Guest Anonymous Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 driving the car is fun, but the downside to it is the terrible fumes. i mean it's to a point where my eyes get dry and stings a bit. i have no idea what breathing all of these fumes is doing to my health either! does anyone else have this problem? should the exhaust fumes be this bad? what can i do? phuc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest the_dj Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 These cars often have this problem. Start with the firewall: if you find even the slightest little bitty gap anywhere (especially in grommets), find a way to plug the hole. Then work your way around the rear of the car (taillights/etc.). Those are the two mostly likely leak locations for exhaust fumes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerware Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 it can be aweful huh?? I haven't fixed it yet in my car. But I have a big dent at the driverside hatch corner. I am waiting to fix that first then try and solve the leak. From the research I ahve done it is caused primarily by the rear hatch seal leaking. That and the gaskets around the lights. It can be the drain plugs at the bottom of the hatch too. Bad design on the part of Datsun. But the car looks good. If you search the forum you'll find this to be a common problem. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72zcar Posted June 18, 2003 Share Posted June 18, 2003 tail light seals: take tail lights off and seal them with silicone. hatch: This is most likely the mail problem. I sealed everything in the car... still got fumes, hatch seal looked fine. Then I bought a roll of thin self adhesive foam strip and put it to the hatch on the underside. not all the way around... only on the bottom side and about 8-10 inches up the sides from the bottom. use the thin stuff. You will have to slam the hatch the first few times. if the hatch won't close take a couple inches off the sides. No more fumes for me at all! I used to drive around crying the fumes were so bad... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 thanks, appreciate all the help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phantom Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 Easy way to confirm general area of the fumes source is to roll your windows up and turn your AC fan on. If you have no problems with fumes it is the back of the car. If you are still getting them it is probably firewall related. Gen 1 Z's are notorious for fume leaks around the hatch. I have had the problem with my '77 for years and just this week ordered a complete set of replacement seals for the hatch. If that doesn't do it I'm going to get a set for the tail lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 240's are frekin notorious for the stench. it only gets worse when you add cylinders too. my 280 dont stink at all, and my hatch seal is negatory. so far so good, 3" mandrel. hatch seals, firewall-i would seal it off and use a quality sound deadener regardless if its the source or not, dont let people tell you its as good as dynamat when they cant prove it. silicone around the tailight seals is good idea, and on my 240z, i sealed the area behind the pillars, where teh "Z" badge is, and did a weatherstrip on the hatch, changed out every fuel hose back there, and still got fumes!!!!!! if it gets to that point, it could also be corroded stuff in the filler tube to the tank as well. every 240 i have ever been in stank like exhaust so much your clothes smell after you get out, only 240z for me has to be a 70, the only year i will even put up with the stench. to this date, ive had four 280z cars, and none of them had exhaust stench and i didnt touch a thing back there, they are better for my health imo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 phantom no can do on that test of yours, because i have no ac fan or a heater unit. lol. but i know it's the firewall. thanks to the exhaust fumes, i have a "heater" on all day long; winter/summer, rain or shine! plus a fragrance that repels all bugs it's good to know that i'm not the only one smelling out there with bloodshot eyes. phuc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted June 19, 2003 Share Posted June 19, 2003 for now, a trick ive heard people do is roll around with both windows rolled down, that gets the funk out faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 My 1970 240 has never stunk of fumes. Just lucky I guess. With the rear hatch partially open it is a death machine, but with it closed never a problem. I did get gas fumes in hard turns before I replaced all the vent hoses, but none after. I am of the opinion that in addition to sealing everything the position of the tail pipe has a lot to do with it. There was an old thread started by z8red about rear diffusers that lent some support to this theory. In that thread one guy claims he fixed the problem with 4 or 5 inch tail pipe extension. 240's like to twist a lot so the seal on the rear hatch is alway suspect. If a piece of paper slides under the weatherstrip on a closed hatch you have a problem. Also rust holes can contribute to the problem, especially since 240's typically have some rust at the base of the hatch. Interesting comment about 280's vs. 240's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl327 Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 ime, its been consistent, 280z cars dont stink of exhaust like a 240, even one that i had that had terminal hatch cancer, maybe its got improved sealing in the tailights? i havent touched a thing in the hatch area on any 280z, and its been healthy air for me. all three 240z cars ive had stank terribly from the rear of the car. one cheapo solution ive seen is a turn down off the muffler, but it looks nasty to me. also, ive tried the long tip manuever too, no dice. my buddy has also tried to mount his exhaust out the side of his car, he cut out a rectangle shaped hole in the rear lower panel of his car, and had a rect tip come out there, no help