Exhaust Fumes inside....

[Agerbundsen]

The Monster developed a bad habit of smelling of exhaust inside when stopped. I determined eventually that the smell came through the heater vents - not from the back as originally presumed. Lots of testing parked in different wind directions etc.

Well, it eventually turned out to be a loose V-camp, which connects the front exahust pipe to the turbo discharge. The hot gases from here rise when the vehicle is stationary and the heater inlets are right in the area above the turbo. The fix was relatively easy - put a new bolt in and tighten. However, to get there, the mechanic needed a multi-linked and long extender for a rachet wrench from below the car.

So, if you have this smell inside, check if it comes from the heater vents, and check if there is hot air flowing from the turbo - located behind the engine on the top right hand side. If this is it, eventually, you will hear the turbo whine and the car will sound like an old Fordson tractor at idle.

For the colorcode uninitiated, this is a 2.0 125 kW Diesel.

This possibility was initially suggested by TP - it may be a specific Garret Turbine phenomenon.

Thanks for all the helpful suggestions.

Edited 19 January, 2010 by Agerbundsen

[The Plumber]

Hi Agerbundsen,

good news you've got to the bottom of the illumination or lack of and 'fumes in the cockpit' issues.

Took a couple of shots of the V band clamp, so those unsure will hopefully see what were on about and where it's located.

Edit

Surprised that unlike with aircraft there appears to be no friction nut to stop it coming undone.

TP

Edited 19 January, 2010 by The Plumber

[Agerbundsen]

Hi Agerbundsen,

good news you've got to the bottom of the illumination or lack of and 'fumes in the cockpit' issues.

Took a couple of shots of the V band clamp, so those unsure will hopefully see what were on about and where it's located.

Edit

Surprised that unlike with aircraft there appears to be no friction nut to stop it coming undone.

TP

Thanks TP.

BTW, the black plastic cover just snaps off, and is easy to take off and replace. Visibility to the spaghetti bowl of hoses is much better.

Edited 19 January, 2010 by Agerbundsen

[aerofurb]

Interesting stuff people. If anyone wants their's wire-locking in true aircraft style, I could do that! I'll have a check on mine and make sure it's okay, not that I've smelt anything yet.

[Sanqhar]

Interesting stuff people. If anyone wants their's wire-locking in true aircraft style, I could do that! I'll have a check on mine and make sure it's okay, not that I've smelt anything yet.

How about putting on a locking nut?

Edit: why did I say bolt? I'm the nut !!!

tom

Edited 19 January, 2010 by Sanqhar

[aerofurb]

A lock-nut could be fitted - a metal one though, not a Nyloc - they don't do heat very well. That said, it is probably a one-off otherwise I'm sure it'd have a nut on the clamp as standard.

[Duck_Pond]

I think mine is suffering from this, as on several occasions, parked at traffic lights etc, I've smelled diesel exhaust fumes in the car. If left, could it cause engine / turbo problems?

I'll get a mechanic mate to have a look asap though...

[Deputy]

Nasty smelly diesels....

[Duck_Pond]

No smellier than the driver in my case

[Anzio]

Looking at the photo's couldn't that clamp have been put on the other way round, so it was accessable from the top?

[Norry]

Looking at the photo's couldn't that clamp have been put on the other way round, so it was accessable from the top?

Exactly!! I have just looked at mine and it would be easily accessible if it was round the other way. It's a 5mm allen head screw. Also a lock nut will not go thro' the slot in the clip, you would have to put a short tube on first - quite a fiddle. I just tweaked mine up a little.

Edited 8 June, 2012 by Norry

[The Plumber]

Exactly!! I have just looked at mine and it would be easily accessible if it was round the other way. It's a 5mm allen head screw. Also a lock nut will not go thro' the slot in the clip, you would have to put a short tube on first - quite a fiddle. I just tweaked mine up a little.

Without wishing to interfere or tread on toes etc. the correct torque setting is quite important when fitting v-band clamps, otherwise a failure can occur with the clamp itself; had a few failures on aero-engines due to over torquing of the clamps.

Oh the engine and sub chassis are manufactured on the 'shop floor' and fitted from underneath the car at the factory.

Early production 1.8TSI sub chassis with engine

engine and sub chassis being raised into position

TP

[Norry]

Without wishing to interfere or tread on toes etc. the correct torque setting is quite important when fitting v-band clamps, otherwise a failure can occur with the clamp itself; had a few failures on aero-engines due to over torquing of the clamps.

Oh the engine and sub chassis are manufactured on the 'shop floor' and fitted from underneath the car at the factory.

TP

I accept that it should not be overtightened but if it can be turned easily by the fingertips with a 3" long allen key then it is probably not too tight.

[Anzio]

I just noticed on the wife's Ibiza the same clamp as on my Yeti, but the head of the allen screw is facing up, simple to get at. Both VAG vehicles, why other way round on the Yeti?

[vegit8]

if the bracket (and bolt) are loose could you not just spin around its axis so that the head of the bolt is visible, albeit on the other side of the flexi pipe shown in the picture?

