# 1998 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class - exhaust smell can't be explained **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** mercedes-benz\ **Created:** [May 9, 2019, 10:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053 "2019-05-09T22:27:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Alan14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Alan14](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Alan14)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2019, 10:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/1 "2019-05-09T22:27:16Z")
Why does the car have an obnoxious exhaust smell? ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2019, 10:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/2 "2019-05-09T22:33:14Z")
Most likely because you have an exhaust leak and you should have a muffler shop fix it . ---
**Author:** ![Alan14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Alan14](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Alan14)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2019, 11:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/3 "2019-05-09T23:14:19Z")
Thanks but a check by a facility says no exhaust leak. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2019, 11:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/4 "2019-05-09T23:45:16Z")
What ever this ’ Facility ’ is did you not have them try and determine what you are smelling . Did they notice the smell which may not be exhaust ? ---
**Author:** ![Alan14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Alan14](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Alan14)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 12:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/5 "2019-05-10T00:34:39Z")
Nah they insisted there was no smell , no exhaust leak and at that time there wasn’t due to the draft of air in the facility. Meineke it was. ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 12:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/6 "2019-05-10T00:39:39Z")
Stay away from meineke & other chain store’s & find a indepenet shop. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 12:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/7 "2019-05-10T00:47:47Z")
> [@Alan14](#): > > Meineke it was. OK, back to the original statement, find a real muffler shop . There may a Meineke place that can do something besides oil changes but I have never seen one. ---
**Author:** ![Alan14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Alan14](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Alan14)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 12:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/8 "2019-05-10T00:50:25Z")
Two independents couldn’t find an issue either, that’s why I’m searching the folds of others. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 1:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/9 "2019-05-10T13:46:03Z")
Are you sure it’s an exhaust smell? Could it be an oil leak dripping onto an exhaust header or pipe? Lots of possible oil leaks on a 21 year old car. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 1:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/10 "2019-05-10T13:47:35Z")
Define obnoxious. Does it smell like rotten eggs, by chance? ---
**Author:** ![Alan14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Alan14](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Alan14)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/11 "2019-05-10T16:54:19Z")
No it’s the usual exhaust smell, oil, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Alan14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Alan14](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Alan14)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/12 "2019-05-10T16:57:09Z")
I thought that as well, the only oil spill I had was from the last oil change. The “techs” had not cleaned up. I had them clean my driveway and the whole engine bay top and underneath. Smell still remained, more so on starting up and stopping. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 4:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/13 "2019-05-10T16:57:36Z")
Your mechanic should check under the exhaust header heat shield. The header can crack there, and then the exhaust gets sucked into the vents for the air conditioner. Best of all, sometimes once the car warms up, the header gets hot enough to seal the crack via thermal expansion, and so when someone goes to look they don’t find the leak. ---
**Author:** ![COROLLAGUY1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/corollaguy1/32/7575_2.png) [@COROLLAGUY1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/COROLLAGUY1)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 5:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/14 "2019-05-10T17:07:10Z")
Also,check your rubber door seals because they can crack with age and allow exhaust fumes to enter the cabin. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 5:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/15 "2019-05-10T17:14:26Z")
Has anyone used a combustion gas detector to examine every inch of the system when running, both cold and warmed-up? ---
**Author:** ![Alan14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Alan14](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Alan14)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 5:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/16 "2019-05-10T17:57:39Z")
I’ll have that checked out. Many thanks Alan ---
**Author:** ![Alan14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Alan14](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Alan14)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/17 "2019-05-10T17:59:04Z")
I have the top down most of the year, having said that when the hard top is on interior odor does not appear. Thanks for the thought though. Alan ---
**Author:** ![Alan14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Alan14](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Alan14)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2019, 5:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/18 "2019-05-10T17:59:49Z")
Not to my knowledge, I’ll put that on the list. Thanks Alan ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2019, 1:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/19 "2019-05-12T01:47:47Z")
Have you changed gas stations? Especially true if you live in the Eastern part of the US, where the amount of sulphur in the various vendor’s gasoline can vary quite a bit, vendor to vendor. If you live east of Denver, try using a different gasoline brand, see if that makes a difference. ---
**Author:** ![Alan14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Alan14](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Alan14)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2019, 2:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053/20 "2019-05-12T02:11:31Z")
Thanks George, I live in AZ, after 6 months in TN and before that 40 years in CA after a year in TN. Same old smell and started when I lived in the Bay Area…now isn’t that funny? Alan [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1998-mercedes-benz-sl-class-exhaust-smell-cant-be-explained/140053.md?page=2)