i did as many searchs for this as i could and i did find one a couple years old but had no update or if problem went away.....i did pm the guy who had the problem (1badf350) but haven't gotten a response so here goes:

i have had my vette since nov 2009....when i test drove it the interior smelled like an old man that had not showered since the big one, but nothing a little cleaning would not remove. i took the car to the dealer once i got it (yes, first and last visit to dealer) and they repaired front main seal and did oil change and belts and tensioners......after i picked it up i took it to another tire shop for new rubber (michelins)......when i picked it up from there it had a skunk reek to it

since then i had the interior professionally dry-chemed with the entire interior removed (was installing sound dampeners so y not) i left baking soda and oil dry in socks while i waited for about a month for the dampening material.

i have removed the fuel tanks covers from below and thoroughly cleaned them with degreaser....no real skunk parts to see anywhere....i have removed the complete exhaust for the starter replace no skunk remains there either.

when you leave the car in the shop, windows up, for a while it goes away....but then when you start car and drive it it comes back. after a date night with the wife i can park it in the garage and the next morning the whole garage smells of skunk! now if it sits for several days its gone again.

any help is appreciated

 

People have reported finding dead rodents in their cars. Those darn things will make a nest anywhere they've a mind to in the winter.

Another advantage of a lift. I keep my car raised six feet in the air to keep the pack rats and field mice out of mine. They can't climb or jump that high...yet.

"...the interior smelled like old man..." ?? I'm offended. Keep that up and half the people here who routinely respond to C5/Z06 issues will ignore you.

 

Sounds like your catalytic converters. How is your driving style? What I have found is that if I granny the car around for a week or two and then get on it a little more than normal, I get the smell briefly. To see if it goes away, go out and get on it a few times. You need to get the exhaust system very hot to burn the cats off. Warm the car up good and then put it is second gear and run it up to around 5500 RPM a couple of times, you want to hold the higher RPM for a short time. Also make sure you are not running really rich!

 

i thought about that as well, but i have the vette in a newly built shop and have had rat pellets out for 6 months and none have been disturbed so i don't think there are any dead animals that i have seen.....but then again i will look anywhere and try anything....i know its nothing IN the interior as i have had it completely out recently....i have been in the engine compartment quite a bit lately doing other fixes.....any other non-typical places to look??

i don't want to get use to the smell.......and everytime i pull up have people say gheez did you just hit a skunk?

by the way, on a road trip with the wife and kids on the back roads of SC in another vehicle and wife said uuuuuu we just pasted a skunk....kinda smells like daddys vette, huh?! gotta love her.....if not she takes HALF!!!!

 

i drive normal.....i haven't laid marks yet...still too new to me and i've wanted one for so long don't want to chance it with 102k....also i am a formerly employed peace officer (still keep certification just went to work for mom and dad) so i don't think the tickets are worth the few minutes of thrill....unless u take it to the track!

now with that said, as i drive the wife or kids around i punch it and sit them back in the seat but no real redlines or anything.....i did take it on a 2hr plus trip to atlanta....kept it around 75-80 in 6th so no real high rpms but a long consistent burn.

holding the rpms higher in second like how long......seconds, minutes??
how will i know if it is running rich....no black smoke to tell of or black residue near exhaust

thanks in advance

 

check for exhaust leaks Ahead of the cats - smells pretty skunk-like.

 

havent really looked at that......had the smell before i did any work myself.....did remove and replace h pipes during starter replacement, but replaced gaskets both at manifold and catback with new gm ones.....how could i tell of a leak there??

 

You don't have to break the sound barrier to burn them off. Find a nice road free of traffic, and put it in second gear, and run-er up. If the car is geared high, and second puts you over the speed limit use first gear.

I would say hold it there for 30 seconds or so and do it a couple of times. No need to smoke the tires or anything of that nature. Run-er up slow and listen to it, you don't need to do a stomp and steer. The object is to move the heat further down torwards the cats.

