Ford Fiesta (2000 - 2002) - 02 1.8D Smells on start up

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Tue 12 May 2009 20:58
02 1.8D Smells on start up - conradh78
My fiesta diesel has just started to produce a strong bad egg smell (sulphur dioxide) on start up. The car has done about 70,000 miles and just been fully serviced. The smell comes from heater vents but disapears after a short while or turning on the A/C. Could this be the Exhaust gas leaking into the air circulation or bacteria in the A/C?
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Wed 13 May 2009 11:16
02 1.8D Smells on start up - Woodspeed
Modern fuel is very low sulphur. More likely to be the AC system. Run it continually for a few days and it should clear. You can get "bombs" that you set off and put in recirc mode inside the car, but they don"t work for very long.
If I only use the AC for a short time I get the "cow poo" smell next time for a few minutes. In the summer it is far less. A new cabin filter helped too.
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Wed 13 May 2009 11:51
02 1.8D Smells on start up - RichardW
I'd be having a look at the battery / alternator and check that it's not overcharging at start up and boiling up the battery.
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