When I sell my Avanti I hope the new owner finds the cause.??

[Hawklover]

I have owned many Avantis over the years, and now down to my first one purchased in 1966. For almost 30 years I have chased an issue to no avail, hence my hope for the next owner.
After driving the car one exits stinking of exhaust, meaning one has to not only shower, by wash the clothes to remove the exhaust smell.
I have done the following, and still the situation persists: Replaced the complete exhaust system front to back, pipes and mufflers. Covered up every open hole on the firewall, replaced at least three times the rubber gasket that is glued on the edge of the hood, adjusted the trunk tension, and replaced the trunk gasket, replaced the exhaust manifold gaskets with the better Ford ones, I even removed the gas tank and had the baffle spot welds attended to via soldering all places with copper pennies (tip of my hat to Jon Myer) So now, I just drive the car and resolve myself to the fact that it will be laundry day when I return home.

[jetboat]

Have you tried turning down the tail pipe tips or extending them?

[Topper2011]

Isn't there a smoke machine shops use to locate exhaust leaks? I had an old Wagoneer that I smelled exhaust and was going to put a smoke bomb in the exhaust pipe to look for the leak. The transmission went out before I did it.

[Silver Hawk 59]

I had a similar issue that was remedied by re-directing the exhaust outlets, specifically the tail pipes and tips. The new position directed the "tips" downward and outward so they were positioned as far away from each other as possible and away from the body... i.e.; Below the bumper's lowest edge and as close as they could be to the outer quarter panel. Apparently the air turbulence behind the car was re-directing the exhaust back towards and into the car's interior. Ensure that any and all holes, slots, and openings are sealed off on the floors, doors & windows.
It was a bit of a pain, but made all the difference in the world and made the car a pleasure to drive again.

[Squatch]

I don't know how often or how long you drive that car, but if you reek that badly and don't feel ill, are you sure it's exhaust? And, does the interior of the car smell bad all of the time?

I'd find a carbon monoxide meter and prove that it's exhaust first. Your local fire department will have one, and probably would be willing to send a member on a ride with you. Or , a battery powered one from the local hardware store. Get one that displays PPM, not just an alarm.

If it's NOT exhaust, could it be that something in the carpet or heater/defrost is warming up and stinking?

Or, sell me the old smoke-bomb for a dollar and I'll do my darndest to figure it our :-).

[Greenstude]

Could any fluid be dripping onto the exhaust system and burning?

Or, something weird, like this. Back in the day, a friend had a Volkswagen bug. He drove 20 km (12 miles) each way on a highway to go to work or shopping. Every time the car warmed up there was a sickening smell. He and his wife scoured the floor, thinking perhaps milk had been spilled. Had someone been sick in the car? Never. After a couple of winter months of this, the car wouldn't start one cold day. The battery on a VW bug is under the rear seat. When my friend lifted the seat cushion to check the battery, he also found the remains of a cabbage that had frozen and thawed dozens of times.

[bezhawk]

Make sure the exhaust tips are not slotted to fit where the clamps are. Any exposed openings will make a huge difference. Is the tank bulkhead behind the seat sealed with mastic? There is a large hole in the floor in the center that was originally supposed to vent the tank area . Also, the gas tank vent loops up into the passenger side 1/4 panel and is held by a clip between the inner and outer body panels then loops back down through the floor to above the axle under the car. To seal properly the trunk weatherstrip should not be glued right against the side and rear corners but rather about 1/4" from the inside edge especially on the corners.

[Hawklover]

Have you tried turning down the tail pipe tips or extending them?

LOL. at one point I had custom made tips that were almost 20 inches out...........no difference;-(

[Hawklover]

I had a similar issue that was remedied by re-directing the exhaust outlets, specifically the tail pipes and tips. The new position directed the "tips" downward and outward so they were positioned as far away from each other as possible and away from the body... i.e.; Below the bumper's lowest edge and as close as they could be to the outer quarter panel. Apparently the air turbulence behind the car was re-directing the exhaust back towards and into the car's interior. Ensure that any and all holes, slots, and openings are sealed off on the floors, doors & windows.
It was a bit of a pain, but made all the difference in the world and made the car a pleasure to drive again.

At one point I also had Gibson custom make for me tips that turned down, they were 15 inches out, no difference;-(

[Hawklover]

I don't know how often or how long you drive that car, but if you reek that badly and don't feel ill, are you sure it's exhaust? And, does the interior of the car smell bad all of the time?

I'd find a carbon monoxide meter and prove that it's exhaust first. Your local fire department will have one, and probably would be willing to send a member on a ride with you. Or , a battery powered one from the local hardware store. Get one that displays PPM, not just an alarm.

If it's NOT exhaust, could it be that something in the carpet or heater/defrost is warming up and stinking?

Or, sell me the old smoke-bomb for a dollar and I'll do my darndest to figure it our :-).

LOL I purchased from an aircraft supply company a small meter that detected carbon monoxide, I kept it on the dash, never exhibited any abnormalities;-(

[Hawklover]

I don't know how often or how long you drive that car, but if you reek that badly and don't feel ill, are you sure it's exhaust? And, does the interior of the car smell bad all of the time?

I'd find a carbon monoxide meter and prove that it's exhaust first. Your local fire department will have one, and probably would be willing to send a member on a ride with you. Or , a battery powered one from the local hardware store. Get one that displays PPM, not just an alarm.

If it's NOT exhaust, could it be that something in the carpet or heater/defrost is warming up and stinking?

Or, sell me the old smoke-bomb for a dollar and I'll do my darndest to figure it our :-).

Any thing kept on the seats like blankets, towels, etc do stink from exhaust, and yes hav e to be washed;-(..............hell even my leather shoes, which I have to live with as no way to wash them LOL

[Hawklover]

Make sure the exhaust tips are not slotted to fit where the clamps are. Any exposed openings will make a huge difference. Is the tank bulkhead behind the seat sealed with mastic? There is a large hole in the floor in the center that was originally supposed to vent the tank area . Also, the gas tank vent loops up into the passenger side 1/4 panel and is held by a clip between the inner and outer body panels then loops back down through the floor to above the axle under the car. To seal properly the trunk weatherstrip should not be glued right against the side and rear corners but rather about 1/4" from the inside edge especially on the corners.

Brad to answer your questions: The tank bulkhead is sealed with a **** pot amount of Mortite caulking cord, then I covered the entire edges with Flex-seal waterproof tape. The hole in the floor, I found the same diameter plastic "plug" and put it there, then covered the entire area with a small amount of roof tar paper and a tar like sealer. The gas tank vent has never been changed since new, it is one thing I was loathe to attempt to fix, for the obvious reason.

[Hawklover]

Could any fluid be dripping onto the exhaust system and burning?

Or, something weird, like this. Back in the day, a friend had a Volkswagen bug. He drove 20 km (12 miles) each way on a highway to go to work or shopping. Every time the car warmed up there was a sickening smell. He and his wife scoured the floor, thinking perhaps milk had been spilled. Had someone been sick in the car? Never. After a couple of winter months of this, the car wouldn't start one cold day. The battery on a VW bug is under the rear seat. When my friend lifted the seat cushion to check the battery, he also found the remains of a cabbage that had frozen and thawed dozens of times.

That is an amazing story

[nels]

Did you try changing or cleaning the pcv?

[Mark L]

Have you checked the exhaust manifolds for cracks, and have you checked the intake manifold for cracks or leaks? Since there's an exhaust duct running through the intake manifold between the cylinder heads so the heat riser valve can do it's job, that adds several more locations to check.