engine

Jstas

Sorry, no more playing around here.

Water and electronics simply do not mix. If you are using high pressure water from a garden hose or anything more forceful in your engine bay, I will implore your to please stop this as soon as possible.

Not only will water work its way into electrical connections and cause corrosion but it can also short out the electrical system and blow fuses and breakers. The problem is that if there is enough water to bridge a fused connection, even if the fuse blows, current can still make its way down the line. You can end up not only frying coil packs, alternators and other expensive stuff but you can fry ECMs, drivetrain control computers, OBD systems and a slew of other parts that cost thousands to replace.

I have personally witnessed people wash thier engine bays with pressurized jets of water and caused anywhere from 200-3,000 bucks worth of damage. Not something you would want to mess with. Having the egnine warm or running will not prevent this. Also, shooting cold water onto a hot or warm intake or exhaust manifold is a good way to crack or break it. Forced water can also make its way into combustion chambers and oil resivoirs which is bad. Water doesn't lubricate like oils do. It doesn't handle the pressure that hydraulic oils like ATF and power steering fluid do and if in the combustion chamber, it can cause serious engine failure in enough quanities. Water is a liquid and liquids do not compress. Shoving something in the combustion chamber that doesn't compress is not a good thing considering the pressures that your typical engine operates under.




If you really want to degrease or detail your engine compartment, light solvents like what are found in automotive detergents or spray degreasers will work fine. Cheap alternatives that are less likely to harm seals and other soft parts are things like Ether (starting fluid) or napthalene. Do not user cleaners like brake cleaner or carb cleaner. They are very powerful and will melt plastic and rubber and cause glues that hold paper and cork gaskets together to deteriorate.

What I do to clean an engine is I get a few brushes. One is a big tire/wheel brush with soft bristles for a clearcoated wheel. This will not marr or scratch parts that shouldn't be marred or scratched. I also get a few nylon and natural fiber detail brushes. Metal bristle brushes will remove paints, damage seals and scratch softer finishes like aluminum or plastic intake manifolds and fuel injection systems. I also have a few old toothbrushes hanging around. They don't work so good for your teeth after a while but they still have use. For a detergent, I user regular car washing soap. If the grease is heavy and/or caked on I will get Gunk Engine Brite. Stuff works better than anything I have used yet. Probably because it contains a certain amount of kerosene which is a light oil and also a solvent. Then I use a little elbow grease. Let the degreaser do its thing and it will be easy to remove dirt, grease and grime with the brushes.

To rinse, I will either use the same wheel/tire brush or a clean one and a bucket of cold hose water. Dunk the brush in, pull it out, stick it right in the engine bay and rub the soap/cleaner/degreaser right off. Don't worry about any small amounts of residue, the engine gets hot enough to evaporate/burn it off. Don't leave degreasers and solves on paint, they will damage it. Let the engine air-dry. You will get small pools of water in places. If you are worried about looks for a show or something, use a rag to clean them up. Otherwise, they will go away eventually but leave water spots. The only issue there is that water spots on things like aluminum can cause nastly looking discolorization, especially on polished parts. They can also cause pitting which isn't good so use your best judgement. The reason you let it air dry is because standing water or water spots can cause the myriad of electrical connections under the hood to arc and short out. That's bad. Just let it dry off and it will be fine.

It would be best to disconnect the battery during this cleaning exercise not only to protect the delicate electronics in your car but for you own safety too. You'll also probably want to wear eye protection. Many surfaces on an engine are unfinsinhed and as a result they have a coarse texture which can cause brush bristles to get hung up and flick stuff everywhere as you scrub. The solvents, greases and dirt are not good to have in your eyes or near any other bodily soft tissue so take precautions as you see fit.

POLKOROLLA

wow dude, that was a good book and you have a lot of free time. i will agree not to use high pressure water, and i will also agree with your other comments. however engines by design do get wet and if you are going to wash your engine it seems to work better with a cool not hot running engine.

Jstas

wow, dude, did you even read my post? I didn't say to wash an engine running or even hot. Why would you want to stick your hands next to a hot engine? Engines may get wet but if you look at your engine bay, there are things put in place like wheel wells to limit the amount of water entering the engine bay. An engine bay will stay much more dry than you think even in a torrential downpour and driving down the highway at 65 MPH. On thing though, give me one good reason why you think engines are designed to get wet?

It didn't take long to write that post. Go ahead and keep disagreeing with me and putting words in my mouth. I can go at it all day long. I have tons of automotive experience under my belt and if I don't know the answer to something, I have resources to get the correct answer, quickly.

