Bad or Burnt Exhaust smell in cabin during hard acceleration. | Page 60 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Has anyone heard of, found, or experienced a solution to the Ford Explorer exhaust issue?


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...Crystal also has made a case with our regional service rep - hopefully that will help as well. Much appreciated Crystal!

I'll update as we progress.

Thanks for keeping us posted, CalifLove! If I can be of any further assistance, just send a PM my way. :thumbsup:

Crystal
 



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I have a 2011 Explorer and we recently had work done on our grill/bumper area at Ford (my car was hit in a parking lot). I recently noticed a burning smell when I'm parked or "stopped" at my AC is on. If I turn my AC off it stops smelling. My vehicle also makes a whining nose when the AC is on. Obviously this cannot be normal and will Ford cover the expenses to correct it? I never had problems until they fixed my bumper/grill.
 






I had a fleet vehicle 2011 xlt and it had the issue right away. After well over a year of tried fixes and no luck, they took it away. I must have driven a dozen rental cars while I was waiting for my new 2014 explorer to be delivered (none of the rentals had any fumes, by the way and none were explorers). Received my new xlt in December last year. And.... you may have guessed it by now.....still has the smell!! I give up!
 






... I recently noticed a burning smell when I'm parked or "stopped" at my AC is on. If I turn my AC off it stops smelling. My vehicle also makes a whining nose when the AC is on...

Hi Debra86,

Your best bet will be to return to your dealership so they can inspect. Your service manager will be in the ideal position to tell you whether or not a repair can be made under warranty. Be sure to touch base once you've had your appointment. :thumbsup:

...Received my new xlt in December last year. And.... you may have guessed it by now.....still has the smell!! I give up!

I'd like to check out some ways to assist, Dwr4door. For me to do so, I'll need a PM from you with your full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, mileage, and servicing dealership.

Crystal
 






No solution here. They did the "repair" a few months back and nothing was solved. I am still unable to take the kids on road trips because after a few hard passes one of them wants to vomit.

Not the good Ford experience I was hoping when I bought this as my first ever Ford vehicle.

J
 






Bet the kids are allergic to peanuts too.
 






Do we honestly think that they will admit to true cause of this smell? Bandaid patches of replacing the airbag vents and adding some silicone is much cheaper than replacing the entire exhaust isnt it? Here's my theory....when the car accelerates over 3.5rpms for an extended period of time (over 5+ secs), the exhaust gas is hotter than under normal acceleration. The cheap fiberglass (or whatever crap) they used as packing in the mufflers is heated up and starts to burn/melt. Hence, the smell as we know it is produced. The smell (not exhaust) fumes seep up into the rear cabin through the floor and rear hatch area (under/around spare tire, etc). Here's my futher rationale:

-If it were truly exhaust fumes, we would smell it at ALL times, not just under these circumstances.

-The smell does NOT occur immediately under hard acceleration - it is delayed, as it takes time for the packing to heat up and produce the smell.

-The smell is NOT produced under quick periods of acceleration - WOT for less than 1-2 secs.

-The exhaust fumes would have a hard time coming BACK into the cabin, since the tips extend out beyond the bumper. The rush of air around the car would simply sweep it away. HOWEVER, fumes coming from the MUFFLER housing itself would easily get trapped/pulled in, as the source is BEFORE the bumper, and air would push the fumes into these crevices. Hence why the focus of the TSB seems to be in these areas....

-Exhaust fumes do NOT smell like burning fiberglass - This smell is NOT typical exhaust smell, not even if the car was burning oil.

-Try this.....take the car out and accelerate hard to produce the smell. If you can, immediately pull over. turn the car off, and lay down behind the car and smell the mufflers. What you will find is that the EXACT smell will be emanating from all around the mufflers....front/back, tips, etc. If it were truly exhaust fumes and not burning packing the smell would go away with the car OFF, but it doesnt.

-I read that a fellow member replaced his exhaust with an aftermarket setup - got rid of 80% of the smell.

Solution.....replace the mufflers with aftermarket
 






14explorer::: You are exactly correct in your assessment as to the cause of this terrible acrid smell...Funny FORD with all their resources have not found this and or corrected the problem. Leads me to believe Ford Corporate does not really care much about their customers problems, as it would simply cost them too much to fix this continuing aggravating problem.

