Bad or Burnt Exhaust smell in cabin during hard acceleration.

[tnt_12]

This thread is so funny....It just keeps going on an on while Ford continues to do nothing to fix the problem........Happy Holidays Plum

Plum, it's a cluster you-know-what. That said, my car is fixed and for what it's worth here's how:

1) I had TSB 12-12-4 done back in 2012. My car had a horrendous amount of exhaust coming in at full throttle in the summer down here and this TSB reduced it by about 75%. Some say that this TSB did nothing for them but that was not my experience. I also believe that with this TSB Ford tried to address the root cause of the issue: there are vents for the rear AC system just above the rear mufflers. From what have I read on here, there is a new similar TSB that replaced 12-12-4.

2) There are drain/vent holes in the bottom front of the two rear mufflers. I plugged these with Permatex high temperature silicone gasket maker. This, along with the mileage on the car that seems to make the severity of the smell fade, have completely eliminated the exhaust smell for me. I should say that I run with the rear AC disabled, so if that was on I maybe would still have an issue.

3) Seeing the discussion on here about the rear hatch seal, I decided to apply clear silicone plumbers grease to mine for good measure. This stuff is good for preserving your weather stripping anyway. It sealed so good my power hatch motor had trouble opening the hatch. After I wiped off the excess it was good to go. I don't know that this helped because the smell was really gone before I even did this.

 

[dragonexplorer12]

Plum, it's a cluster you-know-what. That said, my car is fixed and for what it's worth here's how:

1) I had TSB 12-4-4 done back in 2012. My car had a horrendous amount of exhaust coming in at full throttle in the summer down here and this TSB reduced it by about 75%. Some say that this TSB did nothing for them but that was not my experience. I also believe that with this TSB Ford tried to address the root cause of the issue: there are vents for the rear AC system just above the rear mufflers. From what have I read on here, there is a new similar TSB that replaced 12-4-4.

2) There are drain/vent holes in the bottom front of the two rear mufflers. I plugged these with Permatex high temperature silicone gasket maker. This, along with the mileage on the car that seems to make the severity of the smell fade, have completely eliminated the exhaust smell for me. I should say that I run with the rear AC disabled, so if that was on I maybe would still have an issue.

3) Seeing the discussion on here about the rear hatch seal, I decided to apply clear silicone plumbers grease to mine for good measure. This stuff is good for preserving your weather stripping anyway. It sealed so good my power hatch motor had trouble opening the hatch. After I wiped off the excess it was good to go. I don't know that this helped because the smell was really gone before I even did this.

Hello Tnt,

I have done the TSB 12-4-4 but have not heard of any update fix since then. would you have the TSB #?

Also, it would be much appreciated if you could link or post pictures of the DIY repair you did to eliminate the smell.

The smell is very apparent under WOT. I have noticed this more when overtaking or passing vehicles. I really hope the smell can be reduced even more with your suggestions.

Thanks Sir!

 

[14explorer]

I would suggest not plugging the drain holes on the muffler. They are there to drain condensation. Otherwise, your mufflers will prematurely rust.

 

[tnt_12]

I would suggest not plugging the drain holes on the muffler. They are there to drain condensation. Otherwise, your mufflers will prematurely rust.

Yes, that is likely true, but everybody can decide what is more important for them, muffler longevity or eliminating exhaust from getting into the car. One consideration for me was that getting rid of these mufflers for some high quality aftermarket ones will likely eliminate the burning fiberglass odor so it will only be a good thing.

 

[tnt_12]

Hello Tnt,

I have done the TSB 12-4-4 but have not heard of any update fix since then. would you have the TSB #?

Also, it would be much appreciated if you could link or post pictures of the DIY repair you did to eliminate the smell.

The smell is very apparent under WOT. I have noticed this more when overtaking or passing vehicles. I really hope the smell can be reduced even more with your suggestions.

Thanks Sir!

Hi, in post 1309 in this thread he lists TSB 14-0130 but the parts list is the same as the TSB from 2012 that we had done, so I don't think that we are missing anything by not having 14-0130. 14-0130 does not appear to be listed in ALLDATA so I can't compare the two to see exactly what the difference is.

