2001 Nissan Exalta Grandeur weird smell

[speedster]

i smell something inside my car.. i don't know if it's diesel or if my AC has a problem.. but it kinda smells like carbon. I usually smell it after I hit on the gas.. so what I do is I turn d AC off and the weird smell disappears for a while.. but after a certain time.. it smells again

[MaximA32]

It's possible that your catalytic converter is going bad. It tends to give off a funky smell when it gets clogged.

[NISTECH]

Not to argue with NSR A32 but I am thinking your deisel doesnt have a cat convertor?

Put your a/c in recirc mode, this will make the a/c pull air from the interior of the car, just make sure your not in either of the defrost modes as they automatically default to fresh air mode. If your driving around with the windows up and in recirc mode the smell will not be present if it is an external odor. How ever if the smell returns it might be possible you had a rodent crawl up in your a/c system.

If your car has a in cabin micro filter remove it and inspect for signs of a rodent in the system.

If you determine the smell is from the out side check for fluid leaks or exhaust leaks in the engine compartment.