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Catless people, I have a smell question


t0ad

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I've been driving around fully catless for awhile now (MR headers, cobb catless dp, perrin tmic put on all at once) and as far as I can tell, I have no leaks. Boost quickly peaks at around 17.8psi with TDC's map, car is strong as hell. I've felt around all the flanges on everything and I feel nothing, both while idling and while being revved. The bolts on the UP and DP to turbo connections are ridiculously tight. The TMIC seems well sealed to me. At first, my headers weren't torqued down to the heads well enough, as I could smell exhaust shortly after firing up the car while under it. Tightened them down to 30ft/lbs and I smell no exhaust while sitting under the car as it's running. Rev it up, still no smell.

 

The problem is this .. when I'm cruising around with the windows up, it's fine, no smell through the vents or anything. But as soon as I even crack a window, I can smell exhaust. Even while on the highway going 75, I smell it. Is this typical? On my old (catless) car I never smelled the exhaust unless I sat in traffic for a minute or two.

 

The only thing that makes sense to me is that I DO somehow have a leak up front, as I just cant imagine the smell drifting from the back of my car through my window while going down the road at 75mph. My car doesn't sound like it's leaking .. at least, I think it doesn't. It makes a faint whistling sound when I let off the gas after punching it in 1st, but I just figured that was the BPV. Never had a turbo car before this so I really can't tell the difference between the turbo woosh and exhaust leaks :lol: It definitely did get louder with the headers, but again, I can't tell if that's just the way it sounds or if it really is leaking somewhere.

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hmmm... i am also completely catless and i never smell it when moving, windows up or down. I only smell it breifly when i come to a stop with the winows down. I also have headers and an electrical exhaust cutoutright after the resonator.
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It makes a faint whistling sound when I let off the gas after punching it in 1st, but I just figured that was the BPV. Never had a turbo car before this so I really can't tell the difference between the turbo woosh and exhaust leaks

 

I'm in the same boat as you are, although I have the 5EAT and it whistles under load at exactly 2000 rpm (not above or below).

 

It's the strangest thing.

 

Now the whoosh, I know that's the intake because it started right after I dropped in an AVO panel filter. I only hear that under boost.

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It makes a faint whistling sound when I let off the gas after punching it in 1st, but I just figured that was the BPV. Never had a turbo car before this so I really can't tell the difference between the turbo woosh and exhaust leaks

 

I'm in the same boat as you are, although I have the 5EAT and it whistles under load at exactly 2000 rpm (not above or below).

 

It's the strangest thing.

 

Now the whoosh, I know that's the intake because it started right after I dropped in an AVO panel filter. I only hear that under boost.

 

Yeah, same here. I put in an AVO filter before I messed with the exhaust at all and it definitely increased my wooshing a good bit. Mine's a 5EAT as well, and I've only really noticed the faint whistle in the upper rpm's of 1st gear. Maybe I need to go over all my flanges again this weekend. :(

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BTW an exhaust leak pre-turbo would be a very noticable screeching, not just a faint whistle. If you don't smell anything under the hood with the car stationary you are good to go there.

 

As for the car being a bit louder with the headers, that is a natural. You no longer have the 40 lb cast iron manifold to dampen the acoustic energy coming right out of the exhaust ports. Some of the sound is going to make it through the tubing.

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Tell me, do you also get the exhaust smell if you turn the AC on (or Auto temp) with the reciruclate set to take in fresh/outside air?

 

- and the smell goes away if you switch it to recirculating the inside air...right?

 

Nope, when I'm drawing in fresh air there's not even a hint of exhaust smell in it. I've read on here that some people get that when they do have a moderate sized leak, as I believe it draws in air pretty close to the turbo area.

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If it's coming in only when the windows are down, you def have a leak.

 

Here in the shop, we pressurize the exhaust and soak it down with soapy water....obiviously when the pipes are cold.

 

I have had some O2 sensor problem cars that actually had an air leak in the exhaust that was undetectible to the ear. We found it by using shop air and pressurizing the exhaust, about 20-30 psi max.

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my car stinks too..lol...and I got a catless up and COBB HFC dp, and OEM catback. I don't dare crack the windows open when warming up the car for a minute in the morning. Still stinks for while when I leave the enclosed corner parking space in the morning....and the smell goes away after I drive for a while....is the smell due to car being stationary/going very slow, or is there a leak somewhere?
In Taiwan now...:spin:
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^^^ Your car is essentially catless when it is cold. The Cobb cat is so far down the pipe that it won't start functioning until the car warms up. This is why SOA added the cat in the uppipe for cold starts (or air pump in 2007). Any smell symptom that a catless car would have, you would have when the car is cold.
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^^^ Your car is essentially catless when it is cold. The Cobb cat is so far down the pipe that it won't start functioning until the car warms up. This is why SOA added the cat in the uppipe for cold starts (or air pump in 2007). Any smell symptom that a catless car would have, you would have when the car is cold.

 

thanks :)

In Taiwan now...:spin:
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Well I crawled under the car a little while ago and tightened up the header to head bolts a touch more, but everything else is tight as can be. I don't feel the slightest bit of air rushing around any of the connections, and no exhaust smell under the hood even after several high revs. Maybe this 'leak' only shows itself under boost, or maybe I'm just crazy, either way I think I'm gonna have to live with it :p
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  • 6 months later...

Way to bring a thread back from the dead.

Me too same issue

Went Crucial UP and Lachute Catless DP.

Now i get this nasty exhaust smell (kinda like one of those muscle cars after they just punched it at a light).

I dont understand how going catless will cause my car to smell with the front window open.

Technically all exhaust should go all the way to the cans and be expelled out from there....so why the smell when i'm driving with the windwo down in the front of the car????

 

Also i get a light whoosh when i let go the gas. THe symptoms experienced by OP are 9/10 of mine.

 

This has to be a leak issue. I've got a similar thread going on at mnsubaru.com

Of course me being 5EAT we already get the smell of the transmission fluid burning once in a while and now this smell of exhaust.....its way too stinky.

 

Has anyone installed catted DP and gotten rid of this smell ?

I'll spend the money on a catted DP easy...cuz this smell is way too annoying to passengers.

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Same thing with me, don't smell anything until i crack my window(s) open... And i know for a fact, my downpipe and uppipe are both leaking at the turbo flanges

 

Based on my above statement...

 

I just drove full throttle in 3rd gear and stared at my boost gauge (Mechanical Prosport) to find it's maxing out at 15 psi (Cobb Stage 2)... could my exhaust leak be the culprit?

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With my car, i only smell the HCs on decel with the windows open, otherwise it's fine (to me at least).. Whenever i take a peak at my exhaust from underneath, i see white stuff all over my flanges, plus i hear my uppipe leak when my exhaust isn't hot enough :(
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