Skip to content

🚗 Your People Are Here. Get In.

The internet is full of car content. This is the community.

Cheers & Gears has been bringing enthusiasts together since 2001. Join the conversation, show off your garage, and find your people.

Odd smell

Featured Replies

The 2004 Grand Prix GTP has been in the family about 3 years now, and recently it has started belching out an awful, dieselly odor from the HVAC every so often. Its been too intermittent for me to put my finger on the problem, so I'm curious if any other GM owners have come across such a problem.

The problem is that the car will just be driving along normally when it happens... not hitting any bumps, turning or braking. We've observed it with the AC on and off, with the Recirc on and off. The smell lasts about 5 seconds and smells remarkably like one drove into a big cloud of diesel smoke. Of course, there is no smoke... or any diesels for miles, usually. I would imagine a lot of people would not even notice this was going on.

I was suspecting the cabin filter, but with the Recirc on, no air should be being drawn through that. I know the recirc is working, as the AC is noticeably cooler with it on. The cabin filter, IIRC, is not that old... but will be the first thing I check, eventually. Its such a PITA to check it once you install the improved water deflector.

Any thoughts?

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

Latest News

Who's Online (See full list)

  • There are no registered users currently online

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.