Rotten egg smell...
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 4,212
Likes: 10
From: Sun City West Az
Rotten egg smell...
I just finished changing all my fluids in my 92. I took it out for a 20 minute freeway run. When I got home while walking around back of the car, I got the slightest smell of a rotten egg from the right side only. No smell at all on the left side. I'm thinking it's a cat on the way out. Opinions? (BTW the car only has twin cats, one one each side).
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 17,298
Likes: 33
From: The Top of Utah
The "rotten egg" smell results from a rich mixture interacting with the converter. A SLIGHT smell would indicate only slightly rich. The smell WILL go away after the rich mixture melts down the converter.
RACE ON!!!
RACE ON!!!
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 42
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by CFI-EFI
The "rotten egg" smell results from a rich mixture interacting with the converter. A SLIGHT smell would indicate only slightly rich. The smell WILL go away after the rich mixture melts down the converter.
RACE ON!!!
RACE ON!!!
i worked at a muffler shop for some time and any extra fuel that makes it to the converter will cause a rotten egg/sulfer smell. it will eventually melt the insides and cause the converter to plugg. it could be a miss or a poor spark or just a rich running engine. I would check now rather than be sorry later. It could even be a one time event who knows.
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Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Originally Posted by ittlfly
I just finished changing all my fluids in my 92. I took it out for a 20 minute freeway run. When I got home while walking around back of the car, I got the slightest smell of a rotten egg from the right side only. No smell at all on the left side. I'm thinking it's a cat on the way out. Opinions? (BTW the car only has twin cats, one one each side).
And next time, don't forget to say, "excuse me". 
Racer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 476
Likes: 0
From: Socorro New Mexico
Originally Posted by CFI-EFI
The "rotten egg" smell results from a rich mixture interacting with the converter. A SLIGHT smell would indicate only slightly rich. The smell WILL go away after the rich mixture melts down the converter.
RACE ON!!!
This is the legal way to require that converter upgrade :-)
The "rotten egg" smell results from a rich mixture interacting with the converter. A SLIGHT smell would indicate only slightly rich. The smell WILL go away after the rich mixture melts down the converter.
RACE ON!!!
This is the legal way to require that converter upgrade :-)
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 80
Likes: 0
Sulfur from the fuel accumulates on the noble metals in the catalytic converter during steady state conditions. During transient periods of fuel-rich conditions (acceleration or sharp decel after cruise), the cat releases the sulfur as hydrogen sulfide (H2S) ----> rotten eggs!