[James I]

I also had exhaust smells in the cabin last week, it turned out to be from the tail pipe, I had been driving for an hour or so and then stopped in a car park with the engine idling, I got a nasty hot smell in the car and looked around to see blue smoke from the tail pipes! I am guessing this was due to a regen of the DPF, I have never seen it before or since.

[Duck_Pond]

Sorry to drag this thread back up - question to the original poster - when you found the source of the problem, was there any sign of soot from the exhaust on the parts nearby?

I spoke to a local mechanic and he said if it was the source of the problem in my car then there would be signs, and we couldn't see any. Mine still smells inside sadly, so I wonder if there's a problem somewhere else on the exhaust, which will need to be located and fixed.

I've tightened the bolt up on mine with an allen key and replaced the pollen filter, but the odour is still present. Currently, when parked I switch off the fans so I can't smell it. Not great on hot days though.

[Agerbundsen]

Sorry to drag this thread back up - question to the original poster - when you found the source of the problem, was there any sign of soot from the exhaust on the parts nearby?

I spoke to a local mechanic and he said if it was the source of the problem in my car then there would be signs, and we couldn't see any. Mine still smells inside sadly, so I wonder if there's a problem somewhere else on the exhaust, which will need to be located and fixed.

I've tightened the bolt up on mine with an allen key and replaced the pollen filter, but the odour is still present. Currently, when parked I switch off the fans so I can't smell it. Not great on hot days though.

There were no visible signs at all - not in the engine compartment or inside the vehicle.

My analysis that it would come from the turbo was a result of noticing it when the vehicle was stationary. You could clearly smell combustion gas smells from the vants on the facia. The air intake to the A/C system is at a point just above the turbo, so hot gases rise ther and are sucked into the A/C system.

it is now more than two years since the clamp was tightened, and there have not ´been any difficulty since.

Yes, the car does stink if you happen to park it in the middle of a DPF cleaning cycle, but not inside.

[Chasmill]

Hi Agerbundsen,

I too have noticed recently that there is exhaust fumes coming from with in the engine compartment of my Yeti. It is not coming through to the cabin but I notice is from the shell arch when the lights right and I am idle. It is not all the time though and I wonder if it has something to do with the DPF purging. That said I have never had the warning light on. I do short trips and longer journeys but most common is a 23km journey from my house to the next town which starts at 70kph into 100kph until destination. It is this run that typically I notice the fumes and the fans stay on blowing hard for a few minutes once I switch off. (btw,really good fans).

Does this mean that that particular journey activates a a clean out of the DPF and I seem to be always switching off th car during it. There is no indication on the dashboard that it is cleaning itself which would be useful to avoid switching off during the cycle.

My dealership did manage to tighten the clamp which has been mentioned above and there is certainly soot showing on the bolt but not much in the surrounding area.

I had thought that the tightening had actually done the trick but the other night once again returning from the next town, arrived home to the fumes, heat and fans running on switch off.

I am taking it back to dealer as its a 2012 car but wonder if any one out there can shed further light on the subject. There aren't many Yeti's around here! (but they will catch on).

My yeti is 2.0 Tdi 103kw DNA'd (greentune) to 140kw.

[Agerbundsen]

Chasmill, The regeneration of the DPF also makes a stinl - NOx and aldehydes from the burniong of the soot. If the car does not complete the regeneration, you do get a smell and the fan keeps running after shutting the car down. I had a situation, where it seemed to continue to try to regenerate more often than reasonable. It turned out to be a faulty pressure sensor, measuring the pressure drop across the DPF.

Sensor replaced under warranty in just a few minutes, and the problem solved.

[Chasmill]

Agerbundsen, thanks so much. I can't give you the science but what you have said falls right into my thoughts on the problem.

This afternoon instead of stopping at aforementioned next town I turned around and kept the journey going a bit longer. (Driving this time in 5th not going to 6th.)

When I turned around and sniffed the air the DPF was definitely regenerating. By the time I got back it was all over and when I pulled up there was no smoke or smell. (I checked with engine still running). Turned off and fans stayed on for about 4 minutes. But the cycle had definitely passed during the journey. Therefore it must be to do with regen. Like you I ask why is it doing it so often? Is it just the coincidence that the drive between two villages was just right for the switch on of regen? who knows. It doesn't entirely explain the amount of exhaust being expelled into the engine cavity though. How many clamps are there in the vicinity that should be checked for seal?

Many thanks, I have a lot to go to the dealership with. Thanks to you the problem should be short lived rather than a voyage of discovery!

Cheers

[Leo73]

We had smell of fumes in the cabin of a 2012 Yeti and, as advised on here, had the v-clamp checked. It was loose and, once sorted the smell went away. 

[Wigglesworth]

On 19/01/2010 at 20:48, Agerbundsen said:

Thanks TP.

BTW, the black plastic cover just snaps off, and is easy to take off and replace. Visibility to the spaghetti bowl of hoses is much better.

Hi, 

Great information and pictures guys, thank you.

Does anyone know what the part number is for the V-Clamp please and if it is the same across the TDI range?

I have a 1.6 Greenline.

 

Many thanks