Vw Sharan Giving Off Nasty Fumes

[vwsharan4me]

hi guys, this is my 1st post and i hope some kind soul can help me.

 

I have recently bought a vw sharan 1.9tdi 1999, which so far has been more than a headache. The mpv has been giving off the fumes smell which is coming into the vehicle and has made me and the kids feel sick.

 

Since i never knew what the problem was, i decided to get the cabin, fuel, air, oil filters changed. I also got the engine washed just incase there is any oil spillage. Checked the engine for any leaks as well as the underside of the vehicle for any problems. I thought i was going mad!

 

8 days later, I thank you guys as I finally find this forum with the issue that has been all along what i now know as the Aux heater, with a mini exhaust.

 

http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/1076/p1010885.jpg

 

Even though this is a ford forum, i'm sure the vw sharan is the same as the galaxy, so i'm hoping someone can answer a few of my questions:-

 

1. Does the aux/booster heater provide heat for the rear passengers?

2. Is the aux heater needed for winters only or all the time?

3. Can there be any damage or problems if i disconnect it?

4. Where can i disconnect the electrical connection from? i.e. can someone show me a photo of its location?

5. Where is this aux heater glowplug?

 

thank you for helping.

 

vwsharan

Edited July 21, 2010 by vwsharan4me

[Mirez]

Hi and welcome to the forum, however all the answers you want are already on here - search aux heater for more detailed answers.

 

 

1. Does the aux/booster heater provide heat for the rear passengers?

Yes

2. Is the aux heater needed for winters only or all the time?

Below 10 degrees

3. Can there be any damage or problems if i disconnect it?

Slower warm up, increased MPG and possible engine wear

4. Where can i disconnect the electrical connection from? i.e. can someone show me a photo of its location?

Fuse 18

5. Where is this aux heater glowplug?

Internal to the unit, follow your arrowed pipe back to it.

[chrispb123456]

Hi there

Just a few points to add if your considering changing glow plug, when you say smoke/fumes were coming out of the small exhaust pipe did you hear the combustion fan operating in the unit, as they can seize and the fumes not only come out the exhaust but can back up the inlet pipe which disappears into the chassis/sill area filling these areas with fumes which can find there way into car, the glow plug is the only easy available part so just make sure fan is blowing before changing glow plug as you may need to replace the heater unit.

As Mirez has said the unit will only operate below approx 10 deg although I think it's 5 deg on early models, so it's unlikely it's operating with the air temperatures were having at the moment, unless the sensor is faulty or been bridged

[vwsharan4me]

Well thank you so much mirez and chris for helping me.

 

I have managed to disconnect the electrical plug for now and the smell has reduced. But the bad news is that some smell is there. Its like exhaust fumes (NO SMOKE!) are getting into the vehicle....By disconnecting the electrical plug, can i safely assume that the heater now can't be the culprit?

 

Also even though the exhaust is not leaking anywhere, is it possible that the fumes are somehow finding their way from the exhaust end into the bodywork?

 

Once again thank u very much

 

vwsharan4me

[gregers]

welcome to this mad house http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/public/style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif,and yes the sharan/alhambra and galaxy are pretty much the same cars apart from certain engines,so any questions ask away.

 

 

 

as said at these temps were all having now(unless youve got snow/icehttp://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/public/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)then i would be surprised if the aux heater is kicking in???

 

as you have i think a mk1 then as chris says it could be 5 degrees before it works?

when mine was faulty the fumes came in by the passenger seat belt area.

 

have you checked that the rear hatch actually shuts correctly?just in case any fumes are being sucked in?

[vwsharan4me]

welcome to this mad house http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/public/style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif,and yes the sharan/alhambra and galaxy are pretty much the same cars apart from certain engines,so any questions ask away.

 

 

 

as said at these temps were all having now(unless youve got snow/icehttp://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/public/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)then i would be surprised if the aux heater is kicking in???

 

as you have i think a mk1 then as chris says it could be 5 degrees before it works?

when mine was faulty the fumes came in by the passenger seat belt area.

 

have you checked that the rear hatch actually shuts correctly?just in case any fumes are being sucked in?

 

thank you very much for the warm welcome gregers.

 

can i ask what you mean by the rear hatch? where is it located? Do you have a pic? If by "rear hatch" you mean the car boot, then yes thats definately closed.