there either, matter of fact, when hes stopped at a light, the exhaust comes in real tough through the drivers side. i cant take the fumes too long, i start getting really nauseous if i were to pick up this 70z ive been looking at, im attacking the rear area with a vengence, and sealing everything triple tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DRK Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 I have a 78 280Z, and the exhaust fumes are DEADLY. I can only drive the car for short periods of time or I start to feel tightness in my chest and my eyes water and I feel nausess. The fumes are strongest on deceleration with my foot off the throttle. My hatch seal is OK, and so are the tail light seals. I have not started my conversion yet because my fourwheel drive habid kicked in the past year. I think I may sell the car and build my mustang. At least I can drive the car for as long as I want and without getting sick. I love the look of the Z car, but the fumes ruin the driving experience. I also run around with the windows down, the fan on high, and the floor vents open to help as much as possible. I sadly am about to throw in the towel before I get started. I struggle with the decision, and have been thinking about it for a couple of months. DK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QWKDTSN Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 I'm so glad I've never had this problem in my car, or any of my friends' cars! I really don't mean to gloat or anything, just saying that I personally have never seen it in real life when it is probably the number one or two complaint owners seem to make about early Z's on the net. I hope you all get your problems fixed up ASAP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I have a new theory (at least to me) about this OLD topic. The exhaust in my Z can be completely kept out of the cabin by driving with the windows closed. If I crack a window an inch or more, I begin to get some fumes. Two windows down is OK and putting the HVAC on at least speed 3 with fresh air improves the situation in any case. In ALL cases, the smell is MUCH worse under deceleration or engine braking. So much so, that I often take it out of gear when coasting down hill to reduce the overall volume of HC and CO. After playing around with lean/rich mixtures, + and - timing changes, during deceleration, thanks to Megasquirt, I came to this conclusion. During normal driving with engine under load, the exhaust velocity leaving the tailpipe is high enough for most of it to escape the tail panel vortex. When you lift, the exhaust velocity drops drastically and much more of it gets caught in the tail panel vortex. This high concentration of exhaust fumes in the tail vortex finds it's way along the back, sides and underside of the car eventually to your nostrils. What do you think about this theory? Cabin fumes are dependant on exhaust velocity at the tail pipe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2eighTZ4me Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 I'd buy that for a dollar. I experience the exact same symptoms you do Dave, and have rendered a similar conclusion. I got a small tailpipe extension such that the pipe sticks out about 2" past the rear bumper. Looks stupid, but alleviated a good bit of the fume-age. John Williams uses a 90 degree turn down elbow on his 240, and states that it keeps fumes down to a bare minimum. Whatever your fix, I don't think there's a 100% fail proof way to eliminate the fumes - save for a 10 foot tailpipe that stays WAY away from the vortex of the rear panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundmasterg Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I would really like to fix this on my '72 240Z too. I tried the trunk seal and while its better, I still smell it. It is worst with the windows open, but I can still smell it with them closed. I need new door seals, and still need to seal the taillights. I thought about using a longer exhaust tip, but haven't done that yet. The exhaust system is one of the MSA 2 1/2" ones. It would be nice if there was one way to fix it, but when there are so many possibilities, it makes it harder. What makes it worse is that I have a friend with several Z's and none of his have the exhaust issue. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Here's a post I made on how I fixed my exhaust leaks. http://forums.hybridz.org/showthread.php?t=138089 Derek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cygnusx1 Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 If you drive around with the windows down now, are the fumes all gone? Even in deceleration? Great Idea! Smoke Machine lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony D Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Take a look at where the tailpipe on a stock S30 ends---it's usually MUCH further back, in many cases it is almost flush with the bumper's total length. Most 'performance' exhausts clip that and tuck the tailpipe section well short of that. Tying in with your 'exhaust velocity' theory, you can see that having a 'dorky looking tail pipe that sticks out so far' is actually a good bit of engineering on Nissan's part. Just stick a can or piece of muffler extension tubing on the tailpipe with a clamp and see what happens when the pipe is out as far a stock one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
X64v Posted October 21, 2008 Share Posted October 21, 2008 Cygnus - Not saying you shouldn't try to get the car sealed up, but as an aside: Why don't you set up your overrun settings in Megasquirt to cut all fuel during decel/engine braking? It saves fuel during engine braking, makes the effect stronger, and would completely eliminate all fumes on decel. You'd still want to seal up the car for all the other fumes, but at least it wouldn't bother you so much in the meantime. I've got mine set up and it's wonderful. Or does MS-II not have that capability? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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