Topic: Exhaust fumes

I’m having a big problem with excessive amounts of fumes in our car during a race. It’s a VW golf, I have the quarter windows and the a hatch window, I am certain it’s not coming from my car. Is anyone else having this problem? I don’t know if it would help removing all the windows or not. It get so bad we get nauseous. Any ideas would help. I guess it could be the 90 $500 crap cans on the track. We also have a helmet fan and it doesn’t help.

2 (edited by DirtyDuc 2022-08-17 09:21 PM)

Re: Exhaust fumes

I would expect removing the rear windows would hurt rather than help (because that's how the airflow do). If it is bad enough to make you nauseous, it probably is your car... but might not be exhaust fumes.

Assuming it is exhaust fumes, more information would help troubleshoot from internet-land. Cat still on it? I don't think cats scrub much CO out of the exhaust, and nausea is a symptom of CO poisoning. Where does the exhaust exit? Air does strange things around the car, and might be sucking in through some compromised door/hatch seal.

The possibilities are nearly endless, and internet speculation is nearly useless without way more info and preferably pictures.

That guy

Re: Exhaust fumes

We had issues with our MK2 Golf until we put rear hatch and side windows in.  Also, we installed two dryer vent outlets, facing forward, to pull air INTO the car on the passenger side at the A pillar.  They direct tons of fresh air onto the driver (At his chest, not the face.  Otherwise the dust and rubber gets into the helmet.).  The only time we take them out is when it rains, and you can tell a huge difference in the air quality in the car.

As stated above, more info is needed.  Does the exhaust go out the back of the car or the side?  How far does the exhaust stick out?  Did you keep the hatch seals in?  Rust holes in the rear hatch area?  Manifold leaks?

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Re: Exhaust fumes

90 degree rain spout, 4" PVC, or dryer vent work excellent for brining air into the cab.  We have one pointed up top and another down low.  Really recommend the one down low. smile

Re: Exhaust fumes

The car has no cats, and the exhaust goes out the back of the car beyond the bumper a couple inches, and there is no rear hatch seal or door handles in the rear door, so yes it could be coming in the rear hatch gaps. Thanks for the info, I will be liking into using air ducts to try to get clean air in on the driver

Re: Exhaust fumes

If it's a hatchback then put the hatch back on and get glass on the backside of the car. Or lexan, or  whatever. Hatchbacks are notorious for pulling a low pressure behind them and without the hatch it gets pulled into the car. Some sedans are similar, weird things happen to aero when you remove glass.

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Re: Exhaust fumes

Something else to consider - we had a not insignificant oil leak that really did not leave puddles, dripping onto the exhaust, and those fumes made there way into cockpit, smelled bad, made some but not all of us sick, and we spent too long chasing an exhaust leak/routing solution. We also were running a glass free hatchback car and made a lot of same assumptions above, and later found a nice jet of hot air coming in through the old hand brake opening carrying the evaporated oil. Ultimately fixing the oil leak and patching the hole in floor was a good fix for us.

Re: Exhaust fumes

Our 88 Trans Am is hatchless (for now) our exhaust exits on the passenger side in front of the rear wheel, no issues.

"get up and get your grandma outta here"

Re: Exhaust fumes

on the "fo Shogun" the previous owner added a sheet metal spoiler right below the missing rear hatch window to eliminate this issue.

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