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Subaru Forester exhaust/fuel smell in cab
has anyone had a problem with an exhaust or fuel smell in the cab? i have had the exhaust checked & the seal on the back door, all have been fine. it has only happened in the really, really cold weather.
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tidester, host
It is very upsetting to have a new car smell so badly. What is causing the odor? I did not have the problem with my old 98 Subaru?
I hate to suggest this, but if the smell is really that sharp and awful and "organic", you may be looking at a rat/mouse that died somewhere in the engine compartment or even in the ducts of the ventilation system. While not common, this isn't unheard of in a new car that's stored outside at a dealer and driven infrequently.
I'd have the dealer check it out -- if I'm right, they will have dealt with this before and will know how to get the beast out. The good news is that the smell will go away totally and permanently as soon as the corpse is removed.
I have a BIGGER problem...a terrible smell coming from the engine whenever the car gets hot. The dealer tech smelled it right away when I stood with him in front of the car, acknowledged it was bad, and he later told me he thought it was undercoating accidentally sprayed on the engine during the manufacturing process, and it could NOT be fixed.
Sadly on a prior checkup they claimed to smell nothing (you only smell it with the windows open) and the Subaru regional field tech also claimed (after the local tech had explained the cause of the problem) that no smell existed. This created a stink of a different kind. And nothing in writing except they checked for a smell they couldn't find.
Subaru has offered to trade the car in, and pick up some but not all of the cost of the trade...but I'm wondering if I should take a chance and pay even more money for a brand new car when the brand new car I just purchased and was otherwise very happy with turned out to have a toxic smell from the engine.
On the other hand, what are the odds I could have the car declared a lemon in NY when the car still drives, albeit with a bad smell? I feel stuck...
I also wish there was a way to turn off the "three unlocks to open" requirement for the hatch and passenger doors. I know it's there to protect old ladies in parking lots, but in the rain when I want to open the hatch or simply let a trusted passenger in the car with me, it's a real pain.
Wish I could have just written a rave, because aside from the issues I'm having with this car I still love it, Geosquealers notwithstanding. Traded in a 2001 Acura CL Sports-Type for my 2004, a move comedian Tom Papa made fun of, and I was happier with the Forester since it handled better!
What was worse was getting poor customer service from Subaru of America, from a shrill customer service SUPERVISOR who yelled when I said something she disagreed with...she told me the smell could have been caused by something "after-market" like the remote start or the alarm even though she know I'd had it installed at purchase by my dealer. Of course, when you buy an accessory from the dealer to install in your new car before you pick it up, you assume you are purchasing it from Subaru and Subaru won't suddenly disavow any responsibility for it.
And when I asked Subaru for another supervisor after she'd literally yelled at me,
they gave the email to the shrill woman so she could call me and tell me she didn't mean to be rude, she's just a loud person. Last Friday she told me she'd call me Monday. No question. Didn't hear from her until an email late Wednesday.
They promised I'd be contacted this week by another supervisor "early this week" It's now end-of-business Thursday. I've sent quite a few emails through their website indicating my dissapointment with the car smell, the lack of detection, and the poor treatment by customer service.
I think it's time for a regular letter to the president of Subaru of America. Too bad Asa Aarons just left NBC...my hope now is that Subaru realizes they have an evangelist about to jump ship and make a fair offer on the trade-in.
Anyone else have a smell like antifreeze-meets-orange-juice overwhelming them in the 2007 Forester when the engine gets hot?
!:@?
-mike
Hosts is that allowable?
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
Subaru claimed they'd do their best to get me out of the car, severely low-balled me on the trade-in value and then offered me 50% of the difference after leading me on with a "sample scenario" where they'd pay $4000 if the trade-in cost $5000.
For those of you without a calculator, that sample scenario, designed to placate me and give me false hope (I must assume, since it was so radically and statistically significantly different from the actual offer in percentage terms), was 80%. And even that didn't seem attractive for a brand new car that should have had no smell.
Sorry I'm not alone. Best of luck to you all.
-mike
Mom had a car like that and to be honest they never figured it out. The whole time she had it you could smell gas. Nasty.
That was a Chevy in Brazil, though.
