I have had my car since it rolled out of the plant. Along with other issues one of the most bothersome is a strange smell when I accelerate above 60 mph and it gets worse between 70 and 80mph. Additionally, when I pull into my garage after having smelled this smell on the freeway, I can smell it on the outside of my car.
My car has been in and out of the Ford dealership every month for many issues but this particular issue each time I bring it in. It wasn’t until my most recent visit that they told me that with new cars one can occationally smell this when undertaking a hard acceleration. Then I was asked if I have visited websites or asked questions on the web about this smell. But until now I didn’t know what the smell was.
I have been on websites that say this is normal for new cars but if the smell gets worse over time there is a problem with the carburetor. I need to know exactly what to tell the Ford dealership when I go in again have them fix this problem. I also would like to know if this smell I smell is harmful to my children and I. And is it leaking the smell all the time but it is just over a certain MPH that I can smell it.
Please help!!!
I don’t think the Ford Explorer is old enough to have used a carburetor. I think exhaust fumes are getting into the cabin. Either there is an exhaust system leak which could be from the manifolds on back to the end of the car or the tailgate isn’t sealing (assuming you don’t drive with the tailgate or tailgate window open). As a car moves along, a partial vacuum is created at the rear end which can suck in exhaust fumes. This is not a safe condition and not a normal condition. You should never smell the exhaust emissions inside the car.
There’s sulfur in fuel additives; your engine isn’t burning it completely and your catalytic converter is storing it and then releasing it as hydrogen sulfide when you add load to the engine and force more air through. That’s one possibility.
Another possibility is that the battery is overcherging and its sulpheric acid is emitting odors. But that’s really an outside shot.
I have no solution to offer. The problem used to be common when cat converters were first intruduced, because engines often didn’t burn fuel completely, but it should not be happening on a new vehicle.
“I don’t think the Ford Explorer is old enough to have used a carburetor”
Unfortunately, the OP never divulged the model year of this Explorer, but I agree with you that it is not likely to have a carburetor.
It may still be under warranty, as implied by use of the dealership for resolving this problem. And…if it is not still under warranty, then I have to wonder why the OP is using the dealership at this point, given their apparent inability to fix it.
@Kitsoncamp–What is the model year of your Explorer?
How many miles are on the odometer?
What can you tell us (specifically) about its maintenance history?
Is the Check Engine Light lit up?