Hello,

As soon as I start driving the car I feel very uncomfortable, I have to keep the air recycle switch on and all windows closed except the driver window to avoid having more fumes in. Somehow this set up brings less fumes in but I still feel sick driving the car.

I have shown the car to two different mechanics but none of them can figure it out were the fumes are coming from. Any ideas?
Please help.

 

Where are the fumes coming from?

 

Since they're making you sick, I'm assuming they're exhaust fumes? If so, the first thing would be to check for a leak under the car somewhere. Since you've had two mechanics look at it, they should have been able to find it if this was your problem.

The next thing I would check is the fuel tank sending unit/pump access cover in the trunk, or just behind the rear seat if it's a wagon. If this was loose or damaged, it could be pulling exhaust in while driving. I had a similar situation in my Porsche. I had a plastic cover come loose in the hatch area, and it pulled exhaust fumes in, even though the exhaust system was in good shape.

One other thing to check would be the tailgate seal, if it's a wagon. If that seal is leaking, it would pull fumes in the same way the access cover would.

Hope this helps.

 

It is a sedan not wagon. Where exactly is the sending unit pump in the trunk?

Unfortunately the two mechanics couldn't figure out where the fumes are coming from. Maybe it was not that obvious couple of weeks ago when they looked at it.

I'm not sure exactly where the fumes are coming from. My best guess based on my observation last weekend, is that the fumes are coming from underneath the car near the driver side by the engine. Could this be exhaust manifold leak? Is this common on this model and how expensive is it to fix?

Thank you both.

 

The exhaust manifold is on the passenger side. The pipe goes down under the feet of the front-passenger seat, and straight out towards the back.

If there is an exhaust leak, first you would hear it, because it is loud, especially when you accelerate. Yes, when exhaust leaks, fumes will come into the cabin. Did the mechanics check underneath?

On the driver's side you would have a gasoline smell, which is a different matter.

 

As Henry said, if you have an exhaust leak that's bad enough to make you sick so quickly, you should be able to hear it.

The first thing I would do is take it to a shop that specializes in mufflers and exhaust. Have them put it on a lift and thoroughly check for any exhaust problems. If there are no leaks, then you start checking door seals, trunk seal, and basically any way that exhaust fumes could be getting sucked back into the cabin.

I'm not sure about the sedan, but I think the fuel pump access cover is in the trunk just behind the rear seats under the carpeting. It should be a metal cover about 8" X 8", toward the driver side of the car. While you're in the trunk, I would just take out the carpeting and look all around for any openings, gaps, rust holes, or anywhere air could be getting in.

 

What do the fumes smell like? I had a problem with fumes when I sat at a drive through, like at the bank. I think you should check all of your vacuum elbows. It's likely a vacuum leak somewhere. It will leak under the hood and get sucked into the air vent intake.

 

Thank you, yes, now I noticed it.
I stood by the driver side and leaned into the engine bay and I can hear a shhhhshhh sound. At first I thought that's how the engine is, but I beleive it is a vacuum leak. I took it in again to the shop yesterday and I just told them about this sound. Hopefully they'll find it.
Does anyone knows a good Volvo shop in Orange County California by any chance? That would be great help. Thank you all very much. I'll keep you posted.

 

I took it to a Volvo specialsit and the culprit is the intake manilfold gasket. The hissing or "shhhhh" sound at idle is caused by that leak. I sure hope he is right. It's going to cost me a lot of money, is the car worth it? I hope it is.
Thank you all for your help.

 

IM Gasket is $ 6 from FCP. It took me 2-3 hours to do it the first time. Something's not right.

 

My A/C was giving off fumes as well.....it was a check valve, and it was a mild smell, but it also made me feel sick once or twice.....once i got the valves sorted it stopped...

smell from the vents while the air is on....it usually did it at lights/idle.

 

Can you explain what you mean by 'once you got the valves sorted it stopped"
Thanks,

 

The tech said said he'll replace few hoses as well in addition to the gasket, but I'm not sure if this will get rid of the fumes though. The intake doesn't generate fumes it is the exhaust leak that does. But the tech is convinced that this is the problem.
Does that make sense to you?

 

I don't know what hoses he is replacing, but in order to take the intake manifold out, most vacuum hoses need to come out. It takes about 1.2 seconds to pull hoses off. Hoses cost about 99 cents per foot. So I am not sure that this work is getting to be so expensive to you, that you are asking if it is worth to keep the car.

There are additionally 2 PCV hoses that cost about $ 15 each brand new (they are shaped), which is a good thing to replace or clean.

If the IM is leaking, you would have a of loss of power, car would not work right. You can test for IM leaks yourself -- spray Carburetor Cleaner around the seam or at the vacuum lines -- if car smooths out, you have a leak.

About the fumes -- like mentioned in previous posts -- you hear exhaust leaks before you smell them.

Another check I would do is for the fuel rail -- these fuel rails are known to fail at the end and they leak fuel. This fuel rail is right in front of the driver.

If this is the case, I would stop starting the car right away due to danger of gasoline catching fire. I apologize for throwing wild guesses, but safety first. If I read in LA Times that a lady's Volvo 960 got in a fire, etc, etc. I would have felt bad if I didn't say anything, since I knew.

 

These are probably the hoses that he's referring to. The car starts a bit rough, it cranks about 3 times then fires up, I know it can starts better than that and the reason is probably due to the intake leak.

I checked the fuel rails and I don't see or smell fuel from this area. Thank you for your concern. Now, if it is not fuel smell from the rail or fumes from the intake, where are fumes coming from? This is very frustrating. Also, why this Volvo specialist is insisting that that's what is causing the fumes. Could there be a leak at the headers where the exhaust pipes connect to the engine?

 

Probably, but you would hear it too.

If the mechanic replaces the PCV hoses, I assume he will also replace or clean the Oil Separator (Breather Box). That cost about $ 32 from FCP. Once the intake manifold is out, this the time to do it. PCV system is very important in these cars. Being Volvo specialist, he should know.

 

I'll make sure that he services the PCV system including the oil seperator. If he doesn't know that then I need to find another Volvo specialist. Hopefully there is light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you.

 

The Volvo specialist is changing all the hoses of the PCV system a well as the breather box. He said that the breather box is leaking and it needs to be replaced while he is at the intake manifold area, otherwise it'll be more money. He is using original Volvo parts from the dealer, I guess that explains the expensive repair bill.

 

sorry i just remember i posted in here..

once i got proper working check valves.....the carbon fume smell in the cabin was gone....if they leak-back even a tiny bit, it gets in....i pulled mine off, blew through them, and sucked....if any air went the wrong way, its bad...therefore it will leak in the fumes.....

hope it helps....im new in here too...

 

The Volvo specialist replaced the intake gasket and cleaned the PCV system, but that did not cure the fumes.
During the repair he noticed that the power steering fluid is leaking and he said this may be the reason for the fumes as the power steering is buring on the engine and causing the fumes to come in inside the cabin. Could that be possible? Your thoughts please.