My mom owned a Chevy in Brazil way back when with a horrible gas smell, we never really figured it out.
http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/s...7flies0002.jpg
http://s575.photobucket.com/albums/s...7flies0001.jpg
I tightened up the two clamps which were very loose, the gas stopped leaking and the smell coming in stopped instantly. The part that I tightened is the shiney black rubber hose in the middle of the pictures. I hope this helps some people. I have a 2003 forester 2.5xs. I hope I save some people from getting robbed blind from their mechanics.
This site shows a pic of the 4 clamps on the driver side: http://www.bazoomer.com/fuelline/fuelline.html
For me, as long as the car remains reliable (at least, my confidence in / perception of its reliability remains) and meets my needs, it is worth fixing.
So long as you can afford the new one, it has many improvements, especially the space inside.
I had a '98 and loved it, but our '09 is even better.
I looked under the hood to see if a fuel line was leaking. On the driver's side are a couple fuel lines going to the fuel filter and to the driver's side cylinders. The screws to the clamps could be tightened one revolution, but didnt' look like they were leaking. I got real close and couldn't smell gas.
Over on the passenger side I smelled gas. I didn't see anyting at first, but later found a hose that was dark at the end (because it was wet with gas). It was the line that fed both fuel injectors on the passenger side. After taking off a bracket to get access, I tightened the screw to the hose clamp 6-7 revolutions. I guess it was almost completely loose. After that, problem 100% fixed. It took me about 45 min to fix after finding the leak.
Suggestions:
1. Leave the car in the cold
2. Drive the car a short distance
3. Shut off the engine.
4. Pop the hood, start looking for discolorations at the end of a fuel line.
5. Get your nose up close and start smelling for gas.
6. Tighten any loose hose clamps along the way.
If you smell it in the car, you should be able to smell it under the hood.
I'm not sure which bolt you mean, so I had a look at mine. There are bolts on the valve cover (at the spark plugs), and on the fuel rail above the valve cover. The engine block itself has an extra machined hole for a bolt that was never installed.
Bolts generally don't have anything to do with fuel. They hold something together, so if you're missing a bolt, you should have two things that should be attached that now aren't. What are the two things?
The fuel lines are either hard metal, or soft rubber. When metal meets rubber, the only securing method is a hose clamp.
I'd recommend going on a short drive in the cold. If you can smell it in the car, you should be able to smell it much worse from the source in the engine (after your drive). Is the hole you describe stink of gas? Try the smell test again moving very slowly around the engine. It was amazing to me how little the driver side smelled of gas, but how strong it was on the passenger side. Follow your nose.
Took it to the mechanic who phoned me to say that they're going to have to take the carpet up inside to inspect the fuel line - I thought he was joking, but apparently it's true: the fuel lines run INSIDE the car!
Ho hum.
I've had headgasket issues requiring intake removal twice. Removal and reinstallation of things that aren't meant to be taken apart is probably the main cause of repetitive leaks. I imagine that next year it will probably be time to replace some of these hoses and clamps.
Hope this helps!
Could be a rusty perforated fuel filler neck:
http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f88/steps-replace-fuel-filler-neck-48016- - - /#post542647
Jamie
PerformanceSubaru
What more do you want on the subject of a fuel smell from the rear passenger area?
Now an exhaust smell is another subject not presented by the original poster. Do you have both issues?
I also periodically get a code for my emission system
Says gas cap lose
There is prob a hose cracked somewhere causing both problems?
Not sure
I have a 05 Forester XT, getting fuel smell in cold weather, did some search and it's been a common problem, a fuel leak due to the fuel line hose shrinking causing the clamp loosen up a little. There was even a recall on certain WRX models in 01 or 02 that had the same engine. It's easier to fix on a non turbo engine, but for the turbo, they have to take the intake manifold apart where the fuel lines are underneath. I could actually see the fuel dripping using a flash light. I called SOA and they were kind enough to cover my repair. Most dealers quote $800 for turbo engine, under $200 for non turbo. Do a search on youtube and Forester forum. there was a guide on how to DIY if you have the mechanical skill.
Get it fixed, you are talking about fuel leaking, not safe to keep driving it.