dpf stinks

hi all
can anyone shed any light on why my exhaust fumes are so bad, its been like this about a year now, theres no smoke and no lights on the dash, i have looked at the lamba readings on mb075 using vcds and it shows 27%. is it possible my lamba sensor is knackered and the dpf is blocked?
if you put your face in front of the exhaust it makes your eyes sting and water, and you can smell the fumes if stopped at the lights with window down.
its the 170 bmr engine
could it be turbo related, i ask this as i had a failed oil pump last year and never replaced the turbo as it seemed ok, the car still drives ok, i replaced the tandem pump a few months ago due to finding the fuel in the filter housing to be black, i have a feeling that the fuel is black again as i am getting the same misfire when i floor it again, which was the reason for checking the fuel in the first place, so i have either got another knackered tandem pump or the injector seals have gone.
hope this makes sense and that someone can put all this together and make a diagnosis
many thanks

What you describe is like the Cat Converters of yesteryear, sulphuric and rotten eggish?


I would change gas station if you use the same one all the time as it sounds like it's neat fuel rather than played about with low sulphur additive ones to me.

Car shouldn't worry you, this smell is indicative that the cat is working ok.

Hi - Regarding the above. I also have the same problem, i.e. the car exhaust stinks enough to give you a headache. There are no lights or messages on the dash, I also took the car to a local garage and nothing came-up on the diagnostic machine either. Some advice that I was given was to put the expensive diesel (which I did) and to drive it hard on the motorway to clean the system (which I also did). The problem still exists, and especially when idling the smell is over-powering. I have also changed the oil and oil-filter as a precuation although the next service is due next year.

Can anyone advice, as this surely cannot be normal.

Hayat - Passat 56' 2.0tdi 170

Mine is the same.. althought the changing fuel filter helped a little... very little..

Is there a solution? Can I get rid of the smell from the exhaust? And sometimes it can be very jerky when I set-off and have to rev it to smooth it out (running). No lights/messages on dash. There is no soot in the exhaust tailpipe either.

Hayat Passat 56' 170 sport

Understand this is an old thread, but I'm noticing the fumes in the car are very strong. Often makes it into the cabin when at idle.

No problems with the drivability of the car, new injectors and recently serviced. The technician at VW looked around the engine bay and couldn't see anything - has offered to put it on the ramp and check other areas.

Other people are seeing the same? It's almost like the car is 15 years old and has enough miles covered to the moon and back.

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Originally Posted by Hayat

There is no soot in the exhaust tailpipe either.

Hayat Passat 56' 170 sport

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You won't have cos you have a dpf as standard, this smell isn't the dpf anyway it's a catalytic converter that causes it, sometimes due to newness, fuel quality or a rich running engine with unburnt fuel getting down the pipe.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Brydo666

Understand this is an old thread, but I'm noticing the fumes in the car are very strong. Often makes it into the cabin when at idle.

No problems with the drivability of the car, new injectors and recently serviced. The technician at VW looked around the engine bay and couldn't see anything - has offered to put it on the ramp and check other areas.

Other people are seeing the same? It's almost like the car is 15 years old and has enough miles covered to the moon and back.

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How hard did he look, there is a breather hose on the cam cover, if the pipe isn't secure you will get fumes, you may also have a leak somewhere that is finding itself onto the exhaust or another hot item, I'd start with getting your egr cleaned and check the fuel pumps for leaks, and it could even just be your oil cap is shot and needs a new one with a good seal.

Any solution for this?
My car also has strong fumes occasionally from exhaust but no one seems what is really the problem...

This can occur if you use the wrong engine oil. VW engines with dpf need correct engine oil.

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Originally Posted by martin1810

This can occur if you use the wrong engine oil. VW engines with dpf need correct engine oil.

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This is correct and I know that some VW dealers in the North West do NOT change the oil correctly and use the lower grade stuff in DPF fitted cars. I asked several nearby what oil they used and was told that on interval service they used the lower grade Castrol and not Longlife. This is totally contradictory to VW recommendations. Only one told me they only use the higher grade Longlife oil to avoid confusion.

Thanks for the replies.

Yes, in fact i've changed oil to 5W30 Castrol 507.00 spec a few days ago... i've been running 3.000 miles with a 0W40 oil which i believe is a 505.00 spec... so far no changes, exhaust still has strong smell (no smoke) on idle.
Let's see if this hasn't made any damage to engine components, i'll try to use another dpf cleaner additive.

The car has already checked and corrected: injectors, engine timming, new 507.00 oil, EGR restriction plate, catalystc/dpf cleaner additive.
I'll do a full EGR cleaning in a few days, although i'm skeptic that a clean will affect exhaust smell...

I hate to throw a spanner in the works but as far as I am aware, once a DPF or CC is damaged by wrong fuel or oil, then the only cure is replacement. You could try a cleaner such as this...
Halfords | Wynn's Diesel Particulate Filter Cleaner 325ml