CrBoy

Jstas wrote:

Go ahead and keep disagreeing with me and putting words in my mouth. I can go at it all day long. I have tons of automotive experience under my belt and if I don't know the answer to something, I have resources to get the correct answer, quickly.

WOW!!! Take it easy pal...
Everybody is entitle to an opinion...

Jstas

The problem is not that people are entitled to opinions or that they even have opinions. The problem is when people try to pass off those opinions as facts.

hellohello

It sounds like you must work at the same place my brother does Jstas, lol

CrBoy

Jstas wrote:

The problem is not that people are entitled to opinions or that they even have opinions. The problem is when people try to pass off those opinions as facts.

You got that right, but we all make mistakes from time to time... that's how we learn...

neomagus00

ah, but throwing your mistakes back in someone's face - when you've been shown the light - is an entirely different thing...

Jstas

hellohello wrote:

It sounds like you must work at the same place my brother does Jstas, lol

Nah, 'cause if the owner of a vehicle says there is a problem, it is up to the mechanic to ask the questions and do the troubleshooting to determine if the "problem" exixts or not and if it does, to determine if the "problem" really is a problem. That's where knowledge and experience come in because they make the troubleshooting process easier. I'll listen to any problem you got, give an honest answer to any question and do my best to help out.

POLKOROLLA

jstas, i apologize and did not mean to offend. i have many years experience as a mechanic as well and i can tell you do also. my intentions were not to disregard your comments, rather i agree. i know you never said a hot engine also. i was just stating my opinion that i think washing the engine while it is running has always worked best for me. i know there are reasons not to do this, as there are reasons not to wash an engine at all i suppose. at any rate i was just tossing out my 2 cent and did not mean to offend.

neomagus00

YES! a confrontation has been avoided! polkorolla, i thank you for your honesty and you are always welcome to throw in your opinion... wrong though it may be...

audiobliss

I have new found respect for POLKOROLLA! Just so long as that 'orolla' in your name doesn't stand for a Toyota Corolla!

Jstas

No harm meant, sorry if I came off too strong. It was not easy to see where you were coming from and to whom your posts were directed. If I came off too harsh, I apologize but I hate seeing advice given that has the potential to do serious damage in the hands of a novice without proper warnings and precautions being taken. Wouldn't want someone **** up thier car and coming back and giving hell for it.

Then again, that is the beauty of advice, it's freely given and you don't even have to take it!

Opinions on the other hand, they are like ****, everyone has one, some just stink worse than others! The beauty of opinions are that they can't really be wrong or right. They can be inaccurate or lacking wisdom but never really wrong because they are based on personal experiences, ideas and feelings. All of those are subjective to a point but they cannot be substantiated in a factual sense. Therefore, if they cannot be proven right or wrong, how can an opinion be wrong?

Oh and don't mind neomagus00, he likes to cower in fear, practice complacency, avoid all forms of confrontation and is a lifetime member of the passive aggressive retort fanclub. :eek:

neomagus00

Jstas wrote:

Oh and don't mind neomagus00, he likes to cower in fear (i prefer the chain of logic that, just as discretion is the better part of valor, so is cowardice the better part of discretion), practice complacency (aka apathy), avoid all forms of confrontation (only the frivolous ones) and is a lifetime member of the passive aggressive retort fanclub (hey, why don't you say that to my face!... ee! no, run away!). :eek:

ah, such happiness :D

Jstas

neomagus00 wrote:

i prefer the chain of logic that, just as discretion is the better part of valor, so is cowardice the better part of discretion

We only fear what we don't understand and you can't understand if you don't question. Sometimes, discretion needs to be forsaken so that the questioning can take place.

neomagus00 wrote:

aka apathy

Don't confuse indifference with laziness now. Just because you are lazy doesn't mean you don't have a vested interest in your ability to practice freewill. Complacency through apathy does not necessarily allow for avoiding confrontations and certainly can't exist if fear is the driving force in your life. If you don't have a desire to see an outcome go one way or another then that is indifference and not necessarily laziness.

neomagus00 wrote:

only the frivolous ones

What would make a confrontation frivolous?

neomagus00 wrote:

hey, why don't you say that to my face!... ee! no, run away!

Hey, you had the chance at PolkFest to meet everyone and you didn't even introduce yourself. No one figured out who you were until the end of teh day and you had left by the time anyone decided that if you were going to introduce yourself, we would "confront" you and commence the introductions.

If I am not mistaken, is this not you in the yellow shirt in the foreground?