It is in fact the overheating, almost to burning, of the chop strand fiberglass in sections of the mufflers. In fact this material gets so hot it probably does not flame and burn but it sort of melts and gives off this unique smell.....I think I mentioned this somewhere buried back in one of these threads. best regards Plum
 






Welcome to the Forum 14explorer.:wavey:
You present an interesting theory but I don't know how much of it is actually true. Ford apparently is removing the platinum from the catalytic convertors to help with the 'rotten egg' smell. I realize this is also not the smell that everyone is getting. The exhaust tips actually do not extend beyond the bumper. At least they didn't on my 2011. The given shape of the vehicle creates an area of vacuum at the rear which would trap some of the exhaust. That also explains why the back end retains so much dirt under certain conditions. If, as you say, the "rush of air" would simply sweep it away, then why do SUV's accumulate so much dirt on the rear window and liftgate? If it was the muffler, that would be an easy part to replace on the manufacturing line without incurring substantial cost. I think the real issue is why is this odour entering the cabin in the first place on some of the Explorers and not, apparently, for the majority of the rest of them. There were several times when I used the occasional WOT and had no smell at all. If it is the muffler, then an aftermarket replacement should reduce the problem 100%, not just 80%. I am in no way attempting to minimize the issue for those folks who are experiencing it and hope a solution is found sooner than later.

Peter
 






Thanks! I edited my original post....I kinda came off a little strong; got wrapped up in the emotions lol.

Good point. However, I have owned several other SUVs with similar design: Infinity FX45 is the most striking resemblence, and they did not have this smell. My post is a theory, so yes, it can certianly be wrong. I plan to replace the mufflers with Magnaflows, so we'll see what happens. At this point, a $250 muffler job would be worth the risk. It could also be the resonator, or cats (as you say). Hard to say which part with certainty. I've been reading forums acorss the line (mustangs, edge, f150, etc), and all seem to complain of the same issue. So, we are not alone!

All of us are mearly guessing what it is....

Welcome to the Forum 14explorer.:wavey:
You present an interesting theory but I don't know how much of it is actually true. Ford apparently is removing the platinum from the catalytic convertors to help with the 'rotten egg' smell. I realize this is also not the smell that everyone is getting. The exhaust tips actually do not extend beyond the bumper. At least they didn't on my 2011. The given shape of the vehicle creates an area of vacuum at the rear which would trap some of the exhaust. That also explains why the back end retains so much dirt under certain conditions. If, as you say, the "rush of air" would simply sweep it away, then why do SUV's accumulate so much dirt on the rear window and liftgate? If it was the muffler, that would be an easy part to replace on the manufacturing line without incurring substantial cost. I think the real issue is why is this odour entering the cabin in the first place on some of the Explorers and not, apparently, for the majority of the rest of them. There were several times when I used the occasional WOT and had no smell at all. If it is the muffler, then an aftermarket replacement should reduce the problem 100%, not just 80%. I am in no way attempting to minimize the issue for those folks who are experiencing it and hope a solution is found sooner than later.

Peter
 






Do we honestly think that they will admit to true cause of this smell? Bandaid patches of replacing the airbag vents and adding some silicone is much cheaper than replacing the entire exhaust isnt it? Here's my theory....when the car accelerates over 3.5rpms for an extended period of time (over 5+ secs), the exhaust gas is hotter than under normal acceleration. The cheap fiberglass (or whatever crap) they used as packing in the mufflers is heated up and starts to burn/melt. Hence, the smell as we know it is produced. The smell (not exhaust) fumes seep up into the rear cabin through the floor and rear hatch area (under/around spare tire, etc). Here's my futher rationale:

-If it were truly exhaust fumes, we would smell it at ALL times, not just under these circumstances.

-The smell does NOT occur immediately under hard acceleration - it is delayed, as it takes time for the packing to heat up and produce the smell.

-The smell is NOT produced under quick periods of acceleration - WOT for less than 1-2 secs.

-The exhaust fumes would have a hard time coming BACK into the cabin, since the tips extend out beyond the bumper. The rush of air around the car would simply sweep it away. HOWEVER, fumes coming from the MUFFLER housing itself would easily get trapped/pulled in, as the source is BEFORE the bumper, and air would push the fumes into these crevices. Hence why the focus of the TSB seems to be in these areas....

-Exhaust fumes do NOT smell like burning fiberglass - This smell is NOT typical exhaust smell, not even if the car was burning oil.

-Try this.....take the car out and accelerate hard to produce the smell. If you can, immediately pull over. turn the car off, and lay down behind the car and smell the mufflers. What you will find is that the EXACT smell will be emanating from all around the mufflers....front/back, tips, etc. If it were truly exhaust fumes and not burning packing the smell would go away with the car OFF, but it doesnt.

-I read that a fellow member replaced his exhaust with an aftermarket setup - got rid of 80% of the smell.

Solution.....replace the mufflers with aftermarket

14explorer, this is by far the best explanation of the cause that we have so far. It also explains why the problem seems to go away in the winter and fades with mileage on the car. Plus it makes sense that the problem exists across different Ford models if they are using the same type of mufflers and packing. Aftermarket mufflers also use a fiberglass type of packing so you may still get some smell when new but probably much less. The Explorer mufflers have that vent hole that may be a big part of the problem.
 






I wonder if it could also be the black paint that covers the mufflers?
 






14explorer, this is by far the best explanation of the cause that we have so far. It also explains why the problem seems to go away in the winter and fades with mileage on the car. Plus it makes sense that the problem exists across different Ford models if they are using the same type of mufflers and packing. Aftermarket mufflers also use a fiberglass type of packing so you may still get some smell when new but probably much less. The Explorer mufflers have that vent hole that may be a big part of the problem.


