strong Exaust smell seems common for this model any info?

[panamajosh]

I have a 2006 M35X..Ive had a strong raw exaust smell coming in thru the cabin. 3 mechanics have looked at it with no luck. Its stronger in the cooler months and when the heater is on. Ive had some holes patchedon the exaust pipes...smell still persist. Ive had infiniti look at it and they cant find any thing. I need to fix this immediately or I may have to dump this vehicle. Ive heard of possible colprets of fuel return, fuel evaporator, O2 sensors...where do I begin plz help....

[Ilya]

Is the car loud at all?

It definitely sounds like you have a leak somewhere higher up the exhaust closer to the engine/headers.

[Mjkkb2]

is your CEL on? A leak would most likely triggered the light to come on. Any codes stored?

[MaxBolus]

Another possibility- I also noticed a very strong/rich smell when stationary and idling, especially when the heater was on. Initially suspected exhaust leak(s), but it turned out to be oil leaking from the valve covers and burning on the exhaust manifold/pipes. Maybe take a quick look around the valve covers..

[Larz]

Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your trouble. I haven't seen much on the forum about exhaust in the cabin. Checking the engine for oil leaks around the manifold and valve covers is a great idea. How long have you owned the car? What is the mileage? Is there an accident history?

[ArmedAviator]

My money is on oil seeping around the valve covers. Not a bad fix if that's what it is, so don't scrap a perfectly good car over a 2-3 hour, $100 DIY job. ($30 for beer and $70 for other odds and ends you'll need).

[panamajosh]

I do have an oil leak coming from the oil cooler Oring...gonna fix that soon. However , this smell is raw exaust not burnt oil...there is no check engine light on at this time. Once along time ago I had autozone read my computer and an O2 sensor code poped up...I suppose that could cause a smell of to rich a mixture. Yes and my car to smells the worst at an idling sit...thnx for all the ideas if you have more keep them comin.

[panamajosh]

2006 135,000 miles

[steve_c]

I have a 2006 M35X..Ive had a strong raw exaust smell coming in thru the cabin.......Ive had some holes patched on the exhaust pipes...smell still persist......

I would start over with the exhaust system. It should be checked thoroughly.
Not sure where you live, but in the rust belt with 130k miles, your exhaust system's life would be just about shot!
You mentioned a few holes that were patched. That tells me your exhaust system is probably in really bad shape.
When you need to start patching your exhaust, you are only buying time, not doing a repair!

[BlackCat81]

Strong exhaust smell or raw fuel smell. Strong exhaust smell would lead me to believe it's leaking pre-catalytic converter, because if it was post converter it wouldn't smell super strong. Raw fuel can be coming from several places, from the o-ring where the line meets the rail, or it could have a bad fuel pump/transfer pump O-ring, both of which are under the rear seat.
A leaking oil cooler o-ring can cause oil to blow all over the cats/front portion of the exhaust, fill the engine bay with stink, then the blower pulls air in and it stinks. Also, an exhaust stud could be rusted through where the manifold meets the converter. I'd think you'd hear it, and it's not a common spot to have issues, but you never know. If you're smelling it in the car at idle, more so with heat on, it's coming from the engine compartment, guranteed.