Odd Smell in Cab (1 Viewer)

[DeuceBG]

I know this is going to leave me wide open to all sorts of wild comments but.....There is a strange smell entering into the cab from the engine bay during normal running.
It never gets any worse but it's certainly there all the time.
It's an acrid, throat rasping sort of smell that reminds me of hot coolant.
I can't see any leaks and the Temp. Gauge stayed in the "Centre Section" as the handbook suggested it should when we drove it the 100 miles home last weekend.
Years ago I had a similar experience with an old VW Polo when the alternator was over charging and causing the battery to boil.
It's going into my Service Guy next week for a Health Check but I thought I'd see if anyone here might have anything useful to throw into the mix??

 

[injebreck99]

Heater radiator leaking allowing fumes into the cab??, check coolant level arefully when cold.

 

[knokinonabit]

Maybe a wire covering melting somewhere.
You will soon find out if it short circuits.

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[DP+JAY]

I know this is going to leave me wide open to all sorts of wild comments but.....There is a strange smell entering into the cab from the engine bay during normal running.
It never gets any worse but it's certainly there all the time.
It's an acrid, throat rasping sort of smell that reminds me of hot coolant.
I can't see any leaks and the Temp. Gauge stayed in the "Centre Section" as the handbook suggested it should when we drove it the 100 miles home last weekend.
Years ago I had a similar experience with an old VW Polo when the alternator was over charging and causing the battery to boil.
It's going into my Service Guy next week for a Health Check but I thought I'd see if anyone here might have anything useful to throw into the mix??

If it's coolant it should smell sweat, acrid suggests diesel leak?

 

[DeuceBG]

Heater radiator leaking allowing fumes into the cab??, check coolant level arefully when cold.

Thought about that as it happened on an old Nissan I once had but the carpets were wet through and green from the anti-freeze..

 

[DuxDeluxe]

I usually look down and found that the recently-rolled-in-fox-poo mad Jake the cocker spaniel has crept into the passenger footwell. Don't worry, he will be freshly bathed and clipped for Waldegraves.......

Seriously, it doesn't sound that good - hope you get it fixed soon

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[DeuceBG]

Maybe a wire covering melting somewhere.
You will soon find out if it short circuits.

Hmmm, that's a possibility.
The smell would certainly fit with that kind of event.

There's no sign of smoke as far as I can see but then I guess that wouldn't be too obvious if it was just one small wire.
I'll take a closer look in the morning but I couldn't see anything amiss last time I checked.

 

[jhorsf]

That happened to me recently horrible smell getting worse then the light went out I had put a 20 watt halogen lamp in a 10 watt fitting when the bulb went a while beforeoh:
the smell was the plastic fitting melting on to the lamp.If it is a plastic melting smell you will know its plastic melting

 

[Wildbill]

remember a few years ago driving my car all the way to Inverness from my home in fife i had dune my pre trip check the night before
so i could get on the road first thing getting near to Inverness a smell came in to the car
horrible smell cuming from engine so i pulled in to a lay-by to investigate opened the bonnet and out jumps next doors cat obviously triffid before i cul stop it splat right under a truck when i get's home a few days later nex door ask me if i had seen his cat did not
have the hart to tell him

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[DeuceBG]

remember a few years ago driving my car all the way to Inverness from my home in fife i had dune my pre trip check the night before
so i could get on the road first thing getting near to Inverness a smell came in to the car
horrible smell cuming from engine so i pulled in to a lay-by to investigate opened the bonnet and out jumps next doors cat obviously triffid before i cul stop it splat right under a truck when i get's home a few days later nex door ask me if i had seen his cat did not
have the hart to tell him

..................hmmmmm. No...I think I prefer the melting wire idea despite what it might entail!!!

 

[Redjumpa]

Where is/are the leisure battery(s) We toasted a battery that was under the driver's seat this summer. It was a horrible smell. Never going to site one there again.

 

[DeuceBG]

Where is/are the leisure battery(s) We toasted a battery that was under the driver's seat this summer. It was a horrible smell. Never going to site one there again.

Ours is under the left side bunk behind passenger seat.
The original was knackered with 3 dry(ish) cells so I replaced it with our 110AH Caravan Battery.
I don't think it's coming from there.

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[Zains Pops]

I would check the coolant level really carefully,sounds like a leak on the heater circuit. Are the windows misting up on the inside more than usual? If you lift the bonnet is the smell noticeable in the engine bay? Alternative solution...buy a fir tree deodorant as used in every mini cab nationwide!
Happy hunting

 

[chrisboyo]

Reminds me of a time,many years ago, when I worked in the construction trade
It was in the winter and we were all crammed into the back of a small van on the way home. The heater was running full blast and as it got hotter a terrible smell filled the van. It got so bad that we just had to stop and find out what it was.
The driver got out a found the biggest dog turd you have ever seen wrapped around his boot that had been cooking away as we drove along
:Sad::Sad:One of those unforgetable times:Sad::Sad:

 

[TheBig1]

Ours is under the left side bunk behind passenger seat.
The original was knackered with 3 dry(ish) cells so I replaced it with our 110AH Caravan Battery.
I don't think it's coming from there.

if the previous leisure battery was cooked and boiled dry, the charging circuit may not be working too well. possibly indicates the replacement is getting cooked too. that smells bad and burns the back of your throat. gets worse after driving for a bit as the acid starts gassing off, then gets better when the engine is off

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[DeuceBG]

if the previous leisure battery was cooked and boiled dry, the charging circuit may not be working too well. possibly indicates the replacement is getting cooked too. that smells bad and burns the back of your throat. gets worse after driving for a bit as the acid starts gassing off, then gets better when the engine is off

That was one of my earlier thoughts too but the Leisure Battery is off to the side in a fully enclosed plastic pod (enclosed from the inside of the vehicle anyway) which vents to the outside and the old one wasn't completely dry, it just had three cells that were low on acid.
It only took about 150mls of water to bring all three up to level.
I'm going to check again for any wiring that maybe close to the exhaust first , then I'll try putting Rad-Weld through the system as a precaution and see if that makes any difference.
Can it go straight into the Expansion Bottle?
What's the best one to use?

 

[stevensson10]

smell

we once took my sister in law to wales with us she suffers badley from flatulence [farting] and to make things worse she eats like an horse and drinks like a fish. well she had a farting bout and it stunk terrible it made me feel sick.so I solved the problem told her she would never set foot in the motorhome again. all she could do was laugh and say take a deep breath and inhale as she wasn't charging any thing they were freebies.steve:Sad: