I have a 2005 SC 430 and every time after a hard accelleration I get that rotten egg smell. What causes it and how can I correct the stank LOL?
Could it be the gas. I use a 93 octane in my car. It calls for 91 octane but most gas stations around here have 87, 89 and 93 octane so I use the 93.

Thanks for any help, Cliff.

 

funny you say rotten eggs, i thinks its more like a "passing gas" smell. lol. its normal and I don't know that there is a fix for it. It seems all lexus cars do this. old and brand new even.

 

most cars do this when they go WOT. once i smell it i know someone just dipped.

 

I never noticed the "smell" when I first got the car a few months ago, only within the past month or so.

 

I get the same rotten egg smell during WOT in my GS430. Sometimes it gets so bad that I have to roll down all the windows...

 

This smell is your catalytic converter(s) frying. Under Hard Acceleration you will smell it. It is NOT normal. It means you should replace the cats. If you dont, failure of a smog test may be in your near future.

 

If you smell it right after turn on A/C or heater , your A/C coil got mildew , because in summertime you used A/C with inside return air and mold deposit on your A/C coil ( always put outside air return everytime using A/C, that A/C expert told me) ,How to kill that smell ? , before replace cabin filter , spray germ killer thrugh air registers below windshield wipers with heat on , outside air and fan fast run .

 

Does anyone know if catalytic converters are covered under warranty? I ask that because my car only has 28k miles on it and factory warranty is still good till mid 2009.

 

try a different brand of gas. Some have higher sulfur contents than others.
If you look at www.alldata.com, almost every year and model of Lexus has a TSB entitles "Exhaust System - Excessive Sulfur Odors".

steviej

 

The cats are a secondary symptom of too much fuel being unburnt at wider throttle positions. Check that the ignition system is working properly. It is common to have some smell like this but not to an extreme. Try another gas as suggested.

 

The smell is definitely from the cats. Now, with that being said, I must agree that you should initially try changing brands of gasoline. The only vehicle that actually had a technical service bulletin addressing this concern was the ES330. Change gas stations, and you should see a change within 2 fill ups. If not, take it to the dealership and have a certified technician take a look at it. The cats are covered under the federal emissions warranty of 8 years or 80,000 miles.

 

I don't think they are the CAT's for me, the car recently passed a emissions test. I have only used Shell V-Power (93 Octane) since I have owned the car and at only 1 gas station. I am going to try to switch it up a bit and try another Shell station to see if this stops the smell.

I talked to a Lexus Tech. and he said it was normal and could not find anything wrong...

 

An emissions test is never performed under a WOT condition. I also feel that it's in the gas and not much that can be done about it. If in fact the cats are going bad, the CEL would likely be illuminated with at catalyst inefficiency code.

 

Agree with guitarmike. Plus, the additive in the gasoline required by your state and the 10% of ethernal. If you eat some good ol' Taco's Bell and I bet your exhaust gas isn't smell good either...

 

When you go WOT, you can sense a weird smell, especially on the freeway, it's the smell of the rubber from the tires that is burning off IMHO.