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Diesel smell in cabin

D

delbert

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Location
Bristol
Car
Accord i-CTDi
During last winter I could smell diesel fumes in the cabin so I arranged with Honda to have a look and sure enough it was the manifold (or so I thought).

Having been replaced I've been enjoying a fume free summer but now winter has returned, specifically the cold weather, the smell is back again. It only seems to be there as the car is warming up and I suspect it will disappear when (if!) the weather warms up again.

Has anyone else experienced this?

I guess it could be that the new manifold has gone but after the manifold was done earlier this year I thought I could still smell a small amount of fumes but I put it down to the smell being 'in the system'.

I haven't had a look yet but I'm wondering if there's a flexible joint in the system that could be leaking when cold?
 
I have exactly the same problem. Thought it was the manifold but now not so sure. It certainly could be the hot gas ***ist that the accord CTDI has for those cold mornings. Try starting the engine with the heater at the low setting. When it's at the lowest setting the hot gas ***ist does not come on. If you then don't get the smell, it must be that. I do on odd occasions also get this smell, although very mild, when the car is stationary and hot. You have to get your nose close to the vent though. When cold however it can be so bad I have to open the window for the first couple of miles. The car is going into Honda this Friday for a full inspection just to make sure the manifold is not partly to blame.
 
I also get a slight smell but only on really cold mornings I think its probably related to the heating system but it goes away really quickly. I wondered if its from just starting the car with the door open or that the heater is sucking air in whilst the car is sat on the drive for 5 mins while I scrape the ice off etc if that mkes sense
 
I'm getting the smell as well pretty sure mines coming from the gas ***ist. Kind of need the fans on though to keep the windscreen clear.
 
Gas ***ist heaters! - that reminds me of the good old air cooled VW Campers. I suppose it has its merits until the heat exchanger rots through :eek:

As least it doesn't sound like I'm the only one suffering with this problem, it could also explain why the windscreen regularly mists up about 1 minute after starting the engine (which can lead to a rather dangerous situation when it's already dark and foggy outside).

I'll try turning the heat right down and maybe even try turning it off completely to see if that helps.

Presumably the fact that exhaust is entering the cabin means this part is broken so where about is it located?

Anyone know if Honda's got an alert out for this? It sounds just as dangerous as the cracked manifolds.
 
Yes, i have this problem as well, started to notice it in the cold starts. Mine is a `07 diesel sport so the manifold should be ok on those? Right??
It quickly disappears after a few hundred yards
 
It doesn't matter what year your Accord is, the cracked manifold can happen to any ICTDI Accord.
 
edgeoftime said:
I suspect it is the gas ***ist heater, read the manual.
Click to expand...
I seriously doubt it's the gas heater, no manufacturer let alone Honda would allow exhaust fumes knowingly into the cabin.
I'd get it checked out again.....at a different dealer if required...
 
Gav said:
I seriously doubt it's the gas heater, no manufacturer let alone Honda would allow exhaust fumes knowingly into the cabin.
I'd get it checked out again.....at a different dealer if required...
Click to expand...


if it were the manifold then surely it would be there all the time, getting worse as the revs rise, and the driver would be asleep in short order.
 
Not sure John, for me anyhow. I got my dealer to check mine cause I thought I caught a whiff, but they'd (claimed) check it and found it ok. Still 9 months later I was under the bonnet and I could smell it. Never noticeable in the cabin though.....
 
I remember when Gaz was still at Holdcroft, he mentioned that there was a known issue of fumes going back up the system sometimes and there was a fix for it but I can't recall if he was talking about the Accord or Civic ICTDI...

CJ, ring any bells?
 
Gav said:
I seriously doubt it's the gas heater, no manufacturer let alone Honda would allow exhaust fumes knowingly into the cabin.
I'd get it checked out again.....at a different dealer if required...
Click to expand...

