Fumes in my Garage/Basement?

[Spoolin98]

Hey guys I need some help figuring this out. Ever since I have been parking my car in my Moms garage there has been alot fumes throughout the garage and filling the next room over in the basement and my car. The garage and the basement room have a door between them. BTW, its a strong smell, and it gives my mom a headache almost instantly?

At first, I thought it was battery fumes because I accidentally left my gauges on last time and they drained my entire battery. So I took the car out on monday for a drive and made sure the gauges were off after that. My mom called me today, wednesday, and said the fumes filled the garage and basement again, and also the inside of my car. But she didnt smell anything yesterday, tuesday. What could this possibly be? I dont think its gas, it doesnt smell like gas to me or her.

Here are the things I have been considering.

-The battery, its located in the trunk, but its just sitting in the battery box with no lid on it. I just dont think a battery could give off enough fumes to fill two rooms.

-The gas, I only have one gallon in the tank, the gas light is on.
I removed the entire emissions system from the car, and there was one hard line right by where the stock fuel line comes into the engine bay. I was told not to cap the line because it vents the pressure from the gas tank, so I just put a rubber vacumm line on it and bent it facing downward so nothing can fall into the line. I also replaced the entire fuel line from the tank to the rail with ss line, I cant find any leaks.

-The fire exstinguisher I have inside my car for emergencies might have a leak?

-Or its from letting the car cool down (shut off, not running) inside the garage with the garage sealed up, maybe its left over exhuast fumes? I have a 3" turbo back with no cat.

For any one of these things to fill an entire one car garage AND fill the entire basement with the smell seems highly unlikely to me. Im just looking for any help / ideas. I told my mom to air out the garage and my car, then block the door to the basement from the garage to keep the fumes in the garage. I told her to give it a day or two and see if it still smells, if it does, then its not exhuast fumes from letting the car cool down inside. If thats not it, Im going to pull the battery out and put it outside along with the fire ext.

Any ideas on what else it could be?

 

[viperlp01]

i have gotten sick by just having the car on outside. turn off the car and leave the garage open for a while let it air out. leave the house closed up. The fumes will get out and if you open the door to the house those fumes will go in there. good luck you might be running rich at idle also. that makes it worse

 

[Spoolin98]

Im def. running rich. My A/F gauge before I upgraded my fuel lines used to bounce around at idle. Now it just reads rich ALL the time. Even when Im driving.

Thanks for the input.

 

[crimsondragon]

Whatever the fumes are, it's best to air them out quickly. Definetly leave the garage door open. God forbid, it could be carbon monoxide.

 

[Talonracn50]

Whatever the fumes are, it's best to air them out quickly. Definetly leave the garage door open. God forbid, it could be carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, so probably not.

Probably fumes from the fuel tank.

 

[Spoolin98]

It doesnt smell like gas though. And I doubt one gallon of gas could fill an entire garage and basement with fumes...

1001 posts

 

[ROOKIE1]

Is it hot brakes . I know that is a nasty smell . Have you done any work to car lately ( DSM stupid question) .

 

[turbosax2]

Have you done any work to car lately

 

[Spoolin98]

Is it hot brakes . I know that is a nasty smell . Have you done any work to car lately ( DSM stupid question) .

I would say so...check it out.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260127

 

[ROOKIE1]

I would say so...check it out.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260127

Linky no worky ......

 

[turbosax2]

Linky no worky ......

Works for me...

 

[Spoolin98]

When I clicked on it, it worked for me too.

 

[ROOKIE1]

yeah , I wasn't patient enough for the link the first time . I read most of your book . did you get anywhere with the smell . Maybe burnt trans fluid dripping on the exhaust .

 

[Spoolin98]

yeah , I wasn't patient enough for the link the first time . I read most of your book . did you get anywhere with the smell . Maybe burnt trans fluid dripping on the exhaust .

No I didnt get anywhere with the smell and its def. not tranny fluid on the exhuast, its not dripping anywhere near the exhuast. Thanks anyway

 

[90rexzc]

jus because it doesn't have a smell doesnt mean theres not CO. exhaust gases do have a smell, and contain CO.

 

[BoostFrenzy]

Running rich and no CAT will kill you in a closed area. From now on, keep the garage door open to keep the fumes to a minimum and to keep your family alive.

And about running rich. About the only thing that Autometer A/F is good for is to tell you when you are running rich. So since you said it is saying rich all over the place, and you have a FPR, pull a little bit of pressure out of it if it is too high or tune your car so it at least idles properly and then work from there. If it isn't bouncing around at idle, then you are seriously running rich. And that can leave excess gas fumes everywhere you go.

And a quick tip: If anyone in your household becomes light headed from the fumes, tell them to go take a good 3-5 deep breaths from the freezer. I don't know why, but it works. I think it is just cleaner air since it is so cold.

 

[Spoolin98]

Running rich and no CAT will kill you in a closed area. From now on, keep the garage door open to keep the fumes to a minimum and to keep your family alive.

I never run the car in the garage with a garage door closed. You might have misunderstood what I wrote. I had the car running outside the garage and then pulled it in and shut it off. It cooled down inside the garage..

Im pretty sure what Im smelling is rich exhuast fumes coming out of the exhuast after the car is shut down. My buddy said his sport bike smelled the same way when he first got it, it would stink up his whole garage. Hopefully the smell will eventually go away.

 

[Spoolin98]

Yeah I know the a/f gauge is pretty worthless. I would rather be running rich on a brand new motor than be running lean.

I plan on using my MAFT to tune it a little better once I have the time. The car idles fine btw, even though its running rich.

When I block the bottom of the door into the garage the fumes stay in the garage, so thats the plan for now.

Oh and btw, colder air isnt cleaner, its just denser. So your getting more oxygen into your body.

 

[Spoolin98]

put one of the house co2 guages in a scoket in the garage and see how much co2 it reads co2 caueses instant headachs

Im assuming you mean carbon monoxide (CO) not carbon dioxide (CO2)

 

[BoostFrenzy]

Oh and btw, colder air isnt cleaner, its just denser. So your getting more oxygen into your body.

That's what I was trying to think of. I just know it works .

 

[dieseltech]

Hydrocarbons. That's my .02

 

[Spoolin98]

Hydrocarbons. That's my .02

Whats that?

 

[dieseltech]

Incomplely burnt fuel. Google it, I'm at work at the moment

 

[DoyoFCT]

I would get a carbon monoxide detector for inside the house. some heating systems in house's if damaged can also put off carbon monoxide, and especially if someone is getting headaches this can be a very dangerous situation. I would get a detector just to be safe, and let the garage stay open for a little while when you shut the car off/park it.

generally constant headaches=carbon monoxide.

 

[Spoolin98]

Thanks for the input guys, Im pretty sure it is what dieseltech said. My car is running really rich and the smell is only in the garage.