Odor after accelerating hard?

BABY NSX

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My best guess is it’s a sulfur oder coming from the cat. On my 2003 Accord I had with a manual transmission I used to smell it only when I ran the car hard. It’s a normal smell. Not exactly sure why but I’m guessing because the cat has to work harder due to the excessive unburnt fuel when your on the gas more.

If it smells like rotten eggs then probably this then.
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Harlaquin

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The Type R is the only place I've deemed too holy to fart in, so it can't be me. :rofl:
My new car (not type R) has air conditioned seats and my mom of all people said oh it has a built in fart fan. I wonder if fart fans will be come standard in the 2020R ?
 

EdwinDrn

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I've got a '19 SI and had similar issues during the break in period. I am at 4k miles now.. The smell seems to have gone away. I believe someone above mentioned sulfur as a culprit?
 

slowride

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@Zeffy94 don't trip mine has the same smell in the exact same conditions, it's just the smell of super heated manifold. I too thought something was wrong but my guy that heads the shop at the dealer near me told me it's the hot side of the turbo, if you've ever been around super heated or smoldering metal it smells almost identical and being as though I have worked in a few shops myself when he told me that it made perfect sense.
Ok, then why doesn't my car smell?
 

ez12a

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Zeffy94

Zeffy94

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Your car is literally farting too much during hard acceleration for the cat to convert fast enough.
:rofl::rofl::rofl:

That's the explanation I needed for my immature self :nixon:
 

ian408

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Mercedes just settled a lawsuit for something similar. I doubt it’s the same.

Have you considered it might be something near the cold air intake for the heating and air conditioning? Maybe clean that area out or you the windshield cleaner a few times and see if you smell that instead.
 

Charlie

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Rotten egg/sulfur smell is normal under hard acceleration. Your catalytic converter is what usually gets rid of it under normal driving. If you dont smell anything during normal and spirited driving, it's fine.
I had a Camry Hybrid prior that I drove very gently, but going up the mountains whilst still driving gently produced that rancid smell because the engine was working harder than normal. That fart smell was rotten! Our Civic definitely does it less thank goodness.
 

ian408

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I had a Camry Hybrid prior that I drove very gently, but going up the mountains whilst still driving gently produced that rancid smell because the engine was working harder than normal. That fart smell was rotten! Our Civic definitely does it less thank goodness.
That's probably the catalytic convertors. Definitely another possibility.
 
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Zeffy94

Zeffy94

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I’d like to think at 24K miles my cat isn’t already exhibiting issues.

Over the past few days I haven’t noticed it even when pushing the pedal down hard. I wonder if the fact I was going up a hill when I first smelled it had anything to do with it. I was already at 3K RPM so I figured the turbo should’ve been spooled up enough to avoid things like LSPI.
 


ian408

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You can load the cats up with shit. Certainly, going up hill under load will burn it off. Doesn’t mean the cats are damaged.
 

jcp227

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Exhaust leak and/or shitty winter blend.
I see your in PA, really gota be careful cause some stations have shitty winter blend now. Depending how it burns and how warm the cat is, can affect the smell. We’re in the low 20s now so I’m not surprised.

I’d use 91 based maps for winter as opposed to 93 for summer. Just to be safe.

https://newsroom.aaa.com/2013/06/what-is-the-difference-between-summer-and-winter-blend-gasoline/
As a PA resident, I never knew this. Thank you!
 

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It’s the cat like everyone else’s is saying. It’s normal.
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