If you look underneath at the front end of the mufflers you should see the two drain holes at the bottom (assuming they are still there on the 2013). I cleaned and then put a decent sized glob of silicone over them so I could pull it off easily in case it didn't help. Since it helped mine I left it on.

One other thing to be aware of is that some of us think that the smell coming in is from the fiberglass muffler packing that burns and gives off that smell under the higher heat from hard acceleration. I also found that it burns and smells much more during hot weather. One poster said that they cut apart a muffler and burned the packing and proved that generates that same odor. So the bottom line is that awful smell may not so much be engine exhaust entering but rather burning fiberglass odor seeping in. As the car is used more and more the fiberglass burns away more and the smell fades.

 

[dragonexplorer12]

Hi, in post 1309 in this thread he lists TSB 14-0130 but the parts list is the same as the TSB from 2012 that we had done, so I don't think that we are missing anything by not having 14-0130. 14-0130 does not appear to be listed in ALLDATA so I can't compare the two to see exactly what the difference is.

If you look underneath at the front end of the mufflers you should see the two drain holes at the bottom (assuming they are still there on the 2013). I cleaned and then put a decent sized glob of silicone over them so I could pull it off easily in case it didn't help. Since it helped mine I left it on.

One other thing to be aware of is that some of us think that the smell coming in is from the fiberglass muffler packing that burns and gives off that smell under the higher heat from hard acceleration. I also found that it burns and smells much more during hot weather. One poster said that they cut apart a muffler and burned the packing and proved that generates that same odor. So the bottom line is that awful smell may not so much be engine exhaust entering but rather burning fiberglass odor seeping in. As the car is used more and more the fiberglass burns away more and the smell fades.

Hmmm...I definitely have not used mine so much since I've only clocked in 21,000 kilometers since date of purchased in Sept. 2012. I will look into sealing the rear area where the smell could be seeping in.

Thanks again!

 

[gypsy321]

I wonder if TNT12 has ever heard of "carbon monoxide "......odorless and poisonous and part of the composition of burning gasoline and the exhaust fumes created by such.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

Update....I've been trying to baby my engine since it only has 400 miles on it but my curiosity got the better of me. I needed to see if my new Explorer had this smell.

Today while out shopping, I went to an empty straight road and mashed the pedal to the floor. I was already doing about 35mph and I didn't let off the gas until I reached 90. Long story short.....No odd smells.

Just for information sake, I have a 2015 XLT with a power liftgate. I had both the front and rear heat on at a medium fan speed.

 

[gwtx]

Update....I've been trying to baby my engine since it only has 400 miles on it but my curiosity got the better of me. I needed to see if my new Explorer had this smell.

Today while out shopping, I went to an empty straight road and mashed the pedal to the floor. I was already doing about 35mph and I didn't let off the gas until I reached 90. Long story short.....No odd smells.

Just for information sake, I have a 2015 XLT with a power liftgate. I had both the front and rear heat on at a medium fan speed.

Wow! See, I/we told you it wouldn't hurt the engine
That could be good news. Did you happen to monitor the RPM's while accelerating 35 to 90? Did you actually hold the pedal all the way to the floor for the duration? I am curious what the shift points are at wide open throttle(wot). These little engines really rap up fast. I hope Ford has fixed the problem for the 2015 models, and I hope even more they will fix the previous models.(but I doubt it). Thanks for the info

 

[tnt_12]

I wonder if TNT12 has ever heard of "carbon monoxide "......odorless and poisonous and part of the composition of burning gasoline and the exhaust fumes created by such.

The fiberglass is wrapped inside the metal outer shell and the odor can be coming out of either the seams in the outer shell or the vent holes, where the actual exhaust doesn't make it out. Not only that, the odor and the CO are two different things coming out of the exhaust pipe that can penetrate inside the car differently. Notice in my post that I said 'may not so much be engine exhaust entering'. I’m just to provide people with this problem a little helpful info since it has been going on for years. If you can't or don't want to bother reading and interpreting a post intelligently then you shouldn’t reply just to antagonize.

