smelly exhaust

[Throg]

I have a 2008 corolla ascent and I get Hydrogen sulphide ( Bad eggs ) smell from my exhaust when I stop. I have been told its Ethanol fuel by the garage and have run it on normal unleaded for several tanks and get the same. I keep getting fobbed off by dealer that there is nothing wrong as the computer says so. My nose says it is not.

I spoke to a Camry driver who said his Camry does the same after climbing a steep driveway like mine. Probably the amount of expensive platinum in the exhaust has been minimised to such an extent that it will just pass emissions tests when left to idle under no load but when you place the engine under load - pheww!

Does anyone else have this problem ? Corolla or other ?

Throg

[Ascendant Rice]

i get it aswell

[LEGEND888]

LOL.. thats weird... well, suggest u guys go and make the same complain? so they wil listen to u more?? maybe??

[Jaaassseeee]

My exhaust smells fine. I sit in front of it daily and smell it. Perhaps there is a dead rat rotting.

OK but in all seriousness though, keep pestering them until they fix it. Toyota is like that, they won't budge until they find you annoying then they'll fix it.

When did you two buy your car? What year?

Mine is an 07 and it doesn't have any smells.

[SILVABULLIT]

Are you guys serious??? That is the smell you get from a car that runs on unleaded after you have put the engine under load or harsh acceleration. Ever wondered why you have a cat convertor??? Google it and do some research.

Look forward to the report from toyota and how much they may laugh at you lol.

[DJKOR]

An interesting note. On my Aurion, after I installed my cutout, for the first few times driving it with the cutout open, I could smell this egg smell. With it closed, I barely noticed this smell. Only happened for a day or two... never happened since. Probably just the batch of fuel I had.

[Supercharged TRD]

Hydrogen sulfide is very toxic. I don't think it should be taken lightly! If anyone gets poisoned because of it, there will be hell to pay. I would bug Toyota constantly about it.

In my line of work I have access to a large amount of incident data and you will surprised how serious a bit of gas leak can become. Worse still, hydrogen sulfide deadens the sense of smell. So after a while, your nose gets used to the smell and although you are still breathing it in, you don't feel it anymore.

I have also not experienced any hydrogen sulfide smell, but it could be that I've never put ethanol in mine. However I fail to see how 10% of ethanol will cause hydrogen sulfide to form.

Wikipedia has some explanation:

A three-way catalyst reduces emissions of CO (carbon monoxide), HC (hydrocarbons), and NOx (nitrogen oxides) simultaneously when the oxygen level of the exhaust gas stream is below 1.0%, though performance is best at below 0.5% O2. Unwanted reactions, such as the formation of H2S (hydrogen sulfide) and NH3 (ammonia), can occur in the three-way catalyst. Formation of each can be limited by modifications to the washcoat and precious metals used. It is, however, difficult to eliminate these side products entirely.

For example, when control of H2S (hydrogen sulfide) emissions is desired, nickel or manganese is added to the washcoat - both substances act to block the adsorption of sulfur by the washcoat. H2S is formed when the washcoat has adsorbed sulfur during a low temperature part of the operating cycle, which is then released during the high temperature part of the cycle and the sulfur combines with HC. For "lean burn" spark ignition engines (e.g. compressed natural gas, or compressed natural gas with diesel fuel pilot injection), an oxidation catalyst is used in the same manner as in a compression ignition engine.

I am no expert, but from the sounds (and smell) of things your washcoat could be inundated with sulfur, thus causing the persistent smell. This article states that all fuel sold in Australia after 1 Jan 2008 will have sulfur content limited to 50 parts per million.

Edited October 19, 2008 by TRD Aurion Owner

[Ascendant Rice]

Hydrogen sulfide is very toxic. I don't think it should be taken lightly! If anyone gets poisoned because of it, there will be hell to pay. I would bug Toyota constantly about it.

In my line of work I have access to a large amount of incident data and you will surprised how serious a bit of gas leak can become. Worse still, hydrogen sulfide deadens the sense of smell. So after a while, your nose gets used to the smell and although you are still breathing it in, you don't feel it anymore.

I have also not experienced any hydrogen sulfide smell, but it could be that I've never put ethanol in mine. However I fail to see how 10% of ethanol will cause hydrogen sulfide to form.

Wikipedia has some explanation:

A three-way catalyst reduces emissions of CO (carbon monoxide), HC (hydrocarbons), and NOx (nitrogen oxides) simultaneously when the oxygen level of the exhaust gas stream is below 1.0%, though performance is best at below 0.5% O2. Unwanted reactions, such as the formation of H2S (hydrogen sulfide) and NH3 (ammonia), can occur in the three-way catalyst. Formation of each can be limited by modifications to the washcoat and precious metals used. It is, however, difficult to eliminate these side products entirely.

For example, when control of H2S (hydrogen sulfide) emissions is desired, nickel or manganese is added to the washcoat - both substances act to block the adsorption of sulfur by the washcoat. H2S is formed when the washcoat has adsorbed sulfur during a low temperature part of the operating cycle, which is then released during the high temperature part of the cycle and the sulfur combines with HC. For "lean burn" spark ignition engines (e.g. compressed natural gas, or compressed natural gas with diesel fuel pilot injection), an oxidation catalyst is used in the same manner as in a compression ignition engine.

I am no expert, but from the sounds (and smell) of things your washcoat could be inundated with sulfur, thus causing the persistent smell. This article states that all fuel sold in Australia after 1 Jan 2008 will have sulfur content limited to 50 parts per million.

i knew something had to be dodgy, also i dont use ethanol

[PhilH]

I have a possible answer to this issue. I noticed this smell in a new corolla hire car and in my new corolla when I bought it. I asked the salesman about it when I got the one week courtesy call. He said that cars imported from Japan have their underside sprayed with a light coating of a wax to protect them from the salt air on the boats during shipping. This wax gradually burns off with heat producing the smell.

Now this information came from a salesman and so I take it with a grain of salt. However it does seem more plausible than the smell coming from fuel or the exhaust.

[mrs.sportivo]

try premium maybe ? lols ethanol is chat

nearlly spewed when i saw my sister fill her car up with that sh!t - yes i know, lols how could she do that to her car

[DJKOR]

I have a possible answer to this issue. I noticed this smell in a new corolla hire car and in my new corolla when I bought it. I asked the salesman about it when I got the one week courtesy call. He said that cars imported from Japan have their underside sprayed with a light coating of a wax to protect them from the salt air on the boats during shipping. This wax gradually burns off with heat producing the smell.

Now this information came from a salesman and so I take it with a grain of salt. However it does seem more plausible than the smell coming from fuel or the exhaust.

That does sound kind of plausible as well. I only get the issue on my Aurion when I have my cutout open and have been pushing it real hard. The cutout dumps under the car and there probably would be at bit of heat involved there. The only thing the cutout bypasses is the rear mufflers, and I doubt they would do anything to reduce the smell if it were fuel related, so your idea sounds logical to me.