August 20, 2023
The pungent smell of rotten eggs can send people running for the hills. So when that odor is inside your vehicle, yikes! Yolks! The good news is that a trained service technician can search the source of that smell and stanch the stench… that comes from another words that begins with S. Sulfur.
Fuel contains small amounts of hydrogen sulfide, but they're enough to stink up a vehicle when it's not properly burned. You may know that the smell of rotten eggs can often be a sign of a catalytic converter that isn't working the way it should. That could be due to age, damage or an abundance of oil that's clogging it up.
If a sensor in charge of managing the fuel has failed, the engine can run with too rich of a fuel mixture. That can overload the catalytic converter and allow some of the byproducts to escape without interruption from the chemical reaction that is supposed to prevent them from going out the tailpipe.
There's another possibility, but it's usually only in stick shift vehicles. That's leaking, old transmission fluid.
Catalytic converter repairs are best left to a professional. Technicians at your vehicle service facility have equipment and training that can help them pinpoint the cause of this funky fragrance. Once the cause is found, repairs made and/or parts replaced, the smell should go away fairly rapidly.
Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Center Lockport
600 E 9th Street
Lockport, Illinois 60441
815-838-3700
January 26, 2025
A driver brought her vehicle into the shop the other day and told us how she was getting lousy fuel economy and that the engine was running rough. Plus, the Check Engine light was on. Our technician checked the code the engine had generated (why the Check Engine light was on) and found the prob... More
January 19, 2025
When you get in your vehicle, how does it smell? If it's not so nice, it may be time to have your cabin air filter changed. It's not the same one that filters out the air used in the engine. The cabin air filter screens out dust and other particulates from the outside air so when it enters the c... More
January 12, 2025
You've probably had your Check Engine Light go on. Then it goes off and you figure, hey, whatever the problem was, it's gone now and I don't have to worry about it. Well, the problem may have gone away and it may not have. Your vehicle likely has one of these warning lights on the instrument pa... More