Hi guys , my first post on the technical side ,although I'm pretty sure of the answer . Got my 2000 hymer a MH with the 2.8 engine a couple of weeks ago and I drove it from Taunton in Somerset back to the Isle of Wight with know issues . When I got back to the Isle of Wight it needed fuel and I filled it up and since I filled it stinks of egg when driving it . I remembered today that the guy bought it off used an addative in the fuel and it was in the drivers door so although I was down to half a tank I chucked some. In and it seems to have massively reduced the smell . Can I assume the issue is CAT related and the addative is just suppressing the issue ? Thanks in advance . Jon

The egg smell is sulphur dioxide, a natural product of combustion of diesel fuel as it naturally contains sulphur. Most fuel companies now state "low sulphur" on their pumps, did you get it from a small brand?
Even low sulphur still smells a bit, mostly noticeable when reversing, as you are reversing over your own exhaust. Is this when you are noticing it, or all the time.
Might be worth grovelling underneath and just checking that there are no exhaust leaks that might allow the smell and exhaust in to the van.

Needs a good clear out, cheap fuel is high sulphur content. Supermarket fuel is high sulphur, using BP fuel or even Ultimate or VPower diesel will help clean out, need to get cat nice and hot, to clean it.

I got the diesel from Sainsbury's I had a transit before with a banana TD but never did it smell like this . The smell was very strong . Will see how this additive works out . I'm off to France in 2 weeks so it will get a long run then .

Take the cat out, more power and no smell

GrandeGuy said:

Take the cat out, more power and no smell

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There is that option , is there a section available or would I need to make one up ?

Might fit??
http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/151146534002?nav=SEARCH

I think I have found the issue ,a large hole has appeared in the last silencer

As 'Portland Bill' suggests your smell is almost certainly a sulphurous gas causing your problem.
Have you thought about your leisure battery(ies)?
Lead acid batteries contain H2SO4 (sulphuric acid) and give off hydrogen sulphide if overcharged, baked or low on electrolyte.
I had a similar experience in France and it turned out to be the battery management controller went haywire and pumped 20v dc into the batteries.
They were very hot when I finally discovered the problem and almost boiled dry!
Had to replace the batteries as the plates had buckled with the heat along with the control gubbins charger which regulated the charging.
No more rotten eggs but a another bill!
Good luck hope you sort it.

toyogran said:

As 'Portland Bill' suggests your smell is almost certainly a sulphurous gas causing your problem.
Have you thought about your leisure battery(ies)?
Lead acid batteries contain H2SO4 (sulphuric acid) and give off hydrogen sulphide if overcharged, baked or low on electrolyte.
I had a similar experience in France and it turned out to be the battery management controller went haywire and pumped 20v dc into the batteries.
They were very hot when I finally discovered the problem and almost boiled dry!
Had to replace the batteries as the plates had buckled with the heat along with the control gubbins charger which regulated the charging.
No more rotten eggs but a another bill!
Good luck hope you sort it.

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I'm pretty sure it's engine/exhaust related as it's only present when the engines on and most prominent when throttling back going downhill .

Check if there is any water present in the fuel filter/water separator. There are bacteria living there that thrive on the sulphur compounds present in diesel fuel. Their waste product is the foul smelling H2S. Going downhill the cylinder temperature drops sharply and the H2O gas isn't burned completely.

Of course you would not notice it if the exhaust is completely sealed. There may be a leaking gasket that allows exhaust gases to escape.

Check ALL the batteries. Could be starter batt. is boiling to some extent, and when under high throttle, is ingesting any fumes into the engine; when coasting, could be hanging around and getting inside. Also try bunging up the exhaust hole properly, but check the batteries first.
Also, high sulphur fuel is not a bad thing- sulphur helps lubricate injector pumps and such- I have heard of premature wear in some vehicles due to low sulphur / old tech (slightly) pumps etc. In fact a 99 ren espace I had had such, and cost the dealer a recon pump! My 05 2.2 jtd Burstner does not smell, BTW. And I have only noticed eggy smells from batteries and petrol cats (unless running on some v.dodgy substances!) Water my be an issue too, but harder to check methinx.

Exhaust changed all though I could only get a RHD part but with a little bending of hangers it's all fitted , new battery coming to day just to be safe . Going to France on Monday and would rather be safe than sorry

Hope you have a great trip and smell sorted after your work.
If there is a possibility that it is the battery(ies) then worthwhile to check what voltage is going in to them. It's normally about 13.8v ish from the alternator but if you have a battery to battery charger then it could differ.
If it is overcharging then the battery will feel warm to touch.
I bought a cheapo LCD voltmeter module off flebay and wired it in permanently so that I could check the charge voltage at any time without having to dig around to get at the batteries.

Battery in an fitted , put a meter across and it's showing 14.5v which might be a little high . Need to take it for a run at the weekend and then test it again

Good news!
Presumable, when you measured the voltage was the engine/alternator running?
Battery voltage remains well over 13v for a while after charging (either from the engine alternator or external charger) until the 'surface' charge effect disappears after an hour or so, and the battery settles down to about 12.7volts (fully charged for a lead acid battery).
If you can check the input to the battery(ies) when being charged (either from the alternator or the motorhome in built charging system whilst on mains hookup) then this will put your mind at rest that all is well in the charging department.
The built in battery charger/12v power supply in the moterhome should only give a max voltage of about 13.8volts to ensure that the leisure battery doesn't get cooked if it is left on for an extended period of days/weeks. The MH charger unfortunately never gets the leisure battery 100% charged (unless it has the more modern multistage chargers fitted) which is why the voltage is limited to 13.8.
An input of more than 14.5v for an extended period will 'boil' the electrolyte away and with modern sealed batteries there's no way of topping them up again. Don't know why they did away with the good old screw in filler plugs at least you could check cells and refill them!
Progress and good old health and safety!

I have twin leisure batteries but they seem to be only charged from 2 big solar panels on the roof , the vitara battery I removed looked ok but a little old although the little window still showed green . I will rest easier now I have changed it

If it's a Hymer it will almost certainly have an 'Electrobloc' leisure battery charger/manager. It will control the charge when on hookup, driving and solar panels. Just worth a check before you leave the UK that the hookup charge is ok about 13.8v and not overcharging.
I had an identical issue on my MH and it turned out to be the German Electrobloc control unit.
Have a good holiday.

toyogran said:

If it's a Hymer it will almost certainly have an 'Electrobloc' leisure battery charger/manager. It will control the charge when on hookup, driving and solar panels. Just worth a check before you leave the UK that the hookup charge is ok about 13.8v and not overcharging.
I had an identical issue on my MH and it turned out to be the German Electrobloc control unit.
Have a good holiday.

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Good call , I still had it on mains when I was running the engine yesterday so will check , will the electrobloc top up the drive battery as well ?

Most Electroblocs charge the leisure and engine batteries as required but the engine battery takes priority.
The solar panels must be wired into it as well since the output voltage from solar panels is more than 20v. (You have to use Electroblocs own regulator that plugs into the main control box)
If you google Electrobloc you can download an instruction manual and wiring diagram. Yours might be an EBL99/101 or similar.
When on hook up the charge voltage shouldn't be more that about 14v depending on the state of charge of the batteries.
Technology - who needs it!