Whether you can smell a strange odor inside or outside of your European automobile, it’s important never to ignore odd odors. Usually, when something smells strange it is strange, and this is just one way your vehicle is telling you that there’s a problem. Car Doctors Auto Repair lists the various strange smells that cars, trucks, utility vehicles, and vans create when there is something going wrong underneath the hood or underneath the automobile itself.
Gasoline
You should never smell gas when you are driving your car. If you do, you may have a problem with the gas cap’s seal, leaking fuel injectors, or a leaking fuel tank. Obviously, any time there is excess gasoline in your engine, you open yourself up to the risk of a fire in the engine, so have any gas smells investigated as soon as possible.
Exhaust
If you smell exhaust fumes in your vehicle’s cabin, pull your automobile over to a safe place to park and stop driving it. Exhaust fumes mean that you have carbon monoxide inside your vehicle’s cabin, and this indicates that you have an exhaust system leak, a clogged exhaust system, or there is an issue with the door or window seals.
Rotten Eggs
Smelling rotten eggs is also a sign of danger. The most common reason why your vehicle will smell like rotten eggs is that the catalytic converter is clogged or failing. This exhaust system part is responsible for taking dangerous carbon monoxide gases and turning them into the much safer carbon dioxide. Rotten egg smells can also be caused by a leaking car battery.
Burning Rubber
Unless you’ve just peeled out, you shouldn’t smell burning rubber. Generally, this smell is caused by a belt or hose in your vehicle’s engine. The burning odor indicates that the belt or hose has loosened and is coming into contact with hot engine parts. This is why it smells like burning rubber. The belt or hose is melting under the hood.
Burning Electricity
If the burning smell smells like hot wires, it probably is. This is usually an indication of an electrical problem within your vehicle’s electrical system and the wire insulation is burning away. A burned-out electrical fuse can also cause this problem as can an overheating air conditioning compressor. Overheated brake pads smell like burning carpet.
Musty/Sour
Finally, musty or sour smells usually indicate that you have too much moisture in the engine. This can be caused by leaking engine coolant, a wet air filter, or leaking drain lines. Musty smells coming from the vents can also indicate that you have a buildup of mold in your vehicle’s ventilation system. In some cases, your air conditioner will smell like dirty socks.
Car Doctors Auto Repair in Athens, GA, can help. Call us today to schedule an appointment for a vehicle inspection if your car is releasing strange odors.
