Notices
Series I Tech Garage The place to discuss anything technical about the RX-8 that doesn't fit into any of the categories below.

rotten egg smell on start up ...

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Rate Thread
 
Old 09-24-2004, 03:08 AM
  #1  
funemployed
Thread Starter
 
jowettw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: BC!
Posts: 309
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
rotten egg smell on start up ...

i get this rotten egg smell when i start my car when the engine is cold. it's fairly strong in the cabin, but not overpowering and goes away about 2 minutes after the car starts moving.

i drive mostly city, but have been making a point to take it out onto a highway at least twice a week.

any suggestions? i tried asking my dealership during my first oil change, but they weren't much help - recommended taking it out onto the highway to clear out the cat.

thanks!
Old 09-24-2004, 03:16 AM
  #2  
Shifty Bastard.
 
Gomez's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Melbourne, Australia.
Posts: 4,835
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Yeah...the car is pretty rich at start-up. The smell is unburnt fuel from the exhaust. It's really noticeable if you back your car out of your drive immediately after start-up.

I select my air to recirc before start-up....that stops the fumes entering the cabin.

Gomez.
Old 09-24-2004, 10:24 AM
  #3  
Registered User
 
PUR NRG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: SF Bay Area
Posts: 1,286
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
That or you should cut down on the baked beans.
________
hot girls Webcams

Last edited by PUR NRG; 05-01-2011 at 04:48 AM.
Old 09-24-2004, 11:21 AM
  #4  
funemployed
Thread Starter
 
jowettw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: BC!
Posts: 309
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
thanks for the replies.

so it's normal!?
Old 09-24-2004, 11:53 AM
  #5  
Registered User
 
roadster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Torrance, CA
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Re: Rotten egg smell on startup

Originally Posted by jowettw
i get this rotten egg smell when i start my car when the engine is cold. it's fairly strong in the cabin, but not overpowering and goes away about 2 minutes after the car starts moving.
Does the smell come from outside?
or does it come from your air vent?

If it comes from air vent, its probably a mildew.
if you use your A/C with circulation mode, and turn off the engine with A/C running, it leaves moisture inside the air vent. After while, this becomes a mildew, and creates the strong ordor.

So, it is good idea to keep your air from circulation mode to outside air(?) mode, and good practice to turn off the A/C before turning off the engine (it'll also help if you run the air running full blast with no A/C on for a while to throw out the moisture ouside the pipe).

I know it sounds strange, but this really works.
I've seen many cars (Seen a lot on Honda Accord) with this problem. This can happen on just about any car, but some cars are easier to get these problem then others due to the way air vent pipes are.

Oh, and if the problem is not the air vent, and smell coming from outside (coming out from exhaust pipe), then I would look into all the sensors like cold start sensor, and such.

Good luck
Old 09-24-2004, 12:59 PM
  #6  
My doctor prescribed RX-8
 
devoid's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Is it safe to say Ohio yet?
Posts: 529
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Leave the hookers in the city where you do all your driving....don't let them sleep in your car overnight, doh! The rotten egg smell usually means they have somethin! :D
Old 09-24-2004, 02:28 PM
  #7  
mostly harmless
 
wakeech's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Greater Vancouver Area, BC
Posts: 3,440
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
are you sure it's not the clutch?? a burned clutch smells a lot more like rotten eggs than just a sooty exhaust.
Old 09-24-2004, 04:24 PM
  #8  
Registered User
 
monzter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Miami, FL
Posts: 195
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
On my last vehicle when I started having a rotten egg smell it turned out to be a bad cat converter. Just my .02
Old 09-24-2004, 10:53 PM
  #9  
Registered
 
Art Hazebrook's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Paso Robles, CA
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by monzter
On my last vehicle when I started having a rotten egg smell it turned out to be a bad cat converter. Just my .02
Ditto!!
Old 09-24-2004, 10:55 PM
  #10  
funemployed
Thread Starter
 
jowettw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: BC!
Posts: 309
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
hmm. definitely not mildew from A/C or vents. i stood behind the car right after i started it up today and it's very noticeable from the exhaust.

