1990, exhaust smell when backing up

[AlanMintaka]

Hi Everyone,
This has to be a no-brainer for the pros in this forum, but I thought I'd throw it out just to see how much I'm about to spend. I also want to make sure I don't get clipped for something that's not broken.

I have a 1990 Camry. Whenever I'm backing up, the inside smells like dirty exhaust. It's not oily - more like soot.

(Note: Now I keep the windows open when I'm backing up and always have the two front windows cracked when I'm driving)

It's also not noisy at all. It can't be the muffler.

Does it sound like I might soon be paying for:

1. Heater core

2. Catalytic convertor

3. "You need a whole new exhaust system", which is Meineke for "there's a small crack near the manifold".

Thanks for your time and have a good one,

[fredk]

sounds rich, is the back of the car black?

[AlanMintaka]

Originally Posted by fredk

sounds rich, is the back of the car black?

Good question. I checked just now and it looks OK to me. The Camry red plastic fender is clean and underneath around the tire well looks just plain dirty - nothing unusual.

The undercarriage is hard to check this time of year in NH because we use so much road salt in addition to all the other normal Winder crap that's on the roads. I'm due for a complete wash + undercarriage treatment as soon as the weather clears a bit.

Also, the exhaust smoke doesn't look too bad. Once again, this time of year is tough to check because the exhaust is going to look cloudy no matter what when the car is first started (condensation, etc). As soon as it's warm though it does clear up and appears normal.

RE rich: I haven't noticed performance problems of any kind. I'm using cheapo unleaded gas too. There's no knocking, valve pinging, uneven acceleration, and so on. This model has the tachometer so I can see if things are moving around there as well. It looks nice and steady.

Your question has gotten me to thinking about engine performance in relation to all this. I need to check all the fluid levels. I'm due for one of those quick-lube overhauls. I'll kill two birds with one stone. If they see any drops like oil or coolant that might provide more clues.

Also, at the moment I can afford a lube job. Meineke/Midas is out of the question until the next check comes in.

Thanks for the quick response and have a good one,

Big Al Mintaka
Camry 1990
Previa 1992

[white90dx]

Sounds like a worn out cat. Otherwise normal... You are backing up with the windows open, and you don't expect exhaust to come into the car? This is especially true because the front windows with suck air in while backing up (the front windows suck air out when moving forward).

I have two catless cars (WRX and turbo Camry) and the exhaust smell is much more noticable when I'm backing up.

-Charlie

[TBayToyotaBoy]

I think he was saying that he backs up with the windows open because of the exhaust smell. It sounds like something is drifting up under the hood and getting into the intake for the cabin fan.

It's entirely normal to smell a little exhaust in the cabin when you're backing up; the car backs over the exhaust emissions, and the blower motor sucks it into the car.
Can you describe the smell a little more?
Did the problem start all of a sudden?
Do you smell this exhaust smell under the hood?
Does the smell from your tailpipe differ from the smell you get when backing up?

[AlanMintaka]

Originally Posted by TBayToyotaBoy

I think he was saying that he backs up with the windows open because of the exhaust smell. It sounds like something is drifting up under the hood and getting into the intake for the cabin fan.

Thanks TBayToyotaBoy, that's what I meant. I should have worded that a little more carefully.

Also, it isn't just a little exhaust smell when I'm backing up. If I don't open the windows, I'm practically gassed out of the car.

I hadn't thought about comparing it to the smell under the hood and the tailpipe exhaust. I'll give that a try tomorrow when I'm heading out. I'm in for the night now.

The smell is a pretty intense soot/gas smell. No oil at all as far as I can tell. No antifreeze either.

Naturally, I forgot to list an important observation: when I finally stop, I can see smoke drifting up from under the front of the car for about 30sec. Then it disperses even if the engine is still running. However the smell in the cab remains strong until the engine is turned off. I think that would mean something right under the cab, right?

Thanks for all your responses and have a good one,

[TBayToyotaBoy]

I forgot to list an important observation: when I finally stop, I can see smoke drifting up from under the front of the car for about 30sec. Then it disperses even if the engine is still running. However the smell in the cab remains strong until the engine is turned off. I think that would mean something right under the cab, right?


Next time you stop, definitely get out and investigate this "smoky" emission more closely. Is it smoke, steam, exhaust? And where is it coming from under the hood? It seems the opposite of what usually happens (after you stop, the smoke or exhaust pours out of the hood more).

If the smell remains in the cabin until you turn the engine off, it definitely indicates exhaust under the hood. You probably know this, but: look at the bottom of the windshield...there are black plastic grates that cover the heater fan intake. The rubber seal along the firewall is supposed to block any air from escaping the engine bay and entering the fan duct, but it doesn't work perfectly.

Keep us posted.

[Jimnist]

Bit of an old thread, but i've got a similar problem; i can smell something (probably exhaust) when i first start-up. I'm not sure what it is but i always get it momentarily when i first start-up every morning. Sometimes after i've been driving for a while, i can smell it again, but i goes away. Fans are off, air is set to recirculate; if it's open (despite the fan not being on), it's stronger. I don't remember if it gets better or worse if i open or close the air vents, but it;s too cold for me to try and a bit inconvenient xD

How would i beef up that seal along the firewall? The smell seems to be very similar to what the engine bay smells like

[AlanMintaka]

You're right, this is a "bit of an old thread". There have been some updates that may be relevant.

When Spring 2008 rolled around I had to have both the Camry and the Previa inspected. The Camry took a big hit. I had to have a new exhaust system put in, plus do a little ad-hoc body work with metal tape to get it to pass inspection.

There was no question that the Camry would fail inspection because of body rot in Spring 2009 so I started having the front fenders and rear quarters rebuilt, one at a time as money allowed. It turned out to be cheaper to do that than buy a used car. That took until late Autumn 2008.

Good timing because I use the Camry almost exclusively for Winter driving (the Previa has rear wheel drive and is impossible to drive in the Winter here).

Anyway, the smell wasn't there last Winter. I didn't drive the Camry enough during the various stages of the repairs so I don't know exactly what did the trick. To recap the two big changes are:

Rebuilt exhaust system
Rebuilt both front fenders and rear quarters.

There was a lot of rot on this thing until that body work got done. It could have been both things, i.e. an exhaust leak venting fumes through the rotting areas.

The other good news is that the Camry is now more or less physically intact and may just last me another 3-4 years in this climate. It runs fine; mechanically there was never any problem. That's good, because I can't afford to buy a used car for probably forever.

Have a good one,