Hi
I've just joined the forum as I've purchased an 09' plate T5 T32 2.5 Diesel with 68,000 miles. Really happy with the drive and conversion but it has a strong smell of , i think diesel/exhaust fumes in the cab when driving and the heater fan is on, if i put re circulation on the the smell goes away sort of !
Has any body out there had a similar issue ? and if so what is it ? I'll put it in a garage to get sorted but i know how expensive investigations can get when left in the hands of a garage !
Any sensible advice would be appreciated.
Thanks
RobboT5

I get this with my van, granted, its done 230k so its going to be a bit smelly. I think there is really nothing to worry about, as I get the smell of exhaust fumes when reversing as im travelling into the cloud.

Have you had any van before this? How long have you had the van for?
I had the smells mainly when I had a clogged dpf, when I first purchased the van. It hadn't done many long trips before I purchased. I had to chase all sorts of problems but all relatively cheap to fix luckily to get the dpf to unclog itself. The problem was a faulty exhaust gas temperature sensor which was before the turbo. Now that's been changed, I dont have the smell, only when I reverse.

 

Thanks for your reply WillsT5Ted
It’s not just an exhaust fume smell, i think it’s a combination possibly of exhaust and unspent fuel as if the van was running on choke all the time if it was a petrol. Someone I know did have a quick look and mentioned the DPF. But the smell is there whether your stationary or moving and the heater fan is on. It’s pulling these fumes from the engine bay I’m sure and the smell is stronger on the drivers side when looking under the bonnet. There’s a large black box on the drivers side that looks like some form of air filter/control unit, it smells stronger in this area?
I have had numerous vehicles and did at one time drive a van for period of time, I know this smell shoul definitely not be there 👍
Thanks
RobboT5

 

The large black box on the drivers side is the air filter.
I would just say it could be the dpf as if they aren't driven enough, they can cause problems, especially on the 2.5. Ive had the problem and since I've had mine cleared the smell had gone. Fair enough it took a while to actually get it done due to being let down by my mechanic, took it to a local shop that specialise in dpf. With it having such low miles, it mustn't have had lots of long journeys.
It could be that it needs a good drive or just a thorough check to get to the bottom of it.
I think the smell will be coming from the engine as the blowers will suck air from outside but as its in the engine bay it'll grab the fumes as well, just a thought.

 

 

Thanks for the advice. I think your right 👍 the vehicle hadnt been used for a while when I bought it and I’ve been using it locally with the longest run being around 45 mins on a dual carriage way. I’ve booked it in to a VW dealer, hopefully they will know the problem and can sort relatively quickly and cheaply 😳
Regards

 

This may well be the gasket on the turbo that has failed, there should be signs of soot where ever the leak is, depending on what engine you have you may have a cracked or warped manifold. You would be better letting an independant take a look as the dealers are rather more pricey and at times a lot less experienced in dealing with vans. Good luck.

 

 

Thanks for your advice.
I have now booked the van in to a VW commercial centre but do take your point, I’ll mention the advice to the tech that works on the van as I want to meet him/her before they start working on it.
Regards

 

I think typically this is an exhaust manifold leak either block side or turbo. I've seen several posts on it and have in fact noticed a similar smell when stationary. Same engine as well.

 

 

Ok thanks I’ll get them to double check this.
Regards

 

Hi
Thanks for all of your comments and opinions.
The VW dealer has just come back to me and on my insistence of a second check have now decided that it's a warped manifold and not a blocked DPF that's causing the leak of gasses and hence the smell in the cab. The price quoted is circa £1300 subject to what else they find and drilling studs out etc. I've decided now to get a second opinion from a specialist, the ones I've spoken too today have said a warped exhaust manifold is unusual and it maybe if I'm lucky a gasket, i'll keep my fingers crossed but thanks for all your help.
Regards
RobboT5
PS Any advice on a specialist is welcome. i live in Surbiton Surrey but happy to travel for the right service.

 

Hi
Just an update from December on my issue with the engine smell in the cab.
After booking in to Lookers VW commercial of Guildford and paying £80 for them to investigate the smell, they initially told me they thought ! it was the Cat ? I asked them to reinvestigate as i wanted a definitive answer for my £80 they then told me the next day that it was a warped exhaust manifold ??? If i had taken their advice i would of ended up with an invoice for circa £1600 !!! and that would not have sold the problem ???
I pulled my Camper out of their evil clutches and moved it to Volks Autos in Sutton a specialist VW service centre that were excellent. Their rates were good and they communicated with me every step of the way, on first inspection they found a leak at the turbo/manifold gasket, replaced it and i collected my van all in a two day period. The invoice was under half of what i would of paid and the service was 100% better. Well done Volks Autos.
On reflection i don't think the Lookers tech inspected the engine ! He just looked up the problem on the VW system and found a TPI advising CAT !!! How he came to the conclusion it was a warped exhaust manifold is beyond me ? All i can think of is it was a cynical attempt to get to their parts and hours target for December and hence a bonus !!!
I've always used main dealers for my vehicles for peace of mind paying the extra price, I know feel a little foolish and will not be going back.
I hope this helps any one else out there with a similar problem.
Regards
RobboT5