msstrikehr

First of all, I have to give props to this forum. Because of it, I found out about some warranty work that the dealer should have done due to the emissions warranty. And it saved me $700.

I'm hoping the forum can help with a baffling problem I'm having with my car, which has 153K.

A few weeks back, I noticed the power steering fluid, which had had a slow leak for years, was suddenly leaking a lot faster. So the mechanic replaced the hoses to the hydraulic motor.

As soon as I got the car back, I noticed the car smelled fumey (about a 3 on the 1 to 10 scale) and when I drove it I wanted to get in fresh air because it was starting to make me feel lightheaded and I'd get a slight headache and feel it in my eyes. Naturally, I was concerned about carbon monoxide, especially because I'd had a check engine light on that would go on and off depending on the weather (off in cold weather so I can and have passed the CA emissions test) for a few years. I drove with the windows open and switched the AC off and on and still couldn't shake the smell, so I brought it back to the mechanic.

The mechanic told me the valve cover gaskets, which had been leaking for some time, were leaking onto the exhaust and that was the source of the smell. He swore to me that there were no exhaust leaks, which I asked about multiple times since this is the car we drive our 2-year-old around in. So I paid to have the valve cover gaskets fixed, and noticed no difference.

That's when I started searching on this forum because I was told that the CEL was the charcoal canister, purge valve and hoses. And that's when I found out about the emissions warranty. It's a long story involving Lexus corporate, but I got the canister and valve replaced, but not the hoses and the dealer said one of them is cracked. Still, I noticed no difference in the stink and how I felt while driving in the car.

So at this point I have to point out that I have a REALLY good sense of smell and that my spouse and other relatives (other than the 2-year-old) have been in the car, and they don't smell anything and it doesn't bother them. To play it safe, I actually took a portable CO detector from the house and put it in the car, and the alarm didn't go off at any point. I LOVE this car and how it drives and rides, but I right now I can't stand how it makes me feel when I drive or ride in it. So I really started trying to pay attention to the "symptoms" and "smells."

I noticed that when I lean out of the driver's side window at, say, a drive-thru ATM that's when I smell a fumey smell that seems like it's coming from under the driver's side door. And when I'm sitting in the driver's seat waiting for somebody run in and do an errand and the car is idling that's when I smell the fumey smells a little worse (a 4 on the 1 to 10 scale.) And I get the want to get into fresh air symptoms when driving (about a 3 on the 1 to 10 scale.) When I sit in the front passenger seat though, I don't smell a fumey smell, it smells like sour sweat and the want to get into fresh air symptoms go up to a 4 on the 1 to 10 scale.

Exasperated that this stupid canister didn't fix these problems and that the dealer said the CEL code for the canister (EVAP purge flow) was blocking 6 other CEL codes like MAF sensor, throttle, temperature gage, EGR flow, etc. I took it back to my independent mechanic who used to work as a tech at a Lexus dealership. He cleared my codes and told me to come back if and when the CEL went on. It did and he said the only code that came back was for the EGR flow, which he said was not the source of my smell and symptoms problem.

He let me stand under the car and smell the exhaust lines and I didn't smell the fumes or anything. He said the exhaust was wet, but we could see the wetness was not smoking to create fumes. He then put dye in to trace leaks, and then it seems like he finally caught a whiff of what I was smelling (unless he's faking it.)

He came back with the cabin filter need to be changed. (I don't think in the 12 years I've owned the car that's ever been done.) He says it could be the ol' AC mold problem, and that why I smell it worse and feel worse on the passenger side since that's where the water from the AC collects.

As for the dye, he said it shows the hydraulic fan motor is leaking onto the exhaust, but he claims that's not causing the smell and symptoms. Also, he was concerned my main oil pan might be leaking but the dye showed it was only the cam seal, and he said again that's not causing the smell and symptoms.

He also knows my heater core and transmission gasket are leaking, but he said those were just seeping and not drip-drip-drip leaking and that's due to the viscosity of the liquids Lexus uses and not to worry about those yet.

SOOOOOO .... if you're still with me, I turn to the forum's knowledge to ask, could my problem just be moldy AC or am I going to have to get some of these other things - leaky hydraulic motor, CEL for EGR flow, cracked evap hose from charcoal canister, leaky heater core, leaky tranny gasket and leaky cam seal - fixed too right away to be able to stand my car? And, ugh, what if I get all those fixed (lots of $$$) and it still stinks and makes me feel sick? It's very frustrating because I LOVE the car and I have put $ into it recently (needed 4 new tires and front brakes in addition to what I mentioned here) and it seems to drive and ride fine still and I just keep on thinking if I fix one more thing that will be it for a while. I'd hate to have to get rid off it over this, but if no one can figure out what's causing the smell and symptoms ... any thoughts would be appreciated.

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

How would you describe the smell? Have you smelled anything like this before? Anything you can compare it to?

msstrikehr

The smell that I smell more strongly when I lean out of the driver's side window is fumey like when someone is running a lawn mower or a leaf blower. The smell that is stronger from the passenger seat is a sour smell like sweaty clothes that have sat in a gym bag with a little bit of fumey smell (maybe from the driver side.) Neither smell is really strong, maybe a 3-4 out of 10. I'm more concerned about how when I'm in the car I feel like I want to get into fresh air like I'm gagging and I start feeling light headed and getting a headache and start feeling it in my eyes.

CUMan

We have a 94 ES that we bought as a new car. Over the years, there have been numerous oil and other fluid leaks that have created odors. We never noticed the odors to any significant degree while inside the car; however, it was always very noticeable when we would park inside the basement after the car had been driven.

During those years, we have replaced the valve cover gaskets, replaced the crankshaft seals, replaced the rear main seal, and replaced the hose running from the power steering pump to the hydraulic fan. We are now down to one small leak. The oil drips from the back of the lower oil pan near the drain plug; however, the oil is coming from a higher point in the engine. The car is now in a shop for other problems, and the shop folks have traced the leak to a broken end cap on the front exhaust cam. Hopefully, replacing this will stop our last leak.

The first thing I would address in your case is the power steering fluid leak which is close to the exhaust manifold. When leaks occur here, the air flow created by the cooling fan blows the fluid toward the manifold. I think this was a major cause of our odors because we had such a leak. In our case, the leak involved the small black PS fluid filter that sits atop the radiator. Fluid was leaking from the passenger side of this filter where the hose attaches. When the fluid dripped down, the fan blew it throughout the area between the radiator and the front of the engine.

When I first noticed where this leak was located, I assumed the problem involved the PS fluid filter and bought a new one ($105.00 at the Lexus dealer). This didn't stop the leak. I was finally able to stop it by replacing the factory clamp that attaches the rubber hose to the filter with a screw type clamp. It would appear that the clamp that is used throughout the PS fluid system can lose strength over the years. This reduces the pressure the clamps put on the hoses, and leaks occur. Screw type clamps should not have this problem.

Oil and fluid leaks are obviously a problem with ES models as they age. I had a 93 LS for 11 years and only had one leak, and that was easily repaired by replacing the valve cover gaskets.

Good luck in your search for the problem(s).