GS - 2nd Gen (1998-2005) Discussion about the second generation GS300, GS400 and GS430 (1998 - 2005)

Rotten Egg smell

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Old 09-18-03, 02:30 PM
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joehpro
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Default Rotten Egg smell

Does anyone else get the rotten egg smell from the exhaust system after hard acceleration?
Old 09-18-03, 02:38 PM
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mooretorque
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Yes. Other times, too. Thank the catalytic convertor. (IOW, it's normal.)
Old 09-18-03, 04:35 PM
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PHML
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The egg smell is Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S04). This is a by-product of the catalytic converter and maybe due to a high sulphur content in the fuel you are using. I'd suggest a better grade of gasoline, or maybe a gas treatment additive.

Sulfur is present near geothermal areas like the Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii (Big Island). There's a sulfur bank (a field) where this substance naturally exits the ground. Its pretty nasty there (im talking about the smell).
Old 02-21-09, 04:07 AM
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CBG
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Originally Posted by PHML
The egg smell is Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S04). This is a by-product of the catalytic converter and maybe due to a high sulphur content in the fuel you are using. I'd suggest a better grade of gasoline, or maybe a gas treatment additive.

Sulfur is present near geothermal areas like the Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii (Big Island). There's a sulfur bank (a field) where this substance naturally exits the ground. Its pretty nasty there (im talking about the smell).
Mod please delete my post. It need to be in a different area.

Last edited by CBG; 02-21-09 at 04:16 AM.
Old 03-22-19, 04:07 AM
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sonyxbr80
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Default O2 sensor

I had that rotten egg smell when I gave a little more had than usual. It's not the catalytic converter. It's actually the O2 sensors. The O2 sensors don't trigger a check engine light until it completly fails, but often give the rotten egg smell before failing. I would definitely replace them before diagnosing the cats as the culprit.
Old 03-22-19, 06:05 AM
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TrueGS300
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The only things I've known to give a rotten egg smell are the Cats and the Battery. I don't see how it could be the o2s. Never heard of that before. Not to mention its not cost effective to just replace all the o2s because it "could" be them, then end up being a cat anyway. You can diagnose a bad cat by watching o2 sensor data. If the data is present, the o2s are working. So why replace them? Then watching the voltage switching of the rear o2s will tell if the cats are doing their job or not. It can take some time to throw a P0420/P0430 code. But it may be about to. If the rears are staying steady and the cats are doing their job, then it may just be a fuel quality issue. If the voltages are switching too fast etc, then the cat(s) are burnt up making the smell understandable.

The easiest way to tell is to use a temperature gun and when the vehicle is fully warmed up (give it a good drive and keep it running). measure the temp just before and just after the cats. The outlet of the cats should be around 200* hotter than the inlet. This is how cats work, by heating up. If the temp is the same, or lower on the outlet, it is bad.
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