ok, what the hell is this god damn skunk smell?

[bassin247]

Ok, in the begining I thought I was imagining things. I do live in a suburban area with roads running through wooded areas where skunks usually get hit, but I do not believe that it's the dead skunks anymore.

I saw the poll a while back called "GOT SKUNK?" Has anyone had it fixed yet? This has to be something burning. It happened today right after I started my car. My car was sitting for 9 hours. Right after I started it, I drove it for 300-400 feet and I floored it to avoid hitting some clown in my parking lot and instantly smelled it.

My girlfriend still thinks it's the skunks, but I don't recall every smelling this many skunks this often. What gives?

 

[mosconiac]

When I told an SVT tech one day that my '03 emitted a skunky smell, he immediately perked up and said I had fouled cats. You might want to have your dealer investigate.

Also, see my earlier post on fouled plugs (post: two new TSB's....)

Good luck, Mosconiac

 

[Blue03Cobra]

Re: Re: ok, what the hell is this god damn skunk smell?

Originally posted by Tetge


My car has had the "skunk smell" since it was new. My 01 Cobra had the same smell. It has been going away slowly. It was real strong at first. I don't think that it is clogged cats because my car gets real good gas mileage and runs pretty good trap speeds. It must be something else, IMHO.
However, it might not hurt for you to ask the dealer about the smell. Mine is almost cured so the dealer would not be able to smell the skunk. I did take my 01 Cobra back to the dealer and inquire about the smell, and they could not explain it. But it went away after awhile. The 01 ran really well also. I would think that bad cats would create an obvious power loss.

I'm right with you on this one, Tetge. Mine had a pretty significant skunk smell, early on, with 1,000 miles, it has almost completely subsided. I don't have a trap speed or dyno sheet to confirm, but I get 20+ on the highway and 17 in town and can absolutely smoke the tires from a first gear punch at 20-30 MPH, so I don't think I have clogged cats, either. :-D

 

[Cobra'03]

Skunk smell or rotten egg smell? The latter is from sulfur, usually from cheap fuel. It can accumulate in the catalytic and burn off over time. Even been behind a granny in a Camry, and they see you coming up and nail it - out comes the smoke and that rotten egg smell? That is the sulfur biurning off, as the cats temp goes up dramatically (as do engine gas temps) when you are on it.
Some times gas stations buy "off quality" fuel to save a buck, and they are often high in sulfur compounds.

If symptoms persist, have your dealer pull the cats and examine them for heat damage/meltdown of the substrate.

 

[SoCalBlk03]

Originally posted by bassin247
Right after I started it, I drove it for 300-400 feet and I floored it to avoid hitting some clown in my parking lot and instantly smelled it.

Just my $.02 but I'm pretty sure what you smelled was your clutch. In similar situations with my past Saleen and the new Cobra I've duplicated your complaint. Basically this is what happened to me: just after a cold start on an idle roll I gunned the car to evade another car or being a showoff I was slightly slow with the left foot. Then the wife promptly gave the 'ol "what died?". It's worth a try to see if this is whats happening. But from what you descibed it sounds like good old fashoned burned clutch smell. ;-)

 

[IcebourgGT500]

This is the time of year that the Oil Processing Refinery's add different additives and blend there fuel a little differently for the up coming winter. It is your cats that is emitting this smell. The additives and the sulfer in the fuel is making this odor. I got this info from a Chemist that works at a local refinery.

 

[bassin247]

Re: Re: ok, what the hell is this god damn skunk smell?

Originally posted by SoCalBlk03


Just my $.02 but I'm pretty sure what you smelled was your clutch. In similar situations with my past Saleen and the new Cobra I've duplicated your complaint. Basically this is what happened to me: just after a cold start on an idle roll I gunned the car to evade another car or being a showoff I was slightly slow with the left foot. Then the wife promptly gave the 'ol "what died?". It's worth a try to see if this is whats happening. But from what you descibed it sounds like good old fashoned burned clutch smell. ;-)

Why would it be my clutch? I had my foot off of the clutch. It was fully engauged. I know what a burning clutch smells like, and this isn't it. It smells like a dead skunk.

If it was my clutch, how would I find out it that was the problem other than replacing it after 5000 miles.

I never had this problem with my Saleen.

 

[SoCalBlk03]

I wasn't trying to imply your clutch was bad. Rather I had had similar experiences with my car making a really bad smell by unintentionally riding the clutch and my tranny still works just fine. I'll be honest I don't know what a skunk smells like but I understand your concern. Even my truck will get stinky after sitting a while but unless I'm standing at the exhaust pipe I'd never know it. Following this logic...if you're in motion you should never smell your exhaust unless you have a really bad leak at the manifold. I can't remember if you've replaced your shifter yet but this is the most likely place for fumes of any type to enter the cabin. And barring the afore mentioned exhaust leak it's the perfect escape for any odors from your tranny ie. clutch. Don't get me wrong I make no claims to be able to diagnose your car from 2Kmi away. I really do hope you solve your mystery smell and good luck. ;-)

 

[03rocks]

I had the skunk smell too. I thought it was pretty cool. Too bad it went away

 

[1svtcobra]

I also have the skunk smell. I am getting close to the 300 mile range and it has not improved. It does smell like it is coming from the engine. When it is at its worst i smell the exhaust and it does not smell like a skunk. I have narrowed it down to the engine block. I think? If the cats were creating the smell don`t you think you would be able to smell it from the tailpipes?

 

[KingKobra]

Hey guys, the skunk smell went away, but it took me miles and hard driving, possibly due to increased heat burning the compounds responsible for the smell. It does give off it's slight scent here and there, but the heavy smell is gone. My suggestion is to get to about 1000 miles and drive it like you stole it... it seemed to help rid my system of the skunk. BTW, 03rocks, :lol: I think you may be the only one who liked it.

 

[Mowgli]

Agreed. 4000 mles here. Big skunk smell to start. Almost no skunk smell at all now.

I tended to get it after a highway run (normal higway speed, not running hard or anything) when I came to a light or some other stop, or a slow speed area with the fresh air intake on.

But my memory is sketchy on it. Like I said, it goes away with time.