Sorry forgot to mention the cold weather thing in my rationale - you are correct; on the rare 30 deg days here in Florida it was barely noticeable. I did some prior research on the packing in aftermarket mufflers and found out that flowmaster is one of the few that offer all stainless baffles - no packing material at all. I have a local shop that will weld in some for $275 out the door. Worth the try IMO, if anything I will just have some meaner pipes! :D
 






My post is a theory, so yes, it can certianly be wrong. I plan to replace the mufflers with Magnaflows, so we'll see what happens. At this point, a $250 muffler job would be worth the risk. It could also be the resonator, or cats (as you say). Hard to say which part with certainty. I've been reading forums acorss the line (mustangs, edge, f150, etc), and all seem to complain of the same issue. So, we are not alone!

All of us are mearly guessing what it is....

Has anybody who has the exhaust smell simply changed the muffler and all of a sudden problem solved??? Sounds like a small investment to rule this out.
 






Thanks! I edited my original post....I kinda came off a little strong; got wrapped up in the emotions lol.

Good point. However, I have owned several other SUVs with similar design: Infinity FX45 is the most striking resemblence, and they did not have this smell. My post is a theory, so yes, it can certianly be wrong. I plan to replace the mufflers with Magnaflows, so we'll see what happens. At this point, a $250 muffler job would be worth the risk. It could also be the resonator, or cats (as you say). Hard to say which part with certainty. I've been reading forums acorss the line (mustangs, edge, f150, etc), and all seem to complain of the same issue. So, we are not alone!

All of us are mearly guessing what it is....

Some might surly consider it apples and oranges but, I'm not really guessing, based on the fact that we had the exact same acrid smell, every time our 2011Mustang was driven hard (spirited). And this was a pretty well known smell complaint on Mustangs.....As soon as the axelback mufflers were changed the SMELL WAS GONE. And after some of the chopped strand fiberglass was removed from a stock muffler, guess what, when the fiberglass or what ever it is, is subjected to a heat flame it kind of melts rather than flames or burns. It shrivels up, as it is heated, and starts to disintegrate, but gives off smoke with this horrible acrid smell.....There is just no question in my mind as to the cause of the smell in the Explorers.....Simple as that, and anyone that does happen to change mufflers on their Explorer could do this very simple test also....So there you go Ford, since you can't or don't seem to want to find the problem, why don't you look at this rocket science.....best regards Plum
 






Some might surly consider it apples and oranges but, I'm not really guessing, based on the fact that we had the exact same acrid smell, every time our 2011Mustang was driven hard (spirited). And this was a pretty well known smell complaint on Mustangs.....As soon as the axelback mufflers were changed the SMELL WAS GONE. And after some of the chopped strand fiberglass was removed from a stock muffler, guess what, when the fiberglass or what ever it is, is subjected to a heat flame it kind of melts rather than flames or burns. It shrivels up, as it is heated, and starts to disintegrate, but gives off smoke with this horrible acrid smell.....There is just no question in my mind as to the cause of the smell in the Explorers.....Simple as that, and anyone that does happen to change mufflers on their Explorer could do this very simple test also....So there you go Ford, since you can't or don't seem to want to find the problem, why don't you look at this rocket science.....best regards Plum

Makes sense, but why don't all Explorers have this issue? I, for example, don't have this issue. Maybe I haven't run it hard enough? I have done some 0-~80mph runs getting onto the freeway. Maybe not enough miles(3500 and counting).
 






Makes sense, but why don't all Explorers have this issue? I, for example, don't have this issue. Maybe I haven't run it hard enough? I have done some 0-~80mph runs getting onto the freeway. Maybe not enough miles(3500 and counting).

Well we really need the geniuses at Ford to answer that, but could it be that they use two different suppliers for the mufflers? OEM supplier A uses packing that smells, OEM supplier B uses packing that doesn’t smell. Also, it seems that most of the people that say their car doesn’t have the issue live way up north where maybe it is often not warm enough outside for the mufflers to get that hot. Since the peeps on this forum have figured out the problem, maybe Ford will be embarrassed into fixing it now.
 



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Why do some have it and others do not? I would say:

Is this explorer new or used? If used, how many miles? Was it a rental (ie driven hard)? You'd be shocked to see how many preowned were rentals! I bought mine new... 2014 limited.

Ford may have several manufacturers of mufflers I would assume. Different folks sealing the rear ends etc. Much like the fix, the air tight of the back is probably reliant on the tech doing the work. Shoddy job = air leaks. Also maybe different sub models have different mufflers. Mine do NOT have the vent hole like others.

Driving habits of owner.



I will say over the past week I have beaten the heck outta my explorer....and have noticed a vast decrease in the smell. It now only smells on the first WOT anything after that and no smell.
 






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