Car odors can be scary and embarrassing, but it's important to know how they're created. Smells like rotten eggs are caused by small leaks in the exhaust system that can lead to the release of fumes into your car. These fumes combine with moisture from your air conditioning, resulting in a musty smell that is especially nauseating during the summer months. If you find this smell getting stronger or more persistent in your car, it may be time for an overhaul.
A sulfur smell in your car can be caused by a gas leak.
We know your car may have a sulfur smell, but you can also get this odor from a leaking gas tank. In addition to the sulfur smell, you might also notice that your car runs hot after filling up with gas. You might want to replace your fuel filter when that happens because it could be allowing harmful gases into the engine.
Failing catalytic converters will cause your car to have a rotten egg smell.
Failing catalytic converters can cause a distinct smell from your car's exhaust, thanks to the byproducts that come from incomplete combustion. If the catalytic converter fails completely, this smell will be much more obvious and your vehicle will emit more harmful gases than normal.
The catalytic converter uses a honeycomb-shaped device that contains small amounts of precious metals like platinum, palladium, and rhodium; these precious metals are used as catalysts to convert harmful gases into water vapor and carbon dioxide while reducing the amount of hydrocarbons (unburned fuel) in the process.
In addition to removing harmful gases from your car's exhaust, working catalytic converters also help prevent dangerous levels of carbon monoxide (CO) from reaching their toxic levels.
A leaking head gasket can cause a rotten egg smell in your car.
A head gasket is a seal between the cylinder head and the engine block, which allows for an airtight fit so that when there's lots of pressure inside the cylinder, none gets released into the cooling system. If this seal isn't working properly, exhaust gases can get into the cooling system and cause a rotten egg smell. A failing head gasket means you'll have to replace your engine as it has likely become damaged by these corrosive fumes.
Take care of an issue like this right away so it doesn't get worse.
If you smell rotten eggs in your car, it means that there is a problem with either the engine or the exhaust system. This can be caused by a number of different things and is most often caused by an issue with the catalytic converter. Catalytic converters are responsible for reducing pollution in a car and they do this in two ways: they change harmful gases into less harmful gases through a chemical reaction, and they also remove some of these gases from the exhaust flow altogether. The chemicals inside of them begin to break down over time, which causes them to stop working properly. When this happens, certain elements that were removed from the exhaust start to mix with other chemicals and create hydrogen sulfide—which smells like rotten eggs.
If you notice that your car keeps smelling like rotten eggs, try getting it checked out right away by a professional at an auto repair shop. If you don't take care of it early on, the issue could get worse and end up being very expensive to fix.
If you need catalytic converter repair, give Rocky Mountain Car Care a call today!