Exhaust Smell in Cabin

[andrewdrouin]

Anyone else have an annoying (and likely toxic) exhaust smell in the cabin of their 2003 Subaru Forester XS? I've even had a brand new exhaust system installed from the manifold to the tailpipe, including the cat' convertor, and still the smell persists... Someone suggested that some kind of hoses related to the air intake system might be buggered, but a close visual inspection reveals nothing... Any other ideas that I might follow up on would be appreciated. Tnx. Andrew

 

[Lou O.]

Is this occuring in heavy traffic. If yes, you're sucking fumes from the car / truck in front of you. Set your HVAC to recirculation for a few days and get back with us...

 

[Corhydrae]

Anyone else have an annoying (and likely toxic) exhaust smell in the cabin of their 2003 Subaru Forester XS? I've even had a brand new exhaust system installed from the manifold to the tailpipe, including the cat' convertor, and still the smell persists... Someone suggested that some kind of hoses related to the air intake system might be buggered, but a close visual inspection reveals nothing... Any other ideas that I might follow up on would be appreciated. Tnx. Andrew

Lou is too eager to provide just any answer.
Your problem isn't exhaust. If it smells even a bit like fuel, it's likely fuel like under hood/manifold.
If it's exhaust you likely have a small leak in the manifold recirculation. Maybe gasket or a clamp needs to be replaced. I've had this issue and it was a recirculation hose at the back of manifold. When the car stopped on heat, the fumes would expand enough to leak out a little bit.
Do you have any mods under your hood?

 

[Lou O.]

No I am not!

I've worked in the automobile field as an engineer for over 40 years and have a MS in engineering from GMI....I think I know a bit about cars. So show a little respect prior to throwing me under the bus....

My answer is plausible.

The OP should try it out and see. They stated they already had an entire exhaust system replaced...

 

[Corhydrae]

No I am not!

I've worked in the automobile field as an engineer for over 40 years and have a MS in engineering from GMI....I think I know a bit about cars. So show a little respect prior to throwing me under the bus....

My answer is plausible.

The OP should try it out and see. They stated they already had an entire exhaust system replaced...

Whoa, chill. Anything can be plausible when you're being vague.

The hose I'm talking about is technically part of fuel system, even though it's connected to manifold.
Most of the smells are connected under the hood and luckily the cabin air system sucks the air from under the hood, as well as high pressure at the windshield.
If the smell persists it's not one truck in traffic for few moments. Don't assume op is dumb.

Anyone else have an annoying (and likely toxic) exhaust smell in the cabin of their 2003 Subaru Forester XS? I've even had a brand new exhaust system installed from the manifold to the tailpipe, including the cat' convertor, and still the smell persists... Someone suggested that some kind of hoses related to the air intake system might be buggered, but a close visual inspection reveals nothing... Any other ideas that I might follow up on would be appreciated. Tnx. Andrew

When you park your car in garage, does the smell get stronger? Try opening the hood after the drive and smell closer with it open. See if you can locate approximate area of the strongest smell, that can help you isolate the problem

 

[andrewdrouin]

Hi Lou. It does it even when I start off from my driveway... And I live in a very small city, so not much pollution here (yet). Tnx, Andrew

 

[andrewdrouin]

Will 'smell around under the hood'... Thank you all for the feedback. Interestingly - now that it's gotten hot outside, and I use the A/C all of the time, I don't smell it nearly as much as when I was just using the fan system, without A/C...