Is my cat dead

twhitehousescat

a "cat" is in your exaust , as you can detect no smell with the car stopped (running) or windows down , but only when the heater is on , then its a fault with the heater.

nothing to do with water circulation (sealed system) , but s smell is being picked up and blown thru the car


please change your socks ASAP

BeenThroughItAll

consumers_revenge wrote: »

The smell has only come in the last 2-3 weeks. No smell on cold air being blown or dash vents AFAIK just when using windscreen heater. Not using the aircon at this point.

Why not?


If it *is* growths in the ventilation system, this won't help as you'll be leaving nasty damp air in there ready to grow stinky dirty mould.

AdrianC

consumers_revenge wrote: »

The smell has only come in the last 2-3 weeks. No smell on cold air being blown or dash vents AFAIK just when using windscreen heater. Not using the aircon at this point.

The aircon uses the same ducting as the rest of the heating/ventilation. Add some warmth to that bacterial growth...

Anyway, the dry air from using aircon is quite simply the fastest way to demist windows. It doesn't have to be cold - you can use aircon AND heater to have warm, dry air. Using it regularly also stops the seals from drying out and the refrigerant leaking. There's a negligible effect on fuel economy.

almillar

I agree with AdrianC above - no symptoms of any actual engine trouble, just a bad smell. I bet the air con hasn't been on all winter and some nice smelly bacteria has built up. Either run the aircon and it might clean up, or as AdrianC says, you can get cleaners to put through it.
And run your air con for, say. 10 minutes at least once a month to avoid this.

consumers_revenge

yes in fairness its off mainly unless its hot.


I'll swap the pollen filter over tonight.


Sounding daft how do you put the anti bacterial cleaner through? remove the pollen filter and spray???

foxy-stoat

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/p/car-accessories/car-cleaning-accessories/car-interior-cleaners/air-con-cleaner/?549994040&0&cc5_101

Let it off in the car and run the A/C on recirculation for the time stated, I used a couple at once on the last car I bought.

Good stuff

consumers_revenge

so update.


ran a a/c cleaner through and changed the pollen filter which was quite dirty in fairness and the car smelled lovely inside most of the week.


now the egg smell just comes and goes within a < min every so often ( twice on a 25 mile round trip earlier )


if the cats gone, does it smell all the time whilst the engines on and its def much worse when the fans on hot/windscreen though can get a fainter smell if on cold/direct vents when it happens. other times I cant smell anything with the fan going cold/hot/mid for 20/30 minutes.


just be chance is it worth me changing the plugs as they haven't been done for quite a while?

jimmy_cricket

If it is bacteria in the heating system, try running it all on hot for 10 minutes and it should kill the bacteria and thus the smells. This worked for me when other remedies failed

wapow

I have read that the bottle which has windscreen wiper fluid can grow bacteria. If all you put in there is water all the time or too much diluted screenwash.


To remedy it, they say get hot water and flush the entire system. (Take the bottle out, or if you cant, drain the water through something or pull the water out with a pump or do the most boring thing ever and squirt it out)


Then put in some concentrated screenwash, neat. Don't dilute it.


After that's gone, you can dilute it, but try to keep it 60% screenwash and 40% water.


Do not put fairy liquid or anything like that.

almillar

Surely if the cat's gone, which is in the exhaust on the way out of the car, the car behind you should be getting the smell. I think you're still not using the air con enough, or on a long enough journey to get rid of the bacteria. Your first efforts seem to have helped, so I would be ditching the cat idea.