So I purchased a 2006 Jetta TDI for my girlfriend. The car has 280k miles but most of the maintenance items on the car have been replaced. The car seems to have a diesel odor permeate the cabin, especially on start up. I've Googled and have done some forum searches and can't find any info on this issue for the BRM engines. Anyone have any ideas?
06 BRM DSG Jetta. Diesel odor.
- Thread starter Remeciis
- Start date
2004STARWARSTDI
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2004
- Location
- LAKELAND, FL
- TDI
- 2004 Platinum Gray GLS Jetta / 2006 Silver Jetta with DSG
diesel odor
Is the diesel odor more prevalent with the windows down? If odor is more noticeable with windows up remove rear seat and check to see if cover to fuel pump is secured tightly.
Is the diesel odor more prevalent with the windows down? If odor is more noticeable with windows up remove rear seat and check to see if cover to fuel pump is secured tightly.
banshee365
Veteran Member
EGR cooler leaking.
oilhammer
Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Diesel fuel or diesel exhaust? Two very different smells, several very different possible causes.
I'd say more diesel fuel. I'm not familiar enough with diesel exhaust to be able to tell the difference. As far as the EGR cooler, according to the previous owner the car does have an EGR delete. To verify that, what would I look for? Car also has a new turbo.
oilhammer
Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Start the engine.
Stick your nose by the tail pipe.
Then open the fuel door, remove the fuel cap, stick your nose there.
Which of those two smells?
Exhaust leak or fuel leak.
I am not there (with my nose), so I'll have to rely on yours.
Stick your nose by the tail pipe.
Then open the fuel door, remove the fuel cap, stick your nose there.
Which of those two smells?
Exhaust leak or fuel leak.
I am not there (with my nose), so I'll have to rely on yours.
relumalutan
Veteran Member
One of the funniest posts I've read in a long time.Start the engine.
Stick your nose by the tail pipe.
Then open the fuel door, remove the fuel cap, stick your nose there.
Which of those two smells?
Exhaust leak or fuel leak.
I am not there (with my nose), so I'll have to rely on yours.
Nuje
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Feb 11, 2005
- Location
- Island near Vancouver
- TDI
- 2002 Golf 6MT; 2015 Sportwagen 6MT; 2016 A3 e-tron 6DSG
Two BEWs and one BRM (out of a sample size total of five 2004-2006 cars) that I've worked on have had the EGR "hot" pipe completely severed. Came off as two completely separate pieces. Looked fine sitting in the car, but as soon as you grabbed one end, you could tell it had more play than it should (none).
P2B
Top Post Dawg
A leaking flex pipe will also send exhaust fumes into the cabin - usually not while running down the road, but very pronounced when idling at a stop unless the recirculate button is pressed.
P2B
Top Post Dawg
Between turbo and catalytic converter.
Can't move either egr cooler pipes. So seems good.
I did see black exhaust on the flex pipe though! The exhaust looks amazing, no rust. U would think new but car has 220k miles. So maybe this is where exhaust gas is coming from and makes sense to me. Will check when night comes
I did see black exhaust on the flex pipe though! The exhaust looks amazing, no rust. U would think new but car has 220k miles. So maybe this is where exhaust gas is coming from and makes sense to me. Will check when night comes
UPDATE from last night: Couldn't feel any exhaust at flex pipe either. But I guess since it was completely cold, the EGR cooler actuator kept cycling/pulsating even when rev'd engine ANDDDD I started to hear a hiss at the default position (actuator fully extended). So I wired it 1/3 open and I can still hear the pulsating, but the hiss stopped. Will see if still get fumes in cabin.
And I will next check the EGR valve
And I will next check the EGR valve
P2B
Top Post Dawg
If you see soot, it's leaking.
Still haven't found any exhaust leak or holes in floor board.....looks near perfect. But I did find that the EGR valve is definitely messed up. When put 12v to it, I hear the motor and it tries to move the plunger/valve but it sounds like gears are stripped. Don't know how in the world I'm not getting a CEL light.
sptsailing
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jul 9, 2010
- Location
- Safety Harbor, FL
- TDI
- 2006 Jetta Manual, stock with Panzer Plate & Franko6 modified EGR cooler & CAM
I had a small diesel leak once that was due to damage to the fuel cooler that is located under the rear right passenger seating area. It has plastic connecter lines, one of the connectors of which I had damaged by driving over a rock at some point.
Interesting. But that is a diesel fuel leak. My issue is diesel FUMES in cabin whenever sunroof or windows are cracked or down. And in summer heat, can also barely smell it, even with all windows/sunroof closed and even on recirculate. It has to be this messed up broke EGR valve....cause it clearly is not working.
jetta_coupe_gtd
Veteran Member
I have a similar issue. Where is the EGR cooler? I think I can trace it assuming the EGR is an appendage coming out of the intake manifold, but then where?
P2B
Top Post Dawg
I cleaned off the small bit of exhaust off the flex pipe and can't see anything new, at least not yet.
Replaced EGR valve last night but can still smell exhaust with sunroof cracked open. I'm going to soap up the exhaust pipes including that flex pipe and check.
Replaced EGR valve last night but can still smell exhaust with sunroof cracked open. I'm going to soap up the exhaust pipes including that flex pipe and check.
It's probably the EGR change over flap bushing. I've repaired a handful. Quite common on BRMs. Intermittent hissing is a big giveaway.
Here's a DIY. Can't confirm how good it is because I welded my own shut. Permanently.
Inexpensive TDI EGR Cooler Flapper Valve Leak Fix
I have an inexpensive solution to the EGR cooler flapper valve leak. I had that same hissing sound on my 2006 Jetta TDI (with 157K miles). Yes, the leak is coming from what is left of the shaft seal. The seal looks like a ceramic/graphite substance. I fixed it for $2.50 and a few scraped...
