Team-BHP - Help! - Engine fumes getting into the car & causing health problems
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I am at a situation where I don't feel like driving my baleno anymore.. The problem goes like the following:

About a month back, I start experiencing stinging eyes & loss of concentration when driving. I got a terrible throat infection & it took me close to 20 days for that to subside, thanks to the problem in the car.

1.) The stinging eyes are experienced when I enter the car (e.g.) parked after a drive the previous day & also when I rev the car upto 5000-6000rpm.
2.) Even more when the AC was on as it kept recirculating the fumes. The problem would subside when I lower the windows down or put the AC to external mode. External mode clogged my AC system with leaves and had to shell out 1500/- for the cleaning and refill of gas..
3.) Last trip to Bangalore, I was not able to concentrate during my drive, had to lower my rear window glass for fresh air.

What all has been done?
1.) Got all the Air freshners removed
2.) Got the interior cleaning done & carpet dried up by parking the vehicle in the sun
3.) Got the complete AC system checked. Cooling coil cleaning, evaporator and condensor..
4.) Mechanic observed the exhaust was emanating a rotten egg smell, the honey comb on the baleno (primary and secondary) was completely non-functioning due to bad fuel & it was removed. This reduced the problem to an extent.
5.) checked for an entry point through which the fumes could enter.

Currently:
The problem has reduced 80%, but still the root cause has not been found. I have also understood that it can be leaky exhaust but no one seems to point to the problem area. Also there is no weird sound coming from the exhaust. I am not sure what would be the effect of this on my health in the long run, currently I plan to stop using the car.

My baleno has driven 42k kms & it is 2005 BSII model.

Appreciate your help.

Did you look at the running engine with the hood up?

Mr Bean,

1.Compare your Baleno's exhaust note with that of any other Baleno and see if you notice some abnormal noise.If the exhaust has developed a leak it would obviously sound noisier

2.If it is an exhaust leak, check with teh engine running,if you can smell some exhaust gas in your rear seat area(you might have to become a sniffer doggie for sometime)

3.It appears that this problem is because of smog - you drive for extended periods with the windows rolled up - all the O2 you breathe gets converted to CO2 and that's why the discomfort.Since you've de-activated the fresh air intake,suggest you roll the window an inch down every 30 minutes for 2 minutes and then roll up again.Then see

Quote:

Originally Posted by vigsom (Post 1670329)
Mr Bean,

1.Compare your Baleno's exhaust note with that of any other Baleno and see if you notice some abnormal noise.If the exhaust has developed a leak it would obviously sound noisier

If there is a leak from the exhaust manifold gasket, will there be a sound.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vigsom (Post 1670329)
Mr Bean,

2.If it is an exhaust leak, check with teh engine running,if you can smell some exhaust gas in your rear seat area(you might have to become a sniffer doggie for sometime)

Tell you, it used to smell odd earlier but now I got used to it that I am not able to differentiate.:Frustrati

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean (Post 1670485)
If there is a leak from the exhaust manifold gasket, will there be a sound.

Yes,but you got to be an engine audiophile to notice that

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean (Post 1670485)
Tell you, it used to smell odd earlier but now I got used to it that I am not able to differentiate.:Frustrati

what is your driving style?

just saw your garage

port polishing +FFE=Racehorse

Mr Bean, when you got your car's AC system checked, did they check whether the switch between recirculation and fresh intake is working properly? Could be that that part is not working properly and your ac is always in fresh-intake mode? See this thread:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...-into-car.html

It showed up in "Similar Threads" at the bottom of yoru thread.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vigsom (Post 1670503)
how old is your gaddi,how many kms have you covered ,and what is your driving style?

It has run 42k kms, sedate driving with occasional revving to around 5-6k.
I would need a exhaust fix expert, also read on the google that leaky ones are diff to fix.

Did you check the battery?
My NHC is 5 years old and I can smell fumes coming from the battery after I switch off the engine after even a 10km drive...

Where did you get the car checked? I would suggest you to take it to MSM once and have it checked by a senior technician.

I will take it to MSM this saturday. Have you googled about leaky exhaust on the net? There is a lot more to it than what the mechanic looks in..

Quote:

Originally Posted by anandpadhye (Post 1670944)
Did you check the battery?
My NHC is 5 years old and I can smell fumes coming from the battery after I switch off the engine after even a 10km drive...


In which caseyou should check the alternator's circuitry ASAP. There is a fault somewhere, and the battery is gettign overcharged and over heated.

Check if the recirculation vent is closing fully, i had faced similar problem with the altura, which used to pop open the vent at higher speed.

Choke the exhaust tip and careful inspection will reveal if you have leak at the exhaust or manifolds. Ideally engine should die when chocked at idle.

CAUTION: Ensure that proper caution and protection is taken while blocking exhaust, since exhaust can be very hot and can cause burns!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaggu (Post 1671825)
Choke the exhaust tip and careful inspection will reveal if you have leak at the exhaust or manifolds. Ideally engine should die when chocked at idle.

thkz, I tried blocking the exhaust but wasn't able to completely block it. How do you do it at idle?

Btw how long it will take for a AC to lose its effect if the AC refrigerant start leaking?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr_Bean (Post 1680952)
Btw how long it will take for a AC to lose its effect if the AC refrigerant start leaking?

That depends on how najot the leak is?

Since only a few hundred gms of refrigerant gets charged,even a very minor leak(one bubble every five secs with soap solution on the filling valve) would mean effect gone in say 4-5 months

If the compressor seal leaks,then it is immediate

Quote:

Originally Posted by vigsom (Post 1680980)
That depends on how najot the leak is?

Since only a few hundred gms of refrigerant gets charged,even a very minor leak(one bubble every five secs with soap solution on the filling valve) would mean effect gone in say 4-5 months

If the compressor seal leaks,then it is immediate

If the refrigerant leaks, can it come through the AC vents?


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