Unless you just drove past a farm or maybe a skunk on the side of the road, you shouldn’t experience strange smells while driving. Each smell that comes up while driving is a sign of something going on with your car. Some of those smells mean you may be dealing with a fluid leak or another related auto repair. If you notice any of the following smells, it’s important to take action to determine what’s causing them and have any necessary car repairs taken care of.

Rotten Eggs or Sulfur

You know the smell. It’s not pleasant and you’re probably pretty eager to get it to go away. The problem is, you most likely have a problem with your engine, fuel or exhaust system, such as an engine misfire, your catalytic converter, fuel filters, oxygen sensors, or fuel pressure sensor, or regulator wearing out. This car repair problem is causing hydrogen sulfide to enter the cabin of your car, leading to that foul smell.

Problems with Your Fuel System Can Escalate to the Engine

Putting off a fuel system repair will only lead to more car trouble. When parts of your fuel system aren’t working properly, improper amounts of fuel will be sent into your engine. This can then waterfall into your catalytic converter, which can fail from excess fuel over time.

Exhaust Fumes

Your exhaust system is meant to transfer exhaust fumes out of your engine and away from your car, bypassing the passenger cabin. If you smell exhaust while driving, it’s a sign you have a leak in your exhaust system that’s allowing those fumes to make their way to the cabin of your car. As with any leak, this can be tricky to diagnose, but it’s also an important car repair to have taken care of right away.

When Inhaled, Exhaust Fumes Can Be Dangerous

Those exhaust fumes you’re inhaling have carbon monoxide in them, which can reach dangerous levels when filling the cabin of your car. Not only should you head to an auto repair shop as soon as possible to have exhaust repairs diagnosed, but you should roll down the windows on the way there to avoid inhaling too much exhaust.

Sweet Syrup

As far as strange car smells go, this one isn’t so bad. However, it can still indicate a serious auto repair that needs to be handled. More specifically, it could be an indication that you have a coolant leak. Ethylene glycol is an ingredient in coolant, and it can have a sweet smell similar to syrup. If you do have a coolant leak, it can quickly cause big problems for your engine and transmission.

Your Cooling System Keeps Your Engine and Transmission from Overheating

As coolant cycles through the cooling system, it draws heat out of the engine, cools back down, and cycles back to absorb more heat from the engine. This helps keep your engine at a healthy operating temperature, preventing overheating. There is also a transmission cooler commonly located inside the radiator to keep your transmission cool using the coolant that circulates around the cooler.  If you have a coolant leak, there will eventually not be enough coolant to manage your engine and transmission temperatures.

Burning

When it comes to a burning smell while driving, it doesn’t quite matter what’s causing it – any car problem behind a burning smell should be addressed as soon as possible. Whether your engine or transmission is overheating or you’ve overused your brakes, continuing to drive and use those systems will only make any necessary auto repairs more serious.

Pay Attention to the Timing of this Smell

To figure out what might be behind the burning smell, pay attention to when you notice it. If you smell it after braking heavily, it’s likely your brakes are overheating and you should allow them to cool. On the other hand, if you notice the burning smell while driving normally, it’s more likely you have a problem with your engine or transmission overheating, but you could have also picked up something from the road that is caught on or near your exhaust system.  The exhaust system, especially the catalytic converter, operates at a very hot temperature and can cause a fire if you have run over something combustible that becomes entangled in the exhaust.  If you smell or see smoke, pull over immediately and try to identify where the smoke is coming from.

Gasoline

Does your car smell like a gas station? On one hand, if you just filled up your gas tank, it’s possible there’s just a lingering smell. However, if the smell persists or you haven’t recently topped off your fuel tank, it’s more likely you’re dealing with a fuel leak. In this case, it’s an urgent car repair that shouldn’t be put off for long.

Leaking Fuel is a Big Fire Hazard

Fuel is highly flammable and should always be handled cautiously. That means if you have a fuel leak and it makes contact with something hot or a spark, it’s extremely dangerous. Anytime you have a car fluid leak, it’s bound to get worse with time if you continue driving without having it repaired. Putting off repairing a fuel leak puts both your car and you at risk.

Musty Foul Odor Inside the Car with the A/C or Heater On?

Almost all vehicles are equipped with heaters and air conditioning and the evaporator core is inherently wet when the A/c is in use.  The A/C system compressor runs with the heater during the heat and defrost mode as well, and when working correctly forces water out of the cabin air to produce a dry air that does not fog up the windshield and is comfortable to the passengers.

When working correctly, this water or condensation is discharged through a drain tube to the outside the vehicle.  If this drain tube is kinked or clogged it will not drain to the outside, but instead leaks into the vehicle, soaking the carpets, and creating an environment for mold, mildew and unpleasant smells. There is also a filter in your A/C and heater ductwork that removes dust, dirt, and pollen from entering the cabin of your vehicle.  If the cabin air filter has not been changed regularly, this will also lead to performance problems with the heater and A/C system and cause unpleasant smells.

Need Help with an Auto Repair in Chester? Come to the Nearest AAMCO

Strange car smells often lead to necessary fluid services. If you need a fluid service in Chester, you can trust the expert mechanics at AAMCO in Chester, VA to help get all of your car’s systems back in shape. Whether it’s a simple fluid leak or a bigger car repair, we have you covered. Give us a call with questions or concerns, or easily schedule an appointment online.