New to the forum here so if I have placed this in the wrong section let me know. I am getting a strong exhaust smell inside the car anytime I put the windows down. They only have to be down just slightly to make this happen. I have checked everything that I can think of but I can't find the source of the smell or how it even gets in the car. Just had it at a muffler shop today where they found a small leak and repaired it but the smell remains. This is a carbed engine so I know it will have some exhaust smell as older cars do. This would be fine if it were all going out the back end. As I can find no other source of a leak I find it hard to believe that it could pull it all the way from the rear of the car just by cracking the window but at this point I would believe just about anything. I'm too the point that if I can't find the problem I've thought about just selling it. Not what I want to do but I can't ride in it like this and get dizzy every time that I do. Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.

 

I had a similar issue in my 90 RS that I am restoring. Po cut an access panel over the tank to access the fuel pump/sending unit. I discovered this when I was stripping the carpet out. I sealed it up with black gasket material and sheet metal. The smell vanished pretty quickly after that. It's worth a try.

 

Yup, it'll be some sort of air leak at the rear of the car.

Check the gasket for the rear hatch closely also, and all around the wheel wells, spare tire compartment, "glove box", tail lights, etc. Pull back ALL the carpet and look for cracks and holes.

 

I think my next step is to start,pulling everything out of the car and looking for a hole. I've checked the hatch gasket and it seems to be good plus it's fairly new. I just can't believe that it's this difficult to find this problem. If I had spent as much time actually working on the car as I have trying to fix this I'd have a brand new car by now.

 

This might sound stupid, but keep a CO detector in the car until you're sure it's fixed. Remember that CO is an odorless gas. Whether you smell exhaust or not, you could be inhaling it and risking your life. Always play it safe.

 

Is your rear hatch closing all the way?

 

As far as I can tell. It doesn't have an electric pull down. I put it in a dark garage at night and had someone get on the inside with a flashlight and I couldn't see any light escaping.

 

I have the same problem on my car.On startup,it occurs,then goes away but when windows are down is when problem is bad.I had the interior out and only hole is where wheelwell drain plugs is missing.My hatch also closes properly.But again,problem is with windows down

 

You could mix up a soap water solution, turn your blower on with windows up, spray the soap water around the windows and hatch glass then look for bubbles to indicate any leak points.

 

I had my car jacked up yesterday looking for any holes that may have been in the body. Couldn't find anything. Even pulled the carpet back and it all looks new under it. What I did notice is that while driving the car with the windows downs it seems to create a pretty strong suction from back to front. It pulled a piece of paper all the way from the back of the car and straight out the window. That lead me to check the rear seal a little closer. It looks good but if you get close to it then it smells like straight exhaust. But only on the section in the middle above the tailights. I may just order a new one and try it out. Not sure what else to do at this point.

 

How is your hood seal at the cowl side? Sometimes exhaust fumes can come up through there and into the vents through the cowl.