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Dr. Rob
Veteran
Date registered: Nov 2006
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Vehicle(s): 280GE LWB, 280E Ambulance
Posts: 216
| Perturbing smell
Why does my G always smell of burned rubber after driving? And it isn't my spirited stoplight races.
Perturbing.
Somehow I think I smell a followup post... |
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KERR
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| RE: Perturbing smell
Mine has the same smell... smells like melting rubber hitting hot exhaust, sometime toss in the hent of warm brakes..
Mine has done it from day one... it seems to be worse in the rain. I figued it was some coating on the exhaust or maybe it just all the mud thats baked onto the exhaust now.
On a side note i rather smell that than the rotten egg smell you get from behind a new four runner... they about make you want to vomit. |
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MarcO
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Irvington, NY
Vehicle(s): G 500 SWB, Volvo XC90 V8
Posts: 835
| Re: Perturbing smell
You guys crack me up. Just this weekend I was driving the 55 in some inclement weather and pull in the driveway and the following conversation between my 9 year old and my 6 year old:
6: What is that smell? (as he exits the truck over a steaming exhaust pipe)
9: Burning rubber, Mom's (swb) does it too but it is no where near as bad because dad has 4 exhausts and moms just one.
6: But what is the burning smell?
9: Rubber from some coating under the truck. It was so bad a couple of weeks ago that I sniffed under the truck and smelled it coming from some black stuff over the exhaust pipe on moms.
Like father, like sons.
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Tjærand
Extreme Veteran
Date registered: Oct 2006
Location: Nøtterøy, Norway
Vehicle(s): 1996 G320
Posts: 403
| RE: Perturbing smell
My G always smell for months after I grease the driveshafts. Leftover grease (I pump until new grease appears at the u-joints) seem to always fly off the shafts and layer itself on the exhaust. Takes some time to burn clean and it smells really funny when it does. |
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spots350sl
Veteran
Date registered: Mar 2007
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Vehicle(s): 2003 G500, 1972 350SL
Posts: 222
| RE: Perturbing smell
My G does the same thing, its really bad in the winter time (slush + salt + crap), and smells alot worse on the drivers side (exhaust). I havent noticed it since the snow/slush has gone away. |
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4x4abc
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: La Paz, Baja California, Mexico
Vehicle(s): 02 G500
| RE: Perturbing smell
Tjærand,
lubing the U-joints until clean grease exits is good. Do the same on the slip joints and you'll kill the bearings of the transfer case. Grease does not exit the slip joint easily and the pressure build up has a bad effect on the TC bearings. If I remember right, the manual calls for 3-4 pump strokes
As to the burning rubber smell - I have no clue. None of my G's ever did that. |
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Tjærand
Extreme Veteran
Date registered: Oct 2006
Location: Nøtterøy, Norway
Vehicle(s): 1996 G320
Posts: 403
| RE: Perturbing smell
Harald, don't worry. I'm a grease zealot. I maintain my shafts religously. The slip joints get 3 fatherly and firm pumps from the grease gun. The 3'rd always has some resistance to it so I assume that means it's satisfied.
On a side note, when I installed my short driveshaft between my autobox and transfer after the manual to auto conversion, the shaft was about 2 -3 cm short from a perfect fit from being stored high and dry for ages. I did my 3 pumps routine and it expanded to the exact length for a german presiscion fit ;-) |
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Dr. Rob
Veteran
Date registered: Nov 2006
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Vehicle(s): 280GE LWB, 280E Ambulance
Posts: 216
| Re: Perturbing smell
What? You guys gotta be kidding! They all do that?
Here I thought this was going to be one of those, I look underneath and say, oh-- here's my old running shoe. Or, oh-- you're not supposed to silicone seal the exhaust manifold?
But I guess I'm among kin. Strange, because it really smells a lot. Everybody at Mercedes Headquarters must have stuffed noses or something.
Everybody except 4x4abc, but that's 'cause he's just so used to it... 
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DUTCH
Administrator Doppelgänger
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: US, GA, Atlanta
Vehicle(s): 2015 Audi Q7 3.0 TDI,2018 Sprinter
Posts: 9963
| Re: Perturbing smell
Dr. Rob - 3/21/2007 5:49 PM
What? You guys gotta be kidding! They all do that?
Here I thought this was going to be one of those, I look underneath and say, oh-- here's my old running shoe. Or, oh-- you're not supposed to silicone seal the exhaust manifold?
But I guess I'm among kin. Strange, because it really smells a lot. Everybody at Mercedes Headquarters must have stuffed noses or something.
Everybody except 4x4abc, but that's 'cause he's just so used to it...
.
I must be too, since neither my 280GE nor my G500 have done it. |
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MarcO
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Irvington, NY
Vehicle(s): G 500 SWB, Volvo XC90 V8
Posts: 835
| Re: Perturbing smell
Well to really confuse the situatuion the 55 gets detailed today and the smell is gone. The detailer uses a pressure wash under the vehicle with it lifted on small ramps. He said there were nassive amounts of salt. |
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spots350sl
Veteran
Date registered: Mar 2007
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Vehicle(s): 2003 G500, 1972 350SL
Posts: 222
| RE: Perturbing smell
Like i said, mine smells the worst when theres snow (which means alot of salt). Today it was faint (went and sniffed the rear drivers wheel area), perhaps there is salt left? |
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G4Garret
Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Oak Ridge - Knoxville - Windrock Tennessee
Vehicle(s): 2000 G500, U1100, SLK350, LR 101, WC-63 6x6
Posts: 243
| RE: Perturbing smell
Mine never did it, or at least I never noticed it...until...I took it to Canada this winter. I noticed it the whole time, and it seemed like the worse the weather, the worse the smell. And in particular, my mad 1,400 km dash to the hospital with my wife and her broken leg made it really stink. Now that I'm back home, I haven't noticed it at all.