I don't think Honda have designed the system to work on exhaust fumes :D I don't think my smell is exhaust fumes, I'd describe it more like burning plastic or dust something. You know the smell you get from an electric heater that hasn't been turned on for a year, thats what i'd describe it like.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the classic symptoms of exhaust manifold are fumes in the cabin particularly when idling and the blower on. It isn't so noticeable when driving due to extra fresh air being forced in. Also this will happen regardless of the engine temperature.

This smell that I'm getting, has only started since the cold weather set in. Even driving along at motorway speeds, if I turn the front demister on or increase the blower speed, puff, I get a good wiff. The smell quickly disappears after the car gets warmed up a bit. Its not normal aircon pong either. If I leave the aircon in auto I don't notice it so much because the aircon doesn't really bring the fans on until the coolant temp gets to about 50c.
 
I had ***umed initially that it was the manifold, it would be perfectly understandable that any crack may close up once the system's warmed up. However, my manifold was replaced less than 12 months ago, could it happen again so soon?

I tried turning the climate control off last night and drove for several fume free miles. After 10 minutes I turned it back on (it's cold out there ;) ) and the smell appeared almost straight away and the windscreen did its trick of immediately fogging up (not great when it's already foggy outside!).

Now I don't know whether to head for a local mechanic to have it looked at or take it to Honda and hope it's the manifold again.
 
delbert said:
I had ***umed initially that it was the manifold, it would be perfectly understandable that any crack may close up once the system's warmed up. However, my manifold was replaced less than 12 months ago, could it happen again so soon?

I tried turning the climate control off last night and drove for several fume free miles. After 10 minutes I turned it back on (it's cold out there ;) ) and the smell appeared almost straight away and the windscreen did its trick of immediately fogging up (not great when it's already foggy outside!).

Now I don't know whether to head for a local mechanic to have it looked at or take it to Honda and hope it's the manifold again.
Click to expand...

Have you tried to heat the cabin without the "auto" function, just adjust the heat and switch on the fans? to clear the screen is it not possible to use the windscreen blower?
 
I do think that mine must be the Gas Heater ***ist. On all hot heat settings when the engine is cold it smells. It does not smell however when it is on the lowest cold setting. Nose right up against the vent, clean cold air. That is when the Gas system does not, according to the manual, come on. My local garage owner who I know quite well, remembers reading there is a fix for it. He is going to look into this further as he cannot remember what this was. I will keep you all informed if I can get this stinky problem solved and how it was achieved.
 
Hi Folks,

I was a member of the old forum, diff name was off for so log forgot my name!!! Ha Ha.

Please can you advise how long Honda covered the Manifold on Diesel Accords, I have an 05 with 86k.

Thanks

Ian
 
My dealer has just booked mine in and told me it was upto 7 years, they seemed to know about all the little problems with these cars straight off the bat, must have had a few in.
 
Sorry guys, my mate at the garage could not in the end find the info for the gas heater fix. I don't know about yours, but mine has become less stinky the more often it has come on. Still a smell, but now not so bad I can't live with it on cold starts.
 
So a case of "use it" or "suffer it when you need it" then? Lack of use hopefully?
 
Definately lack of use, mine was also stinking when the cold started, I was just thinking of calling Honda to check the status on the manifold issue, and then it stopped smelling and everything is fine. I ***ume a year without use gets a lot of nasty things in the heater matrix and the system needs some time to clean them out...
 
Ok, thanks John, hopefully it's the lack of use. I've found an alternative solution for now, I washed the car a couple of weeks ago and hid it away in the garage, it won't come out until all this snow's disappeared!
 
Probably not a particularly helpful reply, but I spoke to a local Honda mechanic the other day who explained that the gas heater doesn't use exhaust gas to heat the cabin at all. Infact reverses the aircon unit (a bit like the air source heat exchangers you get on eco houses) to heat the cabin. Does anyone actually find it works?

Sorry of this is common knowledge :)
 
I get warmish air within about 3 minutes infact this morning by the time I had scraped the ice off the missus car my screen was starting to melt. Obviously it doesnt get red hot but noticeably warm especially when its -5 outside!

It does say in the owners manul it uses the aircon to generate the heat maybe thats where the smell everyones getting comes from?
 
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