Excellent fix! Thank you so much!!! Will definitely try....once I prove to myself it is leaking....cause I don't even hear hissing.
FYI, today, I ended up parking and leaving it running cause I was on a phone call and there was ZERO Exhaust smell!! Yet when going down road, I can smell fumes in cabin. How can that be????
FYI, today, I ended up parking and leaving it running cause I was on a phone call and there was ZERO Exhaust smell!! Yet when going down road, I can smell fumes in cabin. How can that be????
P2B
Top Post Dawg
Which way was the wind blowing?
oilhammer
Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Sometimes I swear my wife can smell my farts before I even fire them out.... and sometimes she smells them faster than I do. I can only conclude that the Speed of Smell is not a constant within the Laws of Physics, and that some things just cannot be explained.
Wind was blowing from REAR to FRONT of car!!! So strange!
Anyway, I did the soap test both spraying suds up all over the EGR pipes, flex pipe, exhaust union under middle of car, front and back of CAT and NO bubbles! BTW, the slight black exhaust that I cleaned off the flex has not returned. Still clean! The only leak I could finally find was that dumb EGR cooler flap, but no hissing sound has ever been heard. See video.
Walmart didn't have the $6 fix, so I tried JB weld that they did have. It was too runny so ordered quick steel puddy off amazon. I chiseled out the old dumb bushing, and had a grand idea of trying to pop off the lever on the end of the shaft so I could put a viton o-ring btwn 2 layers of puddy, putting a layer of quicksteel, pushing the spring back in, then a layer of motorcraft TA-31 sealant, which is amazing stuff (it will seal/glue anything, even molding on car, impervious to oil, water, etc), then a final layer of quicksteel puddy. I had my nail ready, even put a slot in the head of the nail so would fit nicely around the shaft so I could push it in real good.
But once I started, I realized it was too hard to mess with 3 layers, used nail for just a bit, then just stuffed in puddy with my fingers, inserted the spring, and puddied it ALL the WAY to the bottom of the shaft for extra support and hopefully more sealing. I'm waiting another 8hrs before I start it up, but really hoping this works.
If attaching images/videos wasn't so hard in this stupid forum, I'd attach them. I do have some, but it is such a pain.
Now that I've done this once, I hope to never have to get that spring out again. It was a pain getting out even without quicksteel stuffed in there. However, I'll be estatic if it even last 20k miles because I could easily chiseled out the bottom part (that is around the shaft at the bottom) and putting new putty on it WITHOUT removing 1 piece of hardware or removing 1 bolt.
Does anyone know how to pop off the "lever" of the shaft? My idea was to pop it off, put the puddy/viton o-ring/puddy on, then put lever back on by slightly hammering the end of the shaft to "mash" it down a bit to hold the lever. Honestly, I almost don't even care if that actuator still works after all this. As long as the shaft can move freely, then it can open and close all it wants.
Anyway, I did the soap test both spraying suds up all over the EGR pipes, flex pipe, exhaust union under middle of car, front and back of CAT and NO bubbles! BTW, the slight black exhaust that I cleaned off the flex has not returned. Still clean! The only leak I could finally find was that dumb EGR cooler flap, but no hissing sound has ever been heard. See video.
Walmart didn't have the $6 fix, so I tried JB weld that they did have. It was too runny so ordered quick steel puddy off amazon. I chiseled out the old dumb bushing, and had a grand idea of trying to pop off the lever on the end of the shaft so I could put a viton o-ring btwn 2 layers of puddy, putting a layer of quicksteel, pushing the spring back in, then a layer of motorcraft TA-31 sealant, which is amazing stuff (it will seal/glue anything, even molding on car, impervious to oil, water, etc), then a final layer of quicksteel puddy. I had my nail ready, even put a slot in the head of the nail so would fit nicely around the shaft so I could push it in real good.
But once I started, I realized it was too hard to mess with 3 layers, used nail for just a bit, then just stuffed in puddy with my fingers, inserted the spring, and puddied it ALL the WAY to the bottom of the shaft for extra support and hopefully more sealing. I'm waiting another 8hrs before I start it up, but really hoping this works.
If attaching images/videos wasn't so hard in this stupid forum, I'd attach them. I do have some, but it is such a pain.
Now that I've done this once, I hope to never have to get that spring out again. It was a pain getting out even without quicksteel stuffed in there. However, I'll be estatic if it even last 20k miles because I could easily chiseled out the bottom part (that is around the shaft at the bottom) and putting new putty on it WITHOUT removing 1 piece of hardware or removing 1 bolt.
Does anyone know how to pop off the "lever" of the shaft? My idea was to pop it off, put the puddy/viton o-ring/puddy on, then put lever back on by slightly hammering the end of the shaft to "mash" it down a bit to hold the lever. Honestly, I almost don't even care if that actuator still works after all this. As long as the shaft can move freely, then it can open and close all it wants.
Test drove last night and MUCH better. Can have sunroof open now, but after about 10min of driving, I started smelling a bit of exhaust.
1) that bushing was the whole problem
2) I'm going to try to drill tiny hole into quicksteel on the end of shaft, then heat up the TA-31 and use syringe to push it into where the shaft is and keep moving the shaft so it doesn't get glued in place.......although at this point, I really don't care if it moves or not.
1) that bushing was the whole problem
2) I'm going to try to drill tiny hole into quicksteel on the end of shaft, then heat up the TA-31 and use syringe to push it into where the shaft is and keep moving the shaft so it doesn't get glued in place.......although at this point, I really don't care if it moves or not.
P2B
Top Post Dawg
You solved the problem but you still smell exhaust?