Exhaust smell (1 Viewer)

[TXSunDevil]

Good evening,

In my 2002 LC with 190K I have noticed an "exhaust" smell that may be burning oil. I have not been able to pinpoint it. I checked both of my valve covers and they were damp, I cannot see any visual indication of burning oil on the manifold. When I put my head in the engine bay I do not smell it. I noticed it 1 day last week and again today. I attempted to torque my valve cover bolts. My Harbor Freight torque wrench did not inspire confidence at 8ft/lbs. None of the bolts were loose. How do I pinpoint this smell which could be an exhaust leak, but more than likely there is fluid dripping on something hot. I really only notice it at an idle. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[TLCJC]

Sounds like you need a new charcoal canister in the exhaust. If you can smell it more on the passenger side than drivers, even more pointing to charcoal canister.

It is $800-$1,000 to have changed at some dealerships.

 

[AlpineAccess]

I would start by checking all of your fluid levels to see what is low. I'd drop skid plates and check everything over looking for residue. Then I would start it cold and look and listen for any ticking to indicate an exhaust leak. For your valve covers, they can leak out the back as well. Easiest way to confirm it is to clean everything very well, and then go drive it for a week, and then take clean paper towels and wipe around the valve cover seal. Just tightening them won't always do it, sometimes the seal has just gotten old.

I replaced my valve cover gaskets and all has been well, but simply tightening didn't solve it. Power steering is also a likely candidate as the fan blows drips back onto the manifold low on the passenger side.

If you have had greasing done on prop shafts, I get smell a very slight bit of burning grease off and on for a few hundred miles after I grease my prop shafts, for example.

A CV can also sling grease, sometimes high enough to hit exhaust. Check CV Boots.

I wouldn't replace your charcoal canister, and certainly not at the dealership. Charcoal canister is for fuel vapor, not exhaust.

If it still persists, depending on your mileage you may want to replace O2 Sensors. If all else fails, you can have a smog test done to see if your catalytic converters on one side or the other is going bad. Sometimes you can do an Italian tune up and clear a congested cat out.

 

[fjcruising]

As mentioned above, I recently serviced the drive shafts and u joints, I did not clean up the excess grease very well and that all flew into the exhaust and smelled like burning oil for a few weeks. If you did that, it’s worth a look. Good luck finding it.

 

[TXSunDevil]

No recent services. I climbed under the vehicle but no signs of oil on the exhaust

 

[Mike NXP]

If oil is burning up on the exhaust you may not see any signs of it.

Most common causes of this were mentioned above, slinging grease from driveshaft or CV or oil leaking from valve cover. A charcoal canister failure would have more of a fuel smell if failing not burning oil/exhaust.

Seeing as you mentioned your valve covers are leaking I would start there.

 

[TXSunDevil]

Ok thanks. I might change them myself and reevaluate

 

[TXSunDevil]

I wanted to follow up on this. I set my torque wrench on the lowest setting and tightened all the valve cover gasket bolts. They were not real loose, but I did it anyway. I smelled it once more after the original post and tightening. I have not smelled it since. I am going to figure it was seeping valve cover gaskets and call it fixed.