Bad egg/sulphur smell after starting the engine

[yossarian]

More detail: If you have a shorted cell you'll wind up with what is effectively a 10V battery. When that battery is charged at 12V battery voltages it is quickly destroyed and the electrolyte will be expelled as water vapour, hydrogen and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) products.

The discharge of the electrolyte fairly soon converts your battery into a bunch of plates floating around in the air.

If you test a bunch of plates hanging around in air in parallel with a working battery you'll measure the voltage of the working battery. To find out if it's a bunch of plates or a battery you need to disconnect the parallel source.

 

[Gazbibelots1860]

Thanks for everyone’s help on this. Going to try and get proper battery tests when we get back to the UK, however the fact that k can still smell a bit of the same smell after being disconnect from EHU for a good 24 hours, and not having used any of the battery power too, coupled with the fact when I discharged the grey water there was a very similar smell I’m tending to think it could be the drain/waste water tank, maybe starting up the engine and moving off site caused it to slosh around (it’s only been emptied once and not fully, in a whole month of use)

 

[AlpTourer12345]

We had the same experience this year in Greece. I even started googling about sulphur smell near Kalamata. After a while we found the reason. It is the grey watter. If the tank is not drained often, the weste in the grey watter starts to rot and when the vehocle is moving this smell gets into the cabin. The recepy is to empty grey watter tank more often and while not in use seal it with the drain plug.

 

[toeknee]

Hi, we’re in France atm, we noticed after one of our first stays for a few nights that when starting the engine and idling or driving for. Few miles that we get a really bad rotten egg Sulphur smell. After stopping the engine it lingers. Seems to be worse when stood near the sliding door, opened the bonnet and doesn’t smell in the engine, opened the leisure battery hatch, all looks normal and no smell.

I read it could be a cat converter failing but my garage tells me that only really happens with petrol cats. He said could be one of the batteries over charging.

Just wondering if we can get by til we get home, should we disconnect the leisure battery maybe?!

The digital display this morning on starting up was reading 14V and 4A.

We’ve been mainly plugged into electric most of the time.

Any ideas welcome! ThNks

This happened to me in an old car and it was because the exhaust had somehow loosened so the exhaust fumes weren’t being pushed out back but hanging under bottom of car and inhaled into the car itself. Smelt like eggs and only happened when engine was running and we were stationary.

 

[Leffeblonde]

If you've not emptied the tank for a month then that's a possible source. Empty the tank and put some tank cleaner diluted in water in it. Just a few litres will do, then it will slosh around whilst you're driving. Empty that when you get to your next site and repeat. No harm in leaving some diluted cleaner in it. If you can't get a specific tank cleaner then diluted Dettol or similar will do.

 

[andrew bazeley]

Hi, we’re in France atm, we noticed after one of our first stays for a few nights that when starting the engine and idling or driving for. Few miles that we get a really bad rotten egg Sulphur smell. After stopping the engine it lingers. Seems to be worse when stood near the sliding door, opened the bonnet and doesn’t smell in the engine, opened the leisure battery hatch, all looks normal and no smell.

I read it could be a cat converter failing but my garage tells me that only really happens with petrol cats. He said could be one of the batteries over charging.

Just wondering if we can get by til we get home, should we disconnect the leisure battery maybe?!

The digital display this morning on starting up was reading 14V and 4A.

We’ve been mainly plugged into electric most of the time.

Any ideas welcome! ThNks

Someone else has mentioned this, but the EGR exhaust-reinput system is very prone to faults and leaks on these VW diesel models. When mine was discovered and fixed, it was the result of weird smells inside when the engine was switched on. It's worth checking. Not cheap to fix, I'm afraid!

 

[sbmcd]

I'd bet on grey waste water smell from the sink, very eggy, alway drain the tank when you can and drive with the plug in.

 

[Juzza]

Hi, we’re in France atm, we noticed after one of our first stays for a few nights that when starting the engine and idling or driving for. Few miles that we get a really bad rotten egg Sulphur smell. After stopping the engine it lingers. Seems to be worse when stood near the sliding door, opened the bonnet and doesn’t smell in the engine, opened the leisure battery hatch, all looks normal and no smell.

I read it could be a cat converter failing but my garage tells me that only really happens with petrol cats. He said could be one of the batteries over charging.

Just wondering if we can get by til we get home, should we disconnect the leisure battery maybe?!

The digital display this morning on starting up was reading 14V and 4A.

We’ve been mainly plugged into electric most of the time.

Any ideas welcome! ThNks

We had the same smell for a couple of weeks. It lasted 10-15 minutes after starting to drive. We also got a nasty rotten eggs smell
After 20 mins the smell went. It has gone completely now. Any ideas

The drains would keep on smelling for longer. The Cat Converter and battery cell issues could be it

We have a ‘67 umber plate Ocean camper

 

[DevillBelgium]

Tested the leisure batteries, both measured 12.64 which seems fine to me?!

Did you finaly foud where it was comming from?