Hi all, today first real problem in 2 years of happy ownership.

nasty exhausty smell in cab [intermtent] very good, tight powerflow exhaust, cant find leaks at maifold,and rest seems tight, have not delved under the drivers side yet as unsure as how to remove entire front end of vehicle!?:)

so:
1, where could the fumes be comming from?
2, how long might it take to reveal the engine?

sugestions on a postcard please.

Paul

- (#13819) Paul, 19 Oct 04 06:19

Paul. It is a Townace and it's diesel ? The drivers seat comes out very easily and, within 20 minutes (if you have not done the job before) the floor pan, under the drivers seat, can be out. But, how did you check the manifold (exhaust) without taking up the floor pan? You might find a small "blow" on the exhaust manifold gasket and it would be prudent to carefully pull down the manifold nuts, preferably after an overnight soak with penetrating oil/fluid to avoid breakage of the studs. Have you got an exhaust gas recirculating system and is it still in operation on your vehicle? Most owners blank this off and there are various references in the archives. You might find that the breather pipe, on the EGR pipe is displaced or, the EGR pipe itself is clogged up. A good clean out here, and a general check all round the top of the engine, might reveal the source of the leak. I assume that there are no oil leaks around the camshaft cover to indicate that it is loose or, that the oil filler cap is not quite tight.

- (#13819) John Davis (Leics), 19 Oct 04 08:25

Thanks for that John.
yes 'bonnet' off was easy exept that the last persons [unknown] had sheared off a few heads and threaded one bolt! exhaust manifold was a tiny bit loose on the first port, also some one [unknown] had been there before! ooky red gasket had been jammed into the metal gaskets, messy work lads. hopefully the problem is fixed. -_-

EGR? what dose it look like and were is it.

- (#13819) Paul, 19 Oct 04 16:24

Paul. There is a lot of information in the archives and, you will learn a lot about the EGR valve's operation from those entries. Basically, the EGR valve allows some exhaust gases, only at low throttle openings, to be sucked back into the inlet manifold. The EGR valve is at the back of the engine, on the passenger side and, by means of a vacuum operated diaphragm, allows a connection between the exhaust and the inlet manifold. It appears that there are many pro's and con's for an EGR system but, for diesels,unlike petrol, I think we are better off without it but, do read all the comments in the archives from people much more knowledgeable than I am on this subject. One thing is certain that the working EGR does gum up the inlet tract and, removing the large aluminium pipe, from the air inlet system, will reveal considerable deposits. Of course, this EGR system may not be the cause of your original query but, a good clean and a blanking of the vacuum feed to the EGR diaphragm, will have great benefits

- (#13819) John Davis (Leics), 20 Oct 04 10:23