 

[ObsceneJesster]

Wow! See, I/we told you it wouldn't hurt the engine
That could be good news. Did you happen to monitor the RPM's while accelerating 35 to 90? Did you actually hold the pedal all the way to the floor for the duration? I am curious what the shift points are at wide open throttle(wot). These little engines really rap up fast. I hope Ford has fixed the problem for the 2015 models, and I hope even more they will fix the previous models.(but I doubt it). Thanks for the info

Yea, I held the pedal to the floor until it hit 90. The RPMS were redlined.

 

[Fpo]

I had the TSB done on mine, they replaced the hatch weatherstripping, removed the rear bumper to do a couple things. And they reprogrammed the hvac software ( not sure what the changed with that )

 

[gwtx]

I had the TSB done on mine, they replaced the hatch weatherstripping, removed the rear bumper to do a couple things. And they reprogrammed the hvac software ( not sure what the changed with that )

I had the TSB done as well. Don't think they replaced the hatch seal/weatherstripping. The service mgr was not sure exactly what all the program mod did, but he said it was to switch to "outside air" when "accelerating harder than normal". I test drove right after they finished and couldn't say whether it helped or not. I do know that if I manually switch before accelerating it reduces the level of the odor,,,,or maybe I'm just smelling someone elses exhaust

 

[Father2be]

I had the TSB done on mine, they replaced the hatch weatherstripping, removed the rear bumper to do a couple things. And they reprogrammed the hvac software ( not sure what the changed with that )

What was the result?

 

[Fpo]

What was the result?

I have not smelled fumes since... so thumbs up

 

[rodzilla]

I wish I had one of those when I started my still unresolved trek at Ford fixing this problem. I have an '11 EX LTD and brought it up to my local dealer over 3 years ago...they worked with the technicians and designers trying to replicate, find, and fix it. I've had it there so many times it's ridiculous, the longest they had it was almost a month. To this day I still have the problem. Who knows how much carbon monoxide my family and I have breathed in. Have you sent your video to Ford Motor Company and/or the NHSTA?

 

[FordService]

I wish I had one of those when I started my still unresolved trek at Ford fixing this problem. I have an '11 EX LTD and brought it up to my local dealer over 3 years ago...they worked with the technicians and designers trying to replicate, find, and fix it. I've had it there so many times it's ridiculous, the longest they had it was almost a month. To this day I still have the problem...

Hi rodzilla,

When was the last time you brought this to the attention of your dealership? How many miles are on your Explorer now? I want to check out ways to help.

Crystal

 

[neocvera]

Wow, my 11 xlt started making the clicking in the glove sounds and upon my search, someone mentioned the smelly acceleration issue and I have had this problem within the first year of owning this vehicle.

I always thought it was my fault for passing vehicles or accelerating the way I did. I pegged it as a crappy v6, underpowered for weight, as I think about the next vehicle, this issue was going to be one of my primary drive tests because of it.

It's good to know that it's not just me and this vehicle should perform better. It's scary to think that the smell could be hazardous. I take my family around the state in this explorer.

 

[CalifLove]

Update:

I changed the exhaust replacing the stock resonator and mufflers and also pushing the tips about an inch out. I can say for sure that the smell I had upon heavy extended acceleration is nearly completely gone. There is still a slight smell that is somewhat different but similar enough to think its related to whatever the root cause was/is. That said, I am no longer bothered by the issue to the point that I regret purchasing the car every time I drive it spiritedly...BUT its still pretty lame that Ford hasn't fixed this. It's gone from a major issue to one of those minor annoyances I suppose I'll just live with. I TRULY hope any and all lawsuits related to this end up costing Ford a ton of cash & hope that whatever the problem is isn't causing us all health issues...

 

[FordService]

Wow, my 11 xlt started making the clicking in the glove sounds and upon my search, someone mentioned the smelly acceleration issue and I have had this problem within the first year of owning this vehicle...

Have you ever had the dealership address these issues, neocvera? What's the current mileage on your Explorer? As soon as I have that info, I'll be able to research options.

Crystal