Well, tonight I pulled my truck into the garage and it literally ranked the garage up with a sulphur odor. No change in gas or fillups... it's seems as if it's been burning ok the past few days... tonight, I pulled it in real quick, turned off the engine and closed the garage door... and it stunk.

I also noticed that there is an excess amount of soot in the tailpipe... like black soot.

Now to add to the situation, since I've owned the truck for the past year, I've noticed that recently the exhaust smell has been quite different from most vehicles. When I start the truck, and let it idle out for about a minute or so, it smells like mothballs... when I would get out, and keep the truck running, it smells like mothballs.... but tonight, it reeked to all high heaven.

I am running 93 octane only because the dealer and Ford advised me to run it and to see if the pinging stopped. Which is what I did and the truck is running smooth as butter again.

Now my question... is that sulphur odor coming from the 93 octane? Or is there really something wrong with my truck? Like a bad cat(s), bad O2 sensor(s), or something else?

However, let me advise you of this... the truck has always had the mothball odor even running 87 since about 2k miles... I just figured it was normal and since the truck was running normal, I figure everything was ok. But... that sulphur odor just popped up, and this is after a going through a 1/2 tank that I filled up with 93. Why did it all of a sudden start now, and not when I was at say 3/4 of a tank?

This is SUPER baffeling.

 

The sulphur odor is probably from the catalytic converter. Mothball smell I have no clue.

 

You could have got a bad batch of gas. However, if you have a stock 2007 that is pinging on 87 octane gasolene, Ford has a problem - Make them fix it under the emmissions part of your warranty. The sulphur smell is just that: Sulphur in the gas, probably brought out by high peak combustion temperatures. Potential causes: Valve timing overly advanced due to an assembly error or a problem with the variable valve timing mechanism; the ignition is advanced too far due to a faulty computer, crankcase position sensor, or cam position sensor; or a hot spot in one or more cylinders (head gasket, defective head, etc). Could also be as simple as a defective PCV valve. In any case, don't let the dealership blow you off by telling you to run (expensive) high test gasolene. Your vehicle was designed to run on regular gas. BTW, a black sooty look on the inside of your tailpipe is normal - it's caused by the catalytic converters doing their job.

I've noticed some weird smells coming from the exhaust of vehicles when the oil companies switch to their winter blends, so I wouldn't worry too much about the moth ball smell - it may just be Naptha (sp), the primary ingredient in moth *****, that is also used in gasolene.

 

I would find another dealer. The 2007 is designed to run on 87 not 93 and the fact that they suggested you run 93 instead of actually fixing the fault is disconcerting.

 

An A/F check will tell you if it's running rich causing soot at the tail pipe. Sounds like something is not right and the computer is trying to fix it by dumping in more fuel. Could be a an 02, air mass sensor, TPS ??

Your Cat can burn up inside due to excess raw fuel, I'd get it on a emission machine to see what's causing that rotten egg smell.

 

Yeah... I'm thinking it has got to be a sensor doing something wrong...

What is baffeling me is that there is no CEL by now... if I got a CEL I could figure out what is messed up... or at least have a better understanding of where my problem might exist.

I mean, as of now, it can be any number of sensors as one person stated. :\

I have an appointment scheduled at a new dealer on Dec. 3rd... but I hope to run out the 93 so I can get the pinging back... but maybe it is a better shot if I leave the 93 in... maybe it will trigger something unusual... at this point, I don't know what is wrong.

Later, when I go to drive, I'm going to record the cold and hot data off the O2 sensors, ignition timing, etc so maybe it would give you guys a better chance at giving me clues or possibly to resolve my issue.

Now my other question... would my Intake Manifold Runner Control cause a CEL if it was not operating properly? I would think so... but could it detect it if something was sticking, like for that TSB? Or is it only if it decides to die?

My last question.... would it be possible that my Intake Manifold Runner Control is leaning the mixture out by getting stuck and letting more air in if stuck open? Why I say this... is because I'm getting 20 mpg... I am wondering if my truck is leaning the fuel so dramatically that it is barely feeding any fuel to the engine. I should be ideally getting 16-18 mpg... not 20 mpg... not that I am not dissing my mpg (it's great actually, lol), but it should be worse if the engine was properly feeding the fuel to the engine. Hence that is why when my truck is warming up, there is more fuel being burnt than when my truck is fully warmed up and in closed loop, in such that the truck won't ping because it is being fed more gas at a cold scenario than in a warmed up scenario.

Would only make sense to me in this aspect.

 

I suggested that he run 93 till his issue was fixed to prevent the pinging from doing engine damage. That was not a recommendation for a PERMANENT fix. If you read his first post, you will see that Ford recommended he run 93 "to see if the pinging stops" which I concur with as an intermediate troubleshooting step.

Normally a sulfur (rotten egg) smell is due to an overly rich mixture. However, I don't think that's the reason in this case, your gas mileage is too good. In your case, I believe it's overly high combustion chamber temperatures due to whatever is causing the problems on 87 octane - 93 is simply masking the problem and keeping you from blowing holes in your pistons or melting valves from the preignition/detonation. I had the same issue with a 81 BMW 320i - it pinged like crazy on anything but 93, and retarding the timing to shut it up made it run like crap. I lived with it, using 93, till I got rid of the car.

 

Yeah, I was told by Ford and glc to put in the 93... makes sense to... At least they can't tell me I wasn't negligent to the engine.

 

If it has been running really rich you might have burned up the cats, that has a sulfer smell and evenually your truck will act like somebody crammed a potato in your exhaust pipe.

 

Based on your location in ny, would you be from Mount Vernon. There are a couple of dealers that I would stay away from in that area. I am originally from ny and worked in several dealers in the area. I have has good dealings with Scarsdale Ford. Smith Cairns Ford are not very reliable. I currently live in Hernando County Florida. If asked I could possibly help you find a good dealer.

 

I live in Central New York... Oneida County... not anywhere near Mount Vernon, NY.

 

X2

 

Well, I'm back at home now... just got done eating... but on to my truck.

When I was going home, I noticed that my truck a little less "umph" than usual. It is not pinging. However my gas mileage went from 19.3 this morning to 17.1 mpg, and it seems like it is dropping more and more. I won't know until tomorrow, really.

Anyhow, it still is rank from sulpher... like VERY rank. This is the oddest thing I have ever, ever, ever see in my entire life. It was running fine earlier this week with the 93, and not it's not 1/2 way through the tank.

 

For some reason, it's going rich now.

I *have* used 93 in mine, and nothing like this happened. I noticed very little difference in anything, except it did seem to run slightly smoother.

 

do you notice a loss of power or slow revving- if so i'd suspect a cat problem good luck-keep us posted-phil