Staying on top of oil changes and other car maintenance issues can help extend the life of your car. The exhaust on a vehicle can create odd smells. These odd smells are often signals that something is wrong with your vehicle. If you are the owner of a Nissan Maxima, there are a few smells you should be aware of.
If your Nissan Maxima is releasing exhaust that smells like rotten eggs, you may have a worn-down or plugged up catalytic converter. There is normally a small amount of hydrogen sulfide in gasoline that is filtered out by the catalytic converter. But when the filters are worn or the converter is plugged up, the sulfide makes its way out through the exhaust. If you are smelling rotten eggs in your exhaust, you should have you catalytic converter examined by a mechanic.
If you are smelling an excessive amount of exhaust from the car, you may have a leak or hole in either your exhaust pipe, tailpipe or muffler. The leak or hole allows excess exhaust to escape prior to exiting the exhaust system and then enters your vehicle. If you are experiencing an excessive exhaust smell, you should have your mechanic check your entire exhaust system.
If the exhaust coming from your Nissan Maxima smells like gas, you may have a problem with your fuel injector. The fuel injector sends a precise amount of gas into your engine, but if the injector is sending too much gas, not all of the gas will burn off. The excess gas then exits through the exhaust system and creates a gas smell. If you are smelling gas in your exhaust, you should have your mechanic look at your fuel injector.
If the exhaust smells sweet or like cinnamon, you may have antifreeze leaking into your car's combustion camber. If this is the case, you should have your mechanic look at your coolant system to determine where your antifreeze is leaking.