Perhaps it's related to the amount of sunlight avialable each day.
Garret
Edited by G4Garret 3/22/2007 12:00 AM
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Dr. Rob
Veteran
Date registered: Nov 2006
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Vehicle(s): 280GE LWB, 280E Ambulance
Posts: 216
| Re: Perturbing smell
Really... maybe y'all are onto something. Soon find out, as spring just arrived and snow is almost gone.
There is always a dump of new snow in April. Then we'll have a comparison.
(although I'm not really convinced. Lived in snowy climates all my life; never noticed this before on any other vehicle. But okay, since it's the only theory we have)
Edited by Dr. Rob 3/22/2007 2:15 AM
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DesertStar
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: San Diego, CA USA
Vehicle(s): 85-280GE/95-G320/08-G500
Posts: 2156
| Re: Perturbing smell
Dr. Rob - 3/21/2007 11:12 PM
But okay, since it's the only theory we have)
C'mon, there is always the muffler bearings are worn theory ?
I have been told the older 460 chassis were notorious for going out.
Mike
Edited by DesertStar 3/22/2007 3:03 AM
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mre
Veteran
Date registered: Dec 2006
Location: Estonia
Vehicle(s): 463 300GE ´91
Posts: 169
| RE: Perturbing smell
Hi!
Have you ever had a tought where goes the rubber from your wearing tires?
It ends up as fine powder allover the road.
When the road is wet the wheels spray the water/rubber/dirt mixture to the well exposed and extremely hot exhaust system. Rubber and dirt will burn on the surface of the exhaust, thats where the smell comes from.
But if the road is dry or you are offroading(as you should on G ;-)) and the smell is still present then it must be something els and you should look for the reason really fast.
BR
mre |
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W5YK
Extreme Veteran
Date registered: May 2006
Location: San Diego
Vehicle(s): 2002 G500, Unimog U2450,
Posts: 543
| Re: Perturbing smell
MarcO - 3/21/2007 5:37 PM
He said there were nassive amounts of salt.
Every time I have driven on salt flats for any length of time, I have noticed a really bad stink. I assumed something was overheating, but maybe it's the salt. It doesn't smell like rubber, or gear oil, but it's quite "organic".
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KERR
Date registered: Dec 1899
Location:
Vehicle(s):
| Re: Perturbing smell
no mine smells like you just did a john force style burnout. salt or no salt its still there.
Then again when you run it hard they say it smells like gun powder if your behind it. |
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Dr. Rob
Veteran
Date registered: Nov 2006
Location: Stockholm, Sweden
Vehicle(s): 280GE LWB, 280E Ambulance
Posts: 216
| Re: Perturbing smell
Yes, same here.
Still not convinced of the rubber-on-exhaust theory. I was under there messin' around yesterday (hey-- astonishing noise reduction tip: fix hole in exhaust pipe!) and noticed a lot of crud (oil drippings etc) on the front muffler. If that crud doesn't burn off and stink (oil starts smoking at relatively low temps) then how would some rubber dust cause such a pungent aroma? (worthy of note, perhaps it has something to do with the potency of rubber stink, similar to fart potency theory) Or, for that matter, why only on Gwagen and not on the other 300 cars I've driven?
However, I fixed the exhaust pipe as said, with some of that epoxy gauze tape. And whooee could that be smelled all right. Almost as much as the rubber.
On another note, the roads have been dry for a few days, and the car hasn't smelled as much.
The mystery continues. I will probably be under the car more this weekend and will look for more clues.
Doc. |
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roughneck
Expert
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: UK, Germany & USA
Vehicle(s): 270 cdi.300 GD 300 GE.lwb 300 GE.swb. Disco 2
Posts: 4398
| RE: Perturbing smell
I get a funny smell around my 300GD every time I take my daughters horses to a show, I think it's a mixture of the bull shit the horse owners talk and the horse shit the bullshitting owners leave lying every where to be walked in driven over etc etc, it clears after a couple of trips down the highway in rain, bit of a mystery really, maybe I should take in to a MB stealer to be fixed  |
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J.R.
Elite Veteran
Date registered: Apr 2006
Location: Southern Maryland
Vehicle(s): 00 G500, 09 911 4S, 11 Cayenne S, 86 280GE (sold)
Posts: 828
| Re: Perturbing smell
Theory #1. Some of our G-Wagens here in the states have had the rubberized undercoating sprayed on them sometime in there life. When I was looking for a 280 some years ago I saw several that had been undercoated. As hot as the exhaust can get under there, it would not necessarily have to come in contact with the exhaust, just be exposed to it to off gas. So did some dealers (Benz and nonBenz) do this to the 500 series here in the states? Don't know.
Theory #2 has to do with the compounds used on Valve Cover and transmission pan gaskets, fan belts, heater and radiator hoses, exhaust system hangars, spark plug wires, etc. There are several aftermarket manufacturers of those and maybe some of the aftermarket compounds off gas more than the others.
And finally on the G500. The exhaust pipes are insulated from the plastic wheel well liners by sheet aluminum. It is possible that the plastic liner has gotten behind the aluminum liner and gotten too close (not necessarily touching) to the exhaust. That exhaust is HOT!.
Cheers!
Edited by J.R. 3/24/2007 4:42 PM
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