Getting old and smelling bad

myselfnjit · Feb 23, 2020

While this may sound like the intro to an old person joke, it is actually about my Jetta. The 2003 wagon has ~210k miles on her with no non-regular maintenance (brakes, oil, filters, etc...) done except the replacement of a turbo with a used turbo some years and >50k miles ago due to a fun turbo fan puree event.

Anyway, I have noticed over the past little while that my exhaust is more visible and she smells of exhaust much more than in the past.

My commute has gotten much shorter than it used to be so even driving a diesel is a little silly but I love the car and it has been paid off for so long I dont want to remember what a payment looks like.

With that being said, what should I start looking into to improve the smell and semi-noxious exhaust I am now experiencing?

Nero Morg · Feb 23, 2020

Run diesel purge. Maybe replace the catalyst.

STDOUBT · Feb 23, 2020

With that being said, what should I start looking into to improve the smell and semi-noxious exhaust I am now experiencing?
Inspect the flex area of your exhaust downpipe. Sounds like an exhaust leak up front that is
infiltrating your cabin.
EDIT: you also might want to 'take the long way' to work to ensure your engine gets fully hot for
the better part of your commute. -Not related to the exhaust but general engine health.
...And of course routine weekend highway autobahn-type runs.

csstevej · Feb 23, 2020

^^^^^^^what he said about the flex pipe and look for cracks just aft of the cat...

jmodge · Feb 23, 2020

Change your drivers seat

Fahrvegnugen · Feb 23, 2020

^^^^^^x2 What he said about the seat! My finger is twitching over the Recaro m series with different positions in which to smell the fumes.

myselfnjit · Feb 24, 2020

Advice appreciated!

So about the Purge: As directed on the bottle?

About the leak: I def have some. A new turbo back system is the plan once summer arrives.

About the new seat: but I love the old ones

Finally, while I do see the leaks as making some cabin smells, I was actually referring to the change in strength of odor outside of the car. I can see a Purge helping but was wondering if I should be financially preparing for injectors or are there others things to consider?

Fahrvegnugen · Feb 24, 2020

mine stinks too. You could have a smoke test done to be sure but it sounds like you're budget is already prepared for the turbo back replacement. Once that is done, you'll know if you need to consider it more. Every 200k you should be ready to replace injectors. And you can look up how to use the diesel purge straight from the bottle to run the engine to help prevent dilution while cleaning the injectors.

Hwycruiser · Feb 28, 2020

My car smells at 294k and 18 years old. I cannot open my sunroof due to the fumes that get sucked into the cabin. Fortunately the fumes stay outside if I don’t open a window. I installed a new intercooler with new o-rings on the pipe, plus have replaced EGR with its gaskets and still have the fumes. I don’t have visible smoke or loud sounds from the exhaust. How long does the exhaust system last and should it all be replaced or just the flex pipe?

csstevej · Feb 28, 2020

Chances are it’s the flex pipe that’s cracked or just behind the cat are known to be problem areas for exhaust leaks.

IDParts sell the flex pipe that you can replace.

300D · Feb 28, 2020

As far as the catalyst is concerned. I know a lot of people on here just cut the cat out, but if you are like me and care about emissions, the stock cat can be refreshed quite well with a hot bath of citric acid and oxalic acid. Not just a made up DIY thing either. There are a couple of scientific research papers out there documenting how well a diesel cat (gas as well) can be improved with a cleaning. I just did this on mine with 265k on it. Reduced the smell considerably and the cat looks brand new to boot.

quartersaw · Feb 28, 2020

myselfnjit said:
While this may sound like the intro to an old person joke, it is actually about my Jetta. The 2003 wagon has ~210k miles on her with no non-regular maintenance (brakes, oil, filters, etc...) done except the replacement of a turbo with a used turbo some years and >50k miles ago due to a fun turbo fan puree event.

Anyway, I have noticed over the past little while that my exhaust is more visible and she smells of exhaust much more than in the past.

My commute has gotten much shorter than it used to be so even driving a diesel is a little silly but I love the car and it has been paid off for so long I dont want to remember what a payment looks like.

With that being said, what should I start looking into to improve the smell and semi-noxious exhaust I am now experiencing?

Sounds like it might be your Flexpipe. A good muffler shop can replace it, if that's the case.

Getting old and smelling bad

myselfnjit

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Nero Morg

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STDOUBT

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csstevej

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jmodge

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Fahrvegnugen

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myselfnjit

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Fahrvegnugen

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Hwycruiser

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csstevej

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300D

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quartersaw

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