1992 toyota camry

[kmatson]

We bought my daughter a 1992 Toyota camry about a year and a half ago....it has a bad odor on the inside.....after driving in it she smells kind of like gasoline, exaust, oil, I don't really know how else to describe the smell. We have had it in several times to have it checked out.....nobody seems to be able to figure out what is wrong. She refuses to drive it anymore cause it smells so bad. Most people can't smell it by just getting in the car but I can smell it the second I open the door. A few things have been repaired on the car and they said that would fix it but it hasn't.. Sometimes it will go for awhile and not really smell and then it comes back with a vengence and it permeates her clothing or anything she leaves in the car. The car place wouldn't even look at it anymore until I called a guy to try an ozonator in it....she suggested that he thought it was coming from the radio.....that maybe someone installed it improperly and it was burning wires....it seems to be hooked up fine....no burnt wires, so it doesn't seem like that was the problem. There was something with the AC that they said was causing it and that was fixed but it wasn't the culprit....one place said there was a slight leak in the trunk and so maybe the exaust was getting in...they fixed that and still the smell.....HELP...does anyone have any idea what it could be?

[RIP]

More specifics would help on specifically what has been inspected.

If it's a raw fuel smell I would look for leaking fuel injectors or a leak anywhere in the system including the fuel tank. Have the EVAP system inspected. Check the hood seal that seals the engine compartment off from the air intake vents at the base of the windshield.

If it's exhaust smell cover the exhaust pipe with a gloved hand or rag and listen for any increased noise up front or elsewhere to check for a leaking exhaust.

Are you getting any driveability issues like stalling, hard starting, hesitation. Are you seeing a check engine light on the dash? Has the gas mileage decreased? Are the engine oil and coolant levels stable? Just anything that's a little off or odd. 4 or 6 cyl engine?

[kmatson]

Thanks...that gives us something else to check into.....my husband already checked the air intake vents at the base of the windshield but that wasn't it he
hasn't checked the fuel injectors, etc....we will try that route and see where it gets us.

[Brian R.]

Check your freeze plugs on the rear of the block for leaks. Some of them can leak directly on the exhaust pipe and stink badly. Also, check for oil leaks on the rear of the engine (valve cover) that do the same thing.

If I was a betting man, I'd bet it is something leaking on the exhaust pipe and burning.

[DJPsystems]

You might want to check if the heater core is leaking.

[Daniel M. Dreifus]

Originally Posted by kmatson

We bought my daughter a 1992 Toyota camry about a year and a half ago....it has a bad odor on the inside.....after driving in it she smells kind of like gasoline, exaust, oil, I don't really know how else to describe the smell....does anyone have any idea what it could be?

Try replacing the valve cover gasket - leaks are common on these. The hold down nuts on the spark plugs tubes tend to be loose. Correct torque is 17 ft. lbs., you should probably re torque them about a week after installing a new gasket.
Leaking oil hitting the exhaust would create odor.

[csaxon]

If you've done the ozonator treatment and still have your problem, then I would pull up all the carpeting and pad and look for mold, mildew and holes in the flooring that allow exhaust fumes in.

[music479]

I would in addition to these, spray the car with NuCar smell, that way the odor could be gone! Hope that helps!