Got a 63 plate twinair that leaves a faint smell of exhaust fumes inside; particularly in the back of the car. Turned off the stop/start (which seemed to be contributing to the problem) but no solution yet. About to ring the dealer but wondered if anyone else had experinced this problem.

dopes said:

Got a 63 plate twinair that leaves a faint smell of exhaust fumes inside; particularly in the back of the car. Turned off the stop/start (which seemed to be contributing to the problem) but no solution yet. About to ring the dealer but wondered if anyone else had experinced this problem.

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No.....

No - though I'm a bit surprised as the exhaust pipe doesn't clear the bodywork. On a very new car you can get hot paint smells. The oil filler's pretty foolproof, even for a "professional" mechanic, so spills there are unlikely. Do you have a carbon monoxide alarm handy?

It's never been an issue with either of our TA engined Fiats.

You must have an exhaust leak somewhere.

I'm still not 100% convinced about Fiat build quality.

Does it have a rocker breather pipe like the 1.2's

If so this might have failed, is worth checking.

In the boot, at the rear, maybe below the carpet will be the vents that allow the air to flow through the car. These should have simple flaps. Check they are undamaged.

When reversing, it is common to get fumes, as we reverse over our own exhaust fumes. I assume you have the problem when going forward too. If however you reverse off the drive first thing, you will get a lot inside. That may take a while for the smell to go. Could this be it?

After considering the above, as said above, check engine breather pipes and exhaust for leaks.

Problem still there? Does the tailgate seal properly? Put talc on the seal and close the door gently against it. Reopen and check it has connected all around.

You do have the heater fan on at least 1? Keeping it off will give you very little fresh air, retaining any fumes inside for longer.

Thx for these ideas - I'll let you know how I get on.
DP.

I had this problem to a small not-too-bothersome extent on a 500 convertible i had for 6 months last summer. Kind of an unburnt petrol in the exhaust fumes kind of smell sometimes noticable in the car.

The answer was a plastic bag that had managed to wrap itself round the exhaust and had started to melt. So plus side the car has no problems - downside I should have discovered that before posting here. Thanks for the ideas - much appreciated. If I cannot tell the differenec between exhaust fumes and melting plastic it explaisn my lack of a wine palet.

dopes said:

The answer was a plastic bag that had managed to wrap itself round the exhaust and had started to melt. So plus side the car has no problems - downside I should have discovered that before posting here. Thanks for the ideas - much appreciated. If I cannot tell the differenec between exhaust fumes and melting plastic it explaisn my lack of a wine palet.

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Glad that's cleared up

On a slightly related note, with all the floods I wonder how vulnerable is
the 4x4 and Trekking's exhaust system to thermal shock when wading

I can't find any mention of this in the manual. Thankfully, the worst is
over, and levels are now dropping here in the upper Thames Valley



Chris

Dunno but I. Seem to have survived about a foot of water unscathed. That was the deepest bit.