Exhaust/Gas smell in cabin

[darkwingbenny]

1999 I4 5SFE 140K miles

Recently I have started to notice what smells like exhaust in the cabin of the car. It is a faint smell, and appears to only happen when stopped. This happens in my driveway and when no car are around. When the car is moving i can't smell anything and no smell when the selector is set to recirculate.

I can also detect the same odor in the engine bay but can not localize it.

Recent work done:
I do all the routine maintenance myself.
Oil change at 5K intervals.
Replaced PCV valve.


Thanks for any guidance.

[Leviathan66610]

Well that's easy, you have an exhaust leak. The best thing to do is take it to a muffler shop and they can find the leak for you and then weld it shut. It shouldn't cost much either.

[new echo owner]

Do you have fuel smell or exhaust smell?

N.E.O.

[darkwingbenny]

The odor is faint. It does smell like fuel. I wrote exhaust because it reminds me of the smell you get when driving behind some cars.

The car runs fine and averages 27-30 mph.

Thanks

[new echo owner]

Check the fuel pulsation damper at the end of the fuel rail on the driver's side, it maybe leaking. Remove the plastic cap see if you can smell fuel on the cap.

N.E.O.

[darkwingbenny]

Thanks for the suggestion N.E.O.

Checked the cap at the end of the fuel rail: No fuel smell.

I only smell the odor when the car is not moving, not sure if this is related to air flow when the car is moving.

Thanks for your help.

Edit to add:

Problem solved! Turned out 2 of the spark plugs were loose.

[Maim Menu]

Spark plugs?

Interesting, I have a similar problem right now, I might have to check that out before sending her out to a muffler shop.

[98blackcamry]

While the car is cold I would cycle the key on and off, then get under the hood and look for wetness of fuel around any fuel delivery components (from fuel filter to rail pretty much). I had a leak from the sealing washers on the back of the pulsation damper, but i couldnt find it when the car was warm or hot. My wife would just always complain of a gas smell in the mornings or anytime she didnt have it on recirc. Good luck man
-Rob

[Maim Menu]

I wouldn't say it smells like gas, but it does smell like exhaust after it idles for a while. I usually start it up with my remote then head out and hop in after 4-5 minutes and there's a distinctive exhaust smell in the cabin until I take off and it goes away.

I checked my plugs today and they were alright, I think this would have more to do with a gas smell than an exhaust smell but who knows?

I forgot to try the Recirculate setting on the heater though.

[Maim Menu]

Now it DID smell like gas this morning, very distinctively.

I parked at a convenience store to grab something to eat this morning and when I stepped back in and started it up again, a good whiff of gas came right to me through the vents.

I'm gonna pull my plugs out instead of just verifiying their tightness tonight and inspect the whole thing while it's idling.

Pulled the two passenger side plugs out during lunch break : The plugs themselves look ok, if not a little whitish, they don't smell. There's a very distinctive smell of fuel right around the PCV valve area, but it would seem more logical to me that they are fumes coming from behind the head, maybe the fuel rail. I'll have a closer look at it tonight.