Fumes entering cab (sometimes)
 

Sounds like there is something in the heaters ducts or you have a leak in the heater core. Does it make any difference if you switch from recirc to outside air mode?

If the heater core has a leak you ought to see coolant on the inside of the windshield on the 'defrost' setting.

104

Good point.

Maybe "seep" would have been a better word to use. Just enough to cause a smell but not enough to start fogging things up.

Have you changed the cabin air filter lately? In heat mode, the system defaults to pulling air from outside, through the filter. In A/C mode, it recircs cabin air and doesn't go through the filter. Both modes are probably a blend but the majority will come from one source or the other.

Edit: It might help to look through the section on HVAC in the FSM.

does it smell like burnt oil? after hard acceleration?

Inside of windshield absolutely clean, no coolant on it.

I don't think this smells like coolant, Southark.

I know I can smell it in outside air mode, but I can't get out today to see if I can smell it on recirc.

mine does this if i have the a/c-heater on in a stopped position. mine is exhaust fumes from having straight pipes. anything that isn't on the recirculate setting. if it's pulling from outside my exhaust fumes will creep in a bit. doesn't bother me though. windows are typically down anyways getting that raw burnt fuel smell lol

Yes, glw, it could be a burnt oil smell . . .
and yes, now that you mention it, the smell seems to be at its worst:

1. after hard acceleration UP steep twisty mountain roads (which is mostly what roads we have around here). AND

2. also at its worst at relatively higher rpm in lower gears while running back down the steep twisty mountain roads.

I can cruise down the Interstate at 80 mph for hours and not smell it at all.

Thanx FPenvy, but this doesn't happen at a standstill at all



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That sounds like you are overloading the cats. Mine did the same thing on hard acceleration.

Overloading the cat(alitic converters)? with what? oil or oil fumes?

And how did you correct it?

I have a 2014 sport and experience this as well. I thought it was just normal until my girlfriend smelled it too


-Raj

fluid change
 

I know they are threads on here about changing the fluids, I need to know the amounts of each, I haven't been able to find that.

Brake fluid: I'm going with redline.

Tranmission: Going with motul

Differential: Motul

Power steering: redline D6 ATF automatic transmission fluid????

Products of incomplete combustion. The engine is putting out more PICs than the catalytic convertors can handle.

I learned to live with it. ;) A tune might help but I doubt it would eliminate the problem. "Better" cats might help but that sounds restrictive and expensive.

Fumes entering cab (sometimes)
 

I smell it a lot when I start the car. When I am normal driving at times and always under moderate acceleration, like I rarely bust redline, just normally to 5k. I was spirited driving the other day for about two minutes and it was pretty bad when I came to a stop. I am not sure about the ac thing. I normally leave mine off all the time, literally all the time. It is a really strong gas smell.


-Raj

Are you stock?


-Raj

Totally



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Going by your descriptions, my money is still on the exhaust. But it's difficult to diagnose smells over the Intertubes. ;)

I, too, have the burnt oil smell post hard acceleration (with recirculate on?). It seems fairly common on newer cars (non-Nissan, too).

My guess is that the EGR PCV valve is passing too much oil to the intake on hard acceleration and we're smelling the resultant burn. I was looking for a place to mount one an oil catch can to see if it helps, but there's no room in the stock engine bay.

I have berk hfc's and it is probably because of more airflow. Less restrictions. With stock cats I didn't have that problem really.


-Raj

I had always assumed it was over-fueling but EGR/oil makes sense, too. Wouldn't take much to make a big smell.

Sorry, I meant to write this as my last sentence... "I was looking for a place to mount one an oil catch can to see if it helps, but there's no room in the stock engine bay."

I also misused EGR... should have used PCV.

Only time I get any smell is at cold start and it is only sometimes. As soon as I move out or the car warms up a little, it is gone. It's the sweet exhaust smell like all Nissan's do when they run rich at startup.

I think the smell you getting is the PCV fumes. I get them in my car because i have then vented. If your car is new it shouldn't be escaping. You could check you PCV tubes and intake tubes. Make sure everything is on tight and no cracks.

Yeah, I checked all that first.
Thanx lj

I'm glad to hear you figured it out. :tiphat:

Apparently I was wrong about the smell coming from the exhaust. Your experience leads me to believe that the EGR system is not sealed well enough from the factory and it's blowing fumes into the engine compartment.