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2003 nissan sentra idle smell…
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carcrizzap
New User
Dec 4, 2014, 6:21 PM
Post #1 of 7
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2003 nissan sentra idle smell…
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2003 nissan sentra 4cyl 1.8L
Ok, so this might be a bit of a story… also, I'm not sure of the car's complete history since it was given to me by a family member who knows little to nothing about cars.
got the car flushed and antifreeze put in sometime in october. never had to do this since the car was in a tropical area. car shop guy who did this also claimed he changed a blown head gasket.
late november, had some car starting troubles. seemed like standard spark plug issue. I had a friend just change the spark plugs yesterday. Spark plugs looked like they had never been changed.
Today, when I first start the car to leave my house, I get out to close my garage door and I smell that gas/exhaust smell. It goes away when I start driving, but…
Smell is there when I idle with the heat/vents on.
Smell goes away when I drive with heats/vents on.
Smell also goes away if the heat/vents are off, at both idle and driving.
I have read that it could be a gas leak thing. My friend who changed the plugs also mentioned some issue w/ another gasket, but said it wasn't worth replacing(???). Would that have anything to do with this?
I am a new/young driver. Please help.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Dec 4, 2014, 7:17 PM
Post #2 of 7
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Re: 2003 nissan sentra idle smell…
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About the only thing I can muster out of that is you smell gas - right? Doesn't seem anything else said is going to be important if this is leaking gasoline if that's what you meant so find that right now before it's a car fire and don't have to worry about any history on the car.
I strongly suggest some real pro help in person for this about now,
T
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carcrizzap
New User
Dec 7, 2014, 2:23 PM
Post #3 of 7
(2338 views)
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Re: 2003 nissan sentra idle smell…
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ok, so I took my car in and explained to the guy about the home spark plug replacement
That morning, the smell was gone, there were also no puddles/sign of dripping in my garage before I left to see the mechanic.
The guy who checked it ended up saying that everything looked normal.
However, later at night I heard a slight, momentary whistling sound when I started the car to go out. Isn't such a sound typical of loose spark plugs?
Also, the smell through the vents came back. And by 10pm, the service engine light came on. This entire series of events all happened on Friday.
Could loose spark plugs be cause of all of this?
THanks for any help
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Dec 7, 2014, 10:41 PM
Post #4 of 7
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Re: 2003 nissan sentra idle smell…
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Spark plugs: Doubt they are causing whistling noise if loose more likely a ticking if so. This isn't the issue IMO the fuel odor is. You probably wont find a puddle of gas on the floor but if you just run your finger under lines and around the evap canister bet you find something.
Noise is probably a vacuum leak and evap system full of fuel hence now your check engine light.
Spark plugs are NOT going to cure all that ails a car, in fact wrong type or poorly done will make problems. You should have old ones and know which cylinders they came from for comparison too.
If this odor and no codes showed up when professionally inspected you probably have to go back or choose a shop that will give it some more effort or something. A shop would be limited by what you ask for if you specify a dollar amount just to find the problem.
Reading between the lines is my fault or credit to help you. "Garaged" suggests it's parked in a closed area with a fuel odor so now it's time to park it outside until odor is gone. One teaspoon of raw fuel will stink up a whole garage and if just wrong you risk blowing up the whole place and this game will be over.
Back to the spark plugs. If you even think they were left loose you didn't or don't have much confidence that anyone had a clue how to do those. Check what might have been bumped or wrecked, hoses disturbed in changing those at least. Leave the garage door open sport so there's time to fix this or park it outside please if you have to push it. I can't know the extent of the fuel odor problem but it's a clear warning of danger never mind if this car runs at all or not that's first,
T
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carcrizzap
New User
Dec 7, 2014, 10:52 PM
Post #5 of 7
(2322 views)
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Re: 2003 nissan sentra idle smell…
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i forgot to specify that i did tell the guy the whole story about the gas smell and that i think it could be a gas leak. He still didn't find anything, claimed everything was dry too. But yea, i wouldn't be surprised if there was minimal effort done.
It also didn't help that for some reason, the odors weren't coming through the vents that day/morning, yet started again later that night...
i will park my car outside until i can take it somewhere this tuesday (i've been busy with school finals). the garage doesn't smell thankfully.
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Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Dec 7, 2014, 11:17 PM
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Re: 2003 nissan sentra idle smell…
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OK - I'll be off line soon so leave this all up to you for tonite or soon.
Notes: Again, it doesn't take much fuel to make a lot of odor and might evaporate before any liquid could be found. That is tough and if you just drove it to some place/shop most stink of who knows what from just being a repair shop - trust me.
Odor thru vents: Air comes into car's interior thru or where wipers are between hoods and windshield and a seal keeps most of anything from under the hood under there or vents out thru under car while moving. Many odors still make it to those grilles that allow air inside the car anyway.
I can't stress enough how little fuel it takes to make a lot of odor or how powerful it can be if ignited perhaps a light switch if in a tight garage (if so) is enough or anything and it could be so fast there's no time to remedy the situation.
Please sport do something to not have an explosion and work on your final exams and live to fix this car.
These by general make do not usually rust out fuel lines or tanks (rear anyway) to be the issue. Fuel is under pressure in lines under hood and there's an "evaporative emissions system" that captures fuel vapors from gas tank in a canister usually under hood that when prompted and just started up burns that off in the engine if right and no odor and you shouldn't have to think about all the crap going on in a car BUT YOU SMELL IT so do something.
As far as help and a shop you need to figure out what is available for at home or what but somebody has to find the source. So far I think you have a failed evaporative emission something going on. Cracked, disconnected or broken lines and you need to at least have a clue which ones of the mess under hood are for that and not something else.
Good luck on your finals and live to tend to the car,
T
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carcrizzap
New User
Dec 7, 2014, 11:23 PM
Post #7 of 7
(2315 views)
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Re: 2003 nissan sentra idle smell…
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Thank you Tom, I appreciate your guidance.
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