but smells like a stink bomb /rotten eggs ...
Old 09-24-2004, 11:02 PM
  #11  
Attracts tree branches
 
truemagellen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 5,940
Likes: 0
Received 3 Likes on 3 Posts
it is possible something crawled up your exhaust and died...hopefully it wasn't one of those dead midget hookers though
Old 09-25-2004, 01:06 AM
  #12  
Registered
 
Omicron's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Boulder County, Colorado
Posts: 7,966
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 3 Posts
Originally Posted by monzter
On my last vehicle when I started having a rotten egg smell it turned out to be a bad cat converter. Just my .02
Same here.
Old 10-07-2004, 12:30 AM
  #13  
Registered User
 
xx3marx8xx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
its your cat-back thats making that smell sometimes its after you drive it for a while to
Old 10-07-2004, 09:23 AM
  #14  
Registered
 
Art Hazebrook's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Paso Robles, CA
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by xx3marx8xx
its your cat-back thats making that smell sometimes its after you drive it for a while to
Huh???
Old 10-07-2004, 11:07 AM
  #15  
Mmmmm... Rotary Donut
 
G8rboy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Lake in the Hills, IL (NW Chicago Burbs)
Posts: 2,376
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 2 Posts
It's a combination of a new car with a cat that is working at 100%, and an engine that likes to run rich to keep the cat cool. Throw in some crappy sulfur-rich gas and the problem can get worse. Mine has gotten better over the last 9k miles, probably due to the cat "breaking in" as well as going from the 'K' to the 'L' to the 'M' PCM calibrations.
Old 10-08-2004, 08:21 PM
  #16  
Registered
 
Mikelikes2drive's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,553
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
i actually had an egg on my exhaust last time... correction someone cracked an egg on my exhaust... both... and on my brake calipers after egging my car :/
Old 11-10-2014, 02:17 PM
  #17  
New Member
 
Kameikaze's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by jowettw
hmm. definitely not mildew from A/C or vents. i stood behind the car right after i started it up today and it's very noticeable from the exhaust.

but smells like a stink bomb /rotten eggs ...
Same here. Smells exactly like a stink bomb. It's ruining my game w the ladies /: lol
Old 11-10-2014, 02:39 PM
  #18  
Registered
iTrader: (1)
 
Loki's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Montreal
Posts: 7,712
Received 952 Likes on 830 Posts
Originally Posted by Kameikaze
Same here. Smells exactly like a stink bomb. It's ruining my game w the ladies /: lol
But you make up for it by bumping 10 year old threads!
Your cat and/or ignition are likely in need of replacement. Does your cat glow red after a long drive? Do you have trouble getting the rpms up near redline? You can talk to us. We don't judge.
Old 06-13-2016, 01:03 PM
  #19  
New Member
 
Amarus Cameron's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by G8rboy
It's a combination of a new car with a cat that is working at 100%, and an engine that likes to run rich to keep the cat cool. Throw in some crappy sulfur-rich gas and the problem can get worse. Mine has gotten better over the last 9k miles, probably due to the cat "breaking in" as well as going from the 'K' to the 'L' to the 'M' PCM calibrations.

Thank you so much for this. I have just had a new cat installed as well as new rotors and brake pads, I was worried that the calipers were misaligned and I was dragging my brakes, but if the cat need a bit to "break in" then this makes sense. Also I have had the cat for about a week now and the smell has gotten measurably less strong.
Old 06-13-2016, 01:32 PM
  #20  
Registered
iTrader: (1)
 
Andrew5190's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: West Bloomfield, MI
Posts: 139
Received 9 Likes on 9 Posts
Originally Posted by Amarus Cameron
Thank you so much for this. I have just had a new cat installed as well as new rotors and brake pads, I was worried that the calipers were misaligned and I was dragging my brakes, but if the cat need a bit to "break in" then this makes sense. Also I have had the cat for about a week now and the smell has gotten measurably less strong.
Holy hell necro.
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Audio Concepts ATL
New Member Forum
21
09-26-2021 01:59 PM
D13
Series I Exterior Appearance and Body Kits
4
08-22-2015 11:42 PM
Solmors
Series I Trouble Shooting
7
08-21-2015 10:11 PM
Quato_jr
New Member Forum
4
08-04-2015 09:22 AM



You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.

Quick Reply: rotten egg smell on start up ...



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:04 PM.