Stinky Exhaust

[floydzeppelinfan]

Whenever I run my car in heat above 80 degrees, my exhaust stinks like rotten eggs. It is kind of embarrasing, but I'm more worried about my car. Is this common, or a really easy thing to fix? Thank you in advance

[bitcore]

common symptom of a dieing cat, smells like sulfur.

But, my friend's new honda element smells like sulfur (really badly) and I'm really not sure what the deal is with him...

[floydzeppelinfan]

I know nothing about cars, so what is a cat ?

[TMaxxTim]

New Cats tend to smell until they are "worn in" just a little bit.

A Cat is a catalytic converter which turns fumes into "better stuff" so that your emissions aren't as bad.

[Cruzin 323is]

ya, most likely the cat... get that checked out...

[El Presidente]

Exactly. The cat, or catalytic converter, is part of the exhaust system. You'll need to replace it if you live in a state with emissions testing, or if you don't have the money, live with the smell.

[jonas427]

Buy a testpipe, cats are for tree huggers.

[qapla97]

Check carefully on your vehicle warranty.

Emissions-related equipment is subject to better warranty coverage than is other parts of the car. Ask your local BMW dealer if it is covered by such an extension. For my car, the cat went bad just after the special warranty was over but it was like 9 years long. The BMW dealer even reviewed my dying cat (within this 9 years) and didn't say anything. I later found out that they should have replaced it and the O2 sensor for *FREE* - they were staying quiet to avoid the warranty repair.

Don't screw up like I did - ask!

Sc