I had my engine changed a couple months ago and have had this issue since. After the car is warmed up, when driving 30 mph or faster, if I open the windows I get a sulfuric smell in the car. It's not a super strong rotten egg smell, just kind of a pungent odor that has a sulfur tinge to it. If I close the windows it will go away in a few minutes. If the car is running but sitting still, I can't seem to smell it from anywhere around the car (engine bay, underneath, tailpipes).

I know cats and gear oil can have a sulfur smell, and since they flushed the tranny (twice) when they did the engine install, I'm thinking it just may need a good cleaning underneath (note: there is no smell from the shifter area).

Anyone else have any ideas as to why I would smell it only when moving with the windows open?

 

No one?

Well, I changed the cabin air filters, no change. I removed the shift **** and smelled inside the boot and I can smell a very slight odor of gear oil, but it's a different smell, not what I'm smelling when I open the windows while driving. When I got home today I left the car running and crawled all over the car smelling every inch (my neighbors must think I'm nuts) and there is absolutely no sulfur smell anywhere on the car when it's sitting still. I'm stumped. Any ideas?

 

Cat would be my first guess, but not sure why all of a sudden you're smelling this after an engine swap.

 

Try changing your brand of gas, if you always use the same brand, it may be the culprit.....

 

Try driving it at highway speed, then stop, get out quickly, and see what the left and right exhaust outlets smell like.

Take it to a car wash that sprays the bottom or put it on jack stands/ramps and spray it down yourself if you think it's tranny fluid.

Have you considered taking it back to the dealer for them to check it?

 

Yeah, this is my thought also.

Already tried different gas, no change.

Done this, nothing but normal exhaust smell. Taking it to the dealer on Monday to have them check the smell and degrease the engine/tranny.

 

Could it be burning coolant? Check your coolant level if you have not done that.

 

Another reason that I want to have the engine cleaned is that when they installed the engine they didn't clamp a coolant hose down completely and the I had a huge coolant leak all over the engine bay. I'm wondering if there's some baked on coolant causing the smell. The only thing is, I should be able to smell it in the engine bay when the car is hot, and I can't.

 

The more I google this, the more it sounds like the cat is the cause of the smell. What's not clear is if that means the cat is going bad. I have no loss of power, bad idle, etc. Some info I've found online says that the richer your engine is running, the more likely it is that the cat will create the smell. Is it possible that the new engine would be running richer than the old? Seems like everything that would control that (ECU, sensors, etc.) would be off the old engine so there should be no change.

After all the issues that I had to deal with at my dealership when they installed the engine (I was seriously there every weekend for months while they fixed mistakes they made) I really don't want to take it to them. I think I'll have Corksport take a look at it and see what they think. Maybe an RP super-cat in my future.

 

I have this smell and its laving a oil film on my windows. Its not my mid pipe cuz I sprayed diswashing soap where the pipes connect and started the car to see if I have a leak. Nothing.
Anyone?

 

i have the exact same issue as you my friend and I have been questioning myself forever. It stinks when I drive the car hard and shut it off. Sometimes it starts to reek in the cabin with the heater on but then goes away. Seems to get worse with windows open.

Strangely I have no power loss just like you. My engine was just retuned. coils plugs wires clean MAF oil change.

The one thing I know though is that my plugs were black which means the engine is running really rich which is a reason for my poor mileage. I took it to the dealer yesterday showed him my plugs and complained that running a rich mixture can make my CAT go bad and if they could check it. And that is coming from a certified rotary mechanic ''your plugs look the same as every other rx8 ive changed'' What he doesnt know is that I saw pictures of what they should look like and they should be brown to have a clean running engine.

I would say since you have a new motor and prolly a new ignition system that your CAT is fine for now but will be very slowly dying as your ignition system wears off. Who knows when it will clog.

Your car is running rich and slowly damaging your CAT. Due to your new ignition system i would say its prolonging the life of your CAT just like mine. But its life will end...

Correct me if im wrong?

 

Three possibilities here :

1/you are farting a lot
2/You are driving past a geothermal area a lot
3/You have gearbox oil spilt over the gearbox - common rx8 complaint

 

^Till the point where it burns my eyes? dang. Guess I over filled it.