Interior sulfur smell after letting car sit?

codinge90 · 09-23-2016, 12:35 AM

I bought my m3 about a month ago and on the drive home I noticed a sulfur smell whenever I'd go full throttle. The previous owner did not drive the car for a few months before i bought it and did a quick search on the forums and found a few posts explaining that since the car was not driven for a while, it was the cats warming up. The smell faded away after a few days but still noticed it upon full throttle once and a while (not very often). I recently had test pipes installed and normal cruising isn't bad and full throttle isn't either but when I turn my car off and let it sit for 10-20 minutes and open my door, the interior reeks of sulfur. I did notice before I had test pipes installed that sulfur smell would rush into the cabin really fast. Should I be concerned? I talked to a buddy today with test pipes installed on his m3 and he smelled my car's interior after it was sitting and he said his didn't smell like that at all. Any ideas on what it could be? I know it'll smell quite a bit being catless but since I smelled this occasionally before being catless and now very much being catless I'm a bit worried. Couldn't find any forum posts about this.

msan · 09-23-2016, 01:46 AM

Try this http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=454270

codinge90 · 09-23-2016, 03:14 PM

Thank you I'll take a look at the battery today. Bump for anyone else with feedback!

codinge90 · 09-24-2016, 10:30 AM

Bump. Yesterday had the car sit for around 3 hours and checked the interior again and it still reeked of sulfur smell.

msan · 10-07-2016, 01:20 AM

Don't mess with the sulfur smell ! http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...004-story.html

dparm · 10-07-2016, 08:15 AM

Cats don't smell just because you didn't drive the car for a while. Cats smell when they are failing/failed.

L4ces · 10-07-2016, 10:44 AM

So I take it that the primary cats were removed. Could it be the secondary cats? When cats go bad I thought the smell was more reminiscent to a rotten egg.

codinge90 · 10-07-2016, 01:41 PM

The car was smogged 3 days before I bought it, if the cats were failing wouldn't it have failed the smog?

dparm · 10-08-2016, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by codinge90

The car was smogged 3 days before I bought it, if the cats were failing wouldn't it have failed the smog?

Depends on the smog testing works in your state. If they get it on the roller dyno with a tail pipe sniffer, then yes, you'd fail.

09-23-2016, 12:35 AM	#1
codinge90 Banned 328 Rep 742 Posts Drives: e92 M3 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: San Diego iTrader: (1)	I bought my m3 about a month ago and on the drive home I noticed a sulfur smell whenever I'd go full throttle. The previous owner did not drive the car for a few months before i bought it and did a quick search on the forums and found a few posts explaining that since the car was not driven for a while, it was the cats warming up. The smell faded away after a few days but still noticed it upon full throttle once and a while (not very often). I recently had test pipes installed and normal cruising isn't bad and full throttle isn't either but when I turn my car off and let it sit for 10-20 minutes and open my door, the interior reeks of sulfur. I did notice before I had test pipes installed that sulfur smell would rush into the cabin really fast. Should I be concerned? I talked to a buddy today with test pipes installed on his m3 and he smelled my car's interior after it was sitting and he said his didn't smell like that at all. Any ideas on what it could be? I know it'll smell quite a bit being catless but since I smelled this occasionally before being catless and now very much being catless I'm a bit worried. Couldn't find any forum posts about this.
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09-23-2016, 01:46 AM	#2
msan Major 403 Rep 1,171 Posts Drives: 2011 E90 M3 / 2012 X5 35i M Sp Join Date: May 2015 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (16)	Try this http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=454270
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09-23-2016, 03:14 PM	#3
codinge90 Banned 328 Rep 742 Posts Drives: e92 M3 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: San Diego iTrader: (1)	Thank you I'll take a look at the battery today. Bump for anyone else with feedback!
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09-24-2016, 10:30 AM	#4
codinge90 Banned 328 Rep 742 Posts Drives: e92 M3 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: San Diego iTrader: (1)	Bump. Yesterday had the car sit for around 3 hours and checked the interior again and it still reeked of sulfur smell.
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10-07-2016, 01:20 AM	#5
msan Major 403 Rep 1,171 Posts Drives: 2011 E90 M3 / 2012 X5 35i M Sp Join Date: May 2015 Location: Los Angeles, CA iTrader: (16)	Don't mess with the sulfur smell ! http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...004-story.html
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10-07-2016, 08:15 AM	#6
dparm Stop the hate, get a V8 3850 Rep 8,625 Posts Drives: C7 Corvette GS, AMG C63 S Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Frisco, TX iTrader: (1)	Cats don't smell just because you didn't drive the car for a while. Cats smell when they are failing/failed. __________________ Now: 2017 Corvette Grand Sport, 2021 AMG C63 S sedan Past: 2011.5 M3 sedan ZCP
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10-07-2016, 10:44 AM	#7
L4ces Major 337 Rep 1,489 Posts Drives: 2008 E92 M3 Alpine White Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: NJ - NY iTrader: (0) Garage List 2008 M3 [0.00]	So I take it that the primary cats were removed. Could it be the secondary cats? When cats go bad I thought the smell was more reminiscent to a rotten egg.
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10-07-2016, 01:41 PM	#8
codinge90 Banned 328 Rep 742 Posts Drives: e92 M3 Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: San Diego iTrader: (1)	The car was smogged 3 days before I bought it, if the cats were failing wouldn't it have failed the smog?
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