1993 Metro - odd smells


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Old 04-19-06, 02:05 AM
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1993 Metro - odd smells

Before I enen start, if your advice is going to be "buy a new car", I don't really want to hear it. Anyway...

I've been dealing with an odd smell (or maybe several combined smells) coming from my 1993 Geo Metro (1L) for some time now. I've tried a good number of things to try to fix this, not knowing exactly what it is:

- Fixed all oil leaks (replaced basically most of the gaskets on the engine)
- Cleaned up the exhaust from where the oil was leaking onto.
- Replaced the gastket on the fuel injection system

As far as I can tell, then smell itself seems to be coming from the engine compartment, and it smells to me like either burnt oil or exhaust, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. There aren't any obvious hissing noises coming from the exhaust system itself, and I've been told by mechanics that it has no leaks.

My biggest problem is that the smell itself is not very consistent, it seems to just randomly vary while I'm driving around. Furthermore, the smell is not, well, LOOK AT ME I'M OBVIOUS, because obviously if it was so easy, then I probably wouldn't have gone to several different mechanics who performed several different repairs that didn't work, and still be experiencing the problem.

I smell this a lot more noticeably when I'm driving around with my window down, though when I leave my window closed, the car gets really stuffy and I start to feel a little dizzy.

I also get the occassional whiff of what I'm pretty sure is antifreeze...especially when I turn my heater on. Thing is, I was getting a smell of antifreeze VERY strongly when I turned my heat on until the radiator cap was replaced, because apparently it wasn't holding antifreeze pressure well enough. Now, I still get the smell of antifreeze, but it is more subtle. There is a rebuilt heater core that was recently put in the car, so you'd think that wouldn't be the problem either.

I'm really at a loss for figuring out what either of these problems are...any thoughts? Could it possibly be a small exhaust leak that nobody's picked up on? Since I used to have oil leaks that got all over the exhaust, is it possible that it's permanently absorbed into the metal from the heat, still giving off fumes? I have cleaned it off pretty thoroughly though.

I drive for 8+ hours a day in this car and have been having these problems for a long time now...I'm starting to get sick from it, any help is appreciated, and I can try to get more details if possible...
 
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Old 04-19-06, 04:11 AM
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For the anti-freeze leak, have the system pressurized at a service station to 15-20 lbs. Make sure it's full of fluid at the time and if there are any leaks you should have no problem finding them.

On the exhaust odor it sounds like you deffinitly have a leak somwhere and that one could be a challenge.
 
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Old 04-19-06, 09:31 PM
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I *Believe* I've had the system pressurized to check for antifreeze leaks, but I will check on that. (I've had a lot done)
 
 

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