debushau Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 I have a 2.0l Zetec engined Caterham which has very few miles on the clock but one thing I have noticed is that when I push up above 5000rpm, there is a distinct whiff of sulphur in the air. Is this a problem with the fuel I am using? I put some mid-grade fuel in there (89 octane or so), it should run on the low grade 87 octane without any problem. It did not smell like burnt oil or coolant. Should I be concerned that something more serious is awry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard J Darnell Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 If you have a catalyst I would suspect the sulphur smell is from that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wag Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 Yes, some catalysts pong awfully. I cant believe that sulphur dioxide/hydrogen sulphide smell is good for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debushau Posted June 30, 2002 Author Share Posted June 30, 2002 I do have a catalyst - on a lhd car, it's just about where I can touch it at the start of the exhaust box. So it seems like I'll just have to live with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted June 30, 2002 Share Posted June 30, 2002 As long as you can smell the H2S it isn't that bad for you. [trivia mode]Too high concentrations and you nasal passages get burned and you can't smell it anymore, shortly before you die. This is the cause of the most deaths on volcanoes and is a major hazard of oil exploration.[/trivia mode] Peterid=teal> 253 BHP K-seriesteeth.gif, no gearboxbum.gifid=red> Edited by - Peter Carmichael on 30 Jun 2002 22:31:54 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 If this is like a pongy egg type smell have you thought it may be from your battery, this can be caused by overcharging from the alternator and would be worth testing as it will start to damage things, cook your battery with the possibility of explosion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debushau Posted July 1, 2002 Author Share Posted July 1, 2002 I have not considered the alternator - it is a rotten egg smell, sort of salty. As I am running a nice Optima dry cell battery, I'd rather it was not fried. But then, it is a completely sealed battery so I really should not be smelling any thing from it. Does the Zetec have a built in regulator? Can this be tested in situ? I should probably start with the OBD II codes and see what that comes up with. Edited by - debushau on 1 Jul 2002 22:08:25 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Posted July 1, 2002 Share Posted July 1, 2002 Sorry as i have no ideas on dry sell batteries, only acid filled maintained and m/free batts which still have a vent for exspansion when hot. These when being overcharged give off a rotten egg type smell leading to my suggestion. Good luck with your problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevefoster Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 Peter, Did you have the same chemistry teacher as I? "If you walked into a room full of H2S you wouldn't even smell it! It would knock out your olfactory nerves in an instance, immediately before you died" Steve My racing pics hereid=red> Hants (North) and Berkshire area club site hereid=red> Edited by - stevefoster on 2 Jul 2002 13:38:35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjwb Posted July 2, 2002 Share Posted July 2, 2002 Wot's SULPURquestion.gif Rotton eggs, stop worrying, it's the catalytic converter. The battery would have gone up in smoke by now. Steve B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debushau Posted July 2, 2002 Author Share Posted July 2, 2002 Must make a note to inform passengers that the smell is emanating from cat not self. And I thought it was just the country air! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted July 3, 2002 Share Posted July 3, 2002 Steve, A long time ago I had a spell working on "sour gas" oil wells. Peterid=teal> 253 BHP K-seriesteeth.gif, no gearboxbum.gifid=red> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murph7355 Posted July 3, 2002 Share Posted July 3, 2002 Rather than deflecting blame from self, make a point of asking passengers if it was them, if it was completely necessary and if they wanted you to slow down all they had to do is ask. This approach works particularly well with females. But only if you're not bothered about seeing them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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