Back to all

No Yolk! Rotten Egg Smell (Sulfur Smell Causes)

July 11, 2021

The pungent smell of rotten eggs can send people running for the hills.  So when that odor is inside your vehicle, yikes!  Yolks!  The good news is that a trained service technician can search the source of that smell and stanch the stench… that comes from another words that begins with S.  Sulfur.

Fuel contains small amounts of hydrogen sulfide, but they're enough to stink up a vehicle when it's not properly burned.  You may know that the smell of rotten eggs can often be a sign of a catalytic converter that isn't working the way it should.  That could be due to age, damage or an abundance of oil that's clogging it up. 

If a sensor in charge of managing the fuel has failed, the engine can run with too rich of a fuel mixture.  That can overload the catalytic converter and allow some of the byproducts to escape without interruption from the chemical reaction that is supposed to prevent them from going out the tailpipe.

There's another possibility, but it's usually only in stick shift vehicles.  That's leaking, old transmission fluid.

Catalytic converter repairs are best left to a professional. Technicians at your vehicle service facility have equipment and training that can help them pinpoint the cause of this funky fragrance.  Once the cause is found, repairs made and/or parts replaced, the smell should go away fairly rapidly.

Tuffy Tire & Auto Service Troy
530 E. Maple Rd.
Troy, Michigan 48083
248.585.2770
https://www.tuffytroy.com/

More articles from Tuffy Troy Auto Repair

Clean Machine (Fuel and Air Induction Cleaning)

January 19, 2025

As your vehicle ages, its performance isnt quite what it used to be, but many of us never notice the change because its gradual. So here are a few questions to ask yourself. Does your vehicle feel like it doesnt have the pep that it used to? Have you noticed your fuel economy isnt quite as good... More

A Clean Connection (Battery Cleaning)

January 12, 2025

A clean connection is a wonderful thing. Think of a good cell phone signal or an airline connection with ample time and short distance to the next gate. Good connections are also important for your vehicles battery, and one secret to that is to make sure its periodically cleaned. If its been a w... More

Tacky or Techie? The Tachometer.

January 5, 2025

There's a gauge that many vehicles have that says RPM on it. And there are a lot of people who either don't pay any attention to it or don't even know what it is. Here's why it's a good gauge to know about. It's called a tachometer, and that "RPM" label means it is measuring how many revolutions... More