As long as you stay in the 4500 to 4800 RPM range you should be fine. I have 125K miles on mine and she still sees readline from time to time on the autocross track.

the post on checking the exhaust for leaks is also a good idea. You might have to put it up on a lift.

 

From my experience (I'm an old man with lots of it), failing converters smell more like rotten eggs than a skunk.

It's a changing world...

 

"...the interior smelled like old man..." ?? I'm offended. Keep that up and half the people here who routinely respond to C5/Z06 issues will ignore you. [/QUOTE]

you are correct not sure where my head was......please allow me to clarify and i will edit post also

it smelled like an old man who had not showered since the big one.....

bless my granddads heart and i would never intentionally insult an older person but sometimes they just like he need to at least walk thru the shower every once and a while

my wife teases me, she was looking for me one summer afternoon for several hours and didn't realize i had jumped the fence to sit on his back porch talk to our 80+ neighbor....now she just looks over the fence if she needs me......geniunely not meant to offend just meant the car smell wasn't "bad" just needed freshening.

thanks for correcting me

 

yes it is definitely NOT a rotten egg smell.......like i said we past a skunk on the road trip and the smell was identical to that.....wish i could get an answer from 1badf350, but his last post or two he seemed pretty disappointed with his vette, hope he didnt sell it. he had the exact same issue.....

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...e-a-skunk.html

not sure how it turned out....maybe he's on vacation and will chime in soon.....

 

No offense meant. I like your clarification "it smelled like an old man who had not showered since the big one.....:eek:"

I see age comments here sometimes and I wonder if the people who say it think they'll never get older. Age is a state of mind, anyway.

BTW, I'm retired from your previous LE occupation. Retirement is the hardest assignment I've ever had.

I know you mentioned it's not inside, but you might also check to see if the carpet on the passenger floorboard is damp. The "udders" have been known to clog up and the water drain down onto the carpet and padding. That could begin to produce some obnoxious odors.

 

rotten egg smell is After the converters - caused by the chemical reaction inside them .. exhaust before the cats - or many of the non-catted vettes - smells more "skunky"
usually an exhaust leak will have a ticking noise - but not always.

 

for some reason i enjoy talking to older people myself.....wife has made many observations/comments about that....maybe its their wisdom or the fact that i spent the entire summer year after year with my grandparents since both parents worked....not spend day and picked up @ night....left home day after school released 4 hrs away til the week before school started back and i wouldn't trade that for ANYTHING! (even c6 zo6 )

i was able to check all of the udders when i was waiting on the interior material......got all 3 new ones from gm for drivers side....pass 1 was spotless as well was the ac (udder)/drain, so i have narrowed it to exterior.....you really dont smell it from inside of the car....going down the road or sitting in traffic, but park it in the garage and close the garage up and come back the next morning P-U!!!

 

i haven't heard any ticks or leaks....i checked those pretty well after the pipe reinstallation after the starter replacement.

i'll have to get underneath and see if i can smell the connections

i re-read the previous post i found and he was tracking the smell to the alternator.........not sure if there is any substance to that theory but can't find out until he replies.

 

Have you tried parking the car out in the fresh air and going around sniffing each tire? you may have some of the skunk stink on one or more of your tires after running over the spot were a skunk had been killed. I have also noticed that some new tires can smell skunky.

 

yep....that was the first thing i did.....we were still in 70degree weather and i let it sit out all day one sunny day hoping it would change.

might be tires.........they WERE just added......the shop owner had just bought a new "touchless" tire mounting system (machine picks up tire and mounts it all automated) and i was the first customer......thought maybe the 2+hr ride to atlanta would have worn that off but maybe not?? is there a safe chemical to put on tires that might help?? (i have washed the tires and car several times since i've owned it)

 

nice color car btw

 

got a response from 1badf350 who had exact same problem.....said it eventually went away....said he thinks he narrowed it to new belts.

is there anything to put on belts that might help?? belt dressing??

 

No, belt dressing is not recommended for these cars. new belts would not smell like skunk. source has to be in the engine bay maybe underneath by the crank area. you said it comes back everytime the motor is started.