Exhaust Fumes In Festy

[dalebwilson]

Maybe someone here has experienced the same problem I am having. While driving my 93GL with the windows down, I get serious exhaust fumes in the car. When the windows are rolled up, no fumes. I have pressure tested the exhaust from front to back and no leaks there. I have checked the hatch and seal and all appears good. I have read that the tail light gaskets can fail and allow fumes in. Car gets 50 Mpg's and has no fuel leaks. Anyone?

[TominMO]

Maybe someone here has experienced the same problem I am having. While driving my 93GL with the windows down, I get serious exhaust fumes in the car. When the windows are rolled up, no fumes. I have pressure tested the exhaust from front to back and no leaks there. I have checked the hatch and seal and all appears good. I have read that the tail light gaskets can fail and allow fumes in. Car gets 50 Mpg's and has no fuel leaks. Anyone?

I've had that happen when driving with the hatch open, i.e. carrying something that wouldn't fit in the car with it closed. I could see where it might happen at low speeds with the side windows open too, esp. the flip-out windows.

[dalebwilson]

Thanks Tom. Unfortunately the fumes are stronger at higher speeds especially during hard acceleration while going uphill. The more I press on the accelerator, the stronger the fumes are.

[TominMO]

Thanks Tom. Unfortunately the fumes are stronger at higher speeds especially during hard acceleration while going uphill. The more I press on the accelerator, the stronger the fumes are.

I'm thinking that the way the air flows around the car tends to suck the fumes in. It might help if you have the outside-air vent on, and open the front windows along with the back ones, to get the air flowing rearward. Try different combinations and let us know what helps.

[dalebwilson]

Will do. Thanks Tom.

[william]

My car dose the same thing. My exhaust leaks at the donut gasket very slightly and with the window down it makes a suction and pulls is around my shifter and where ever else theres holes

[dalebwilson]

Thanks William. This weekend, I plan on investigating areas where air can enter. I have read that the firewall, shifter, tail lights, floorboards and spare tire wells can be problem areas.

[dalebwilson]

As a follow up to resolve the exhaust fumes in my car, I ran across this issue while inspecting the rear hatch area for potential areas of fume entry.

Notice the 20 year old tail light gaskets in this photo. Think they could be leaking?

[Paul39]

My three 88, 88, & 89 Ls, with a front window open smell of exhaust gas. I always run with the windows shut and heater set to bring in fresh air. With no air conditioning in summer going to Raleigh from Asheville, I open the right rear window which gives me more air flow through the fresh air vents and no exhaust smell.

I have always assumed a leaky hatch seal as the strut is pulling the hatch up on the right side, right above the exhaust pipe. I'll have a look at my tail light gaskets.

Paul

[Pu241]

As a follow up to resolve the exhaust fumes in my car, I ran across this issue while inspecting the rear hatch area for potential areas of fume entry.

Notice the 20 year old tail light gaskets in this photo. Think they could be leaking?

You might want to follow this thread:

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?52228-Tail-Light-Gaskets-Available

[dalebwilson]

Thank you. Will do.


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[AlaskaFestivaGuy]

You can't smell CO -- it's odorless and tasteless.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_monoxide_poisoning

You're smelling other components of the exhaust or non-exhaust materials such as oil on the outside of the engine burning off.

CO kills quickly, sometime with no symptoms. I once got gassed from a rust hole under a floor mat behind the passenger seat in an Opel Kadette and never smelled a thing.

You might want to get/borrow a battery-powered CO detector with a digital display, not just an alarm.

The $5 non-electric types:

http://www.asa2fly.com/Carbon-Monoxide-Detector--P822.aspx

are complete jokes.

[dalebwilson]

You can't smell CO -- it's odorless and tasteless.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_monoxide_poisoning

You're smelling other components of the exhaust or non-exhaust materials such as oil on the outside of the engine burning off.

CO kills quickly, sometime with no symptoms. I once got gassed from a rust hole under a floor mat behind the passenger seat in an Opel Kadette and never smelled a thing.

You might want to get/borrow a battery-powered CO detector with a digital display, not just an alarm.

The $5 non-electric types:

http://www.asa2fly.com/Carbon-Monoxide-Detector--P822.aspx

are complete jokes.

Thank you for the article. What I smell is the exact odor I smell coming from the end of the taipipe. I have been all over and under the car looking for points of entry and have sealed every pin hole I can find. i have sealed my tailights, replaced the plastic barrier on the rear hatch panel and checked the rear hatch seal. This weekend, I plan on pressurizing my exhaust system and checking for leaks once again. I am suspecting a slight leak at the exhaust manifold.

[Movin]

Before I started my trailer collection I would get runny eye from hauling my ATV in the back. Many years later my red festy got run over by a run away bronco during a rock crawl. That same smell came right back. The inner (rear) fender had to be sealed to the outer sheet metal. That can allow fumes into the area under the plastic side panels inside. The rear Quarter windows had to be repaired so the glass would seal. The right rear tail light hole had to be recreated from wadded up sheet metal to get it where it would seal. The hatch and the hatch seal area took a lot of work. There was some missing rubber plugs that popped out in the spare tire area from the wreck and they had to be replaced. I had the rear seat out and the body shop left the rear seat belt bolts out. They had to have bolts put back in them. The fuel tank fill tube took a little work to seal, it isn't much to begin with. After all this I can drive it again. It is interesting that exhaust smell is driving you as it was the repairs to my car.

[harpon]

I would probably vote for a donut connector leak, and possibly a clogged catalytic converter.
My old '88 did that too-
I seemed to get some result just running a lot of carb cleaner- like a 12 oz bottle a tank-

keeps the gunk out of the exhaust manifold and I think even keeps the catalytic converter screen from clogging-

if you have a catalytic converter, you may want to replace that or get it replaced with a straight pipe
I've replaced them- ordered the part first and had it installed
and looking through it, it looked like not much more than a small resonator with a little piece of screen door inside

that screen door eventually gets covered with carbon- and I seriously don't see what running exhaust through it does
especially anything that may require ANOTHER O2 sensor-

all pretty much a scam to sell us parts I think.