[chrispb123456]

welcome to this mad house http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/public/style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif,and yes the sharan/alhambra and galaxy are pretty much the same cars apart from certain engines,so any questions ask away.

 

 

 

as said at these temps were all having now(unless youve got snow/icehttp://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/public/style_emoticons/default/ohmy.gif)then i would be surprised if the aux heater is kicking in???

 

as you have i think a mk1 then as chris says it could be 5 degrees before it works?

when mine was faulty the fumes came in by the passenger seat belt area.

 

have you checked that the rear hatch actually shuts correctly?just in case any fumes are being sucked in?

 

 

thank you very much for the warm welcome gregers.

 

can i ask what you mean by the rear hatch? where is it located? Do you have a pic? If by "rear hatch" you mean the car boot, then yes thats definately closed.

Hi there

Yes the rear hatch is another name for the boot/tailgate, if it's closing properly check the condition of the rubber sealing strip around the opening.

Other things to look for are.

 

Has the car got a tow hitch? fumes can get in around the lighting cable if a grommet is not fitted

 

Can you smell fumes through the face level vents? you may be getting crankcase fumes and/or exhaust fumes entering through the vents.

[vwsharan4me]

thanks chris,

 

sorry for the delay in replying. Its late now, but hopefully tomorrow i will check the mentioned things. Oh and yes the mpv does have a towbar, but i don't know what a "lighting cable" looks like or its exact location ;)

 

FYI, the vents at the front are letting no smell in, but i need to know what are the "face level" vents? If these are the front vents, then how could i be getting exhaust fumes through the front?

[chrispb123456]

thanks chris,

 

sorry for the delay in replying. Its late now, but hopefully tomorrow i will check the mentioned things. Oh and yes the mpv does have a towbar, but i don't know what a "lighting cable" looks like or its exact location ;)

 

FYI, the vents at the front are letting no smell in, but i need to know what are the "face level" vents? If these are the front vents, then how could i be getting exhaust fumes through the front?

Hi again

The power supply to the lighting socket for your trailer/caravan will be connected to wiring behind the rear lights, follow the cable from the socket to see where it enters the car, this is where the problem could be.

The cable needs to pass through a suitable size grommet to stop any fumes or water entering the car especially if the cable entry is near the exhaust.

 

The face level vents are the ones you can swivel and adjust direction of airflow.

 

Fumes could enter through the vents from the engine compartment for a number of reasons,

 

Incorrectly fitted bulkhead extension (scuttle plate)

 

Leaking exhaust system

 

Condition of engine crankcase hoses

 

Oil/fuel leaks

 

Dirty pollen filter

Edited July 23, 2010 by chrispb123456

[vwsharan4me]

Hi chris,

 

i checked the tow light cable, but it seems fine and the grommet is in place. The rubber is around the boot is also okay and i can't smell anything from the vents. The pollen filter has been changed with the service.

 

The good news to be honest is that the smell has subsided and i think the smell issue must have been the heater.

 

Now i don't want to sound like a moaner, but my friend had a look at the mpv. Although he's not an expert mechanic, he said that one of the tappets is making some tapping noise...is this because i have carried out a service due to the vehicle having thick old oil and now its runny, or is this something more sinister?

 

thanks

[chrispb123456]

Hi again

If the oil was that thick then it was either very overdue an oil change or has had the wrong oil put in, these vehicles have hydraulic tappets, the tappets will only work correctly with the right grade of oil, tappet noise will increase with vehicle age and mileage especially if it hasn't had regular servicing.

A light tapping from a diesel is not uncommon and is not generally a cause for concern.

 

Getting back to the booster heater I take it you have now disconnected it, thats fine for the summer months, but during cold weather the engine doesn't produce heat quick enough to give heat inside the car, would recommend you get it fixed before winter comes around :rolleyes:

[vwsharan4me]

Thanks for reassuring me with the tappets...i think the previous oil was very old.

 

I'm thinking of i might have to sell this off as slowly more and more problems are beginning to emerge which is making me suspicious that the previous owner must have known this to get rid of it - just before the mot is due.

 

Last night i was driving and i noticed that in 1st gear, the revs hit almost upto 3k without the mpv hardly moving along as though it has no power left, although when it went into higher gears, the mpv kicked in almost straight away.

Edited July 24, 2010 by vwsharan4me