My 2004 LS430 has been a major disappointment: I love the car; its beautiful but its unfortunately been one thing after another.

The vents give off a rotten egg salad smell and my Lexus service advisor told me to only run Chevron Supreme 91 through the car instead of the cheap QuickTrip gas which I did. It seemed to improve for awhile but now the smell is back. Is there any cheap quick fix you guys recommend?

I have the Gold Lexus extended warranty but it doesnt cover catalytic converters.

I also have a new girlfriend and I think she thinks I fart in the car before I pick her up.

Always grateful for any feedback from you guys! Thanks.

JW

 

Dump the girlfriend!

 

Uh dude...she's way hotter than any LS

 

Lucas Oil Deep clean fuel system cleaner worked for me, although I had to use it about every oil change or it comes back. Dunno if its bad or not but they said its safe, and just boosts your octane really high to clean out your fuel system. You can try it and see how it works out for you. If it doesn't, just got a bunch of squash air fresheners like I did! hah

 

That nasty sulfur smell is fairly common. It only happens to me when I accelerate over 2500-3000 rpm. It stinks for a few seconds and then is gone.

 

A bad battery can smell like rotten eggs that's similar to the sulfur smell from a catalytic converter. If it's coming in through the vents it may be picking it up from the engine compartment. This can happen when the battery is being overcharged. I don't believe the gas theory as Quick Trip is top-tier gasoline. My 2001 has run it all of its life, both regular and premium, without any smell or issue whatsoever.

If it is a catalytic converter smell then this is usually from a too-rich fuel mixture. This can come from hard driving or the engine being fed a rich mixture. The engine can be monitored and its fuel mixture monitored to determine if this is the problem.

Good luck with this an remember that you don't have to live with this situation. Perhaps you need a different mechanic?

 

I have the same problem, I will try the "Lucas Oil deep clean fuel system cleaner"



Thanks for the tip.

Denis.

 

I had that same problem last summer. Dealer couldn't figure it out so I opened the hood myself and found the sulfur smell I had was coming from the battery. It wasn't rectangle anymore....it was oval and ready to explode. Replaced the battery and the smell went away. I'm saying, that might not be your problem but it was mine and worth looking at before messing with O2 and converters.

 

It's a widespread issue.

My dealership blamed it on Costco gas (I think that answer is their go-to scapegoat for everything) but my wife has a Lexus GX that we also fill up with Costco gas, and we never have the smell on her car. Or my Lexus ES I owned before this one that also used Costco gas.

I might put some fuel cleaner in it and see what happens, but the smell is only occassionally when I step into it. No codes are being thrown. If I ever replace my catalytic converter, I'm going aftermarket.

 

Quick fix for the new girlfriend.

Whenever out on a date put the a/c on re circulation mode (Cabin air only) and keep a quality air freshener in the car. Good to go.

 

I'm guessing it's the battery. I had this problem in a Ford that I recently owned. It had the same smell and, like the poster above me, I finally noticed that the battery was the culprit. My battery looked completely normal, it wasn't bulging or anything.

Easy way to find out, go buy a battery from Walmart without turning your old one in (core charge). Test it out and return the battery later. Auto part stores will give you a hard time about returning a battery but Walmart / Sams Club will take anything back.

 

I can't believe it's the cats. Have never had a problem with the 92 SC400 since I bought it new in 1991 and it has never failed the ridiculous, expensive, exhaustive, emission tests required every year in Arizona! And, it's still running fine. Explain that.