crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
  
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| Jeeeeeesus, that's a bad smell…. |
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My D3 has recently been plagued by a god awful smell. It's a bit like that bad egg, sulphur whiff that reminds me of the old stink bombs we used to use at school, but many times worse!
It's taken me a while to work out that the inside of the car is filled with this foul smelling gas whenever I use the windscreen washers? I lifted the blue lid of the washer bottle and smelt the water… wow, it was definitely bad and the source of my problem. (I had been blaming it on SHMBO for the last couple of trips especially as my air-con has begun that fart noise whenever I start the car!).
Anyway, I've flushed out the water with a hose and repeatedly emptied it by using the washers. I've put loads of sweet smelling cleaner fluid in and repeated the process a few times to clean out the all the pipes etc.
To cut a long story short… within a few days the smell is back. I wondered if anyone else has had this embarrassing problem or know what might be causing it? 2005 D3 HSE
2011 D4 Landmark
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Club Waitomo
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 25th Sep 2010 1:22 am |
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caverD3
Member Since: 03 Jul 2006
Location: Oberon, NSW
Posts: 6922
 
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I would try some strong antiseptic, sounds like some kind of bacteria. Phenyle (bin/kennel cleaner) may be worth a try to get rid of the smell but don't use much it is strong stuff. “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely gamesâ€
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| 25th Sep 2010 3:44 am |
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Mike767
Member Since: 15 Oct 2008
Location: Congleton, Cheshire.
Posts: 138
 
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You can also buy sachets for sterilizing caravan water tanks/systems. I think Halfords sell them. Also, check your battery. Our leisure battery on our tin tent had lost most of its water and was hot/warm under charge. Similar smell of sulphur/stink bombs. New battery....sorted.
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| 25th Sep 2010 5:49 am |
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Russell
Member Since: 24 Aug 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 10564
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Take the bottle out and check that there is nothing dead laying in the bottom. You may have used something like a watering can to fill it up in the past witha dead animal in it and not realised. MY17 D5 1st Edition Namib Orange
MY15 D4 HSE Kaikoura Stone
MY12 D4 HSE Nara Bronze Sold and gone
MY11 D4 HSE Stornaway Grey Sold and gone
D3 S spec Silver Sold and gone
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| 25th Sep 2010 7:18 am |
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Frapp
Member Since: 19 Dec 2008
Location: Norff Zummerzet
Posts: 1653
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My Disco is ok but the Peugeot smells like something has pi**ed in the washer bottle.
Deffo needs sorting this weekend Member of the carrot crank club
Embarrassingly in for the 2nd round, bought another two
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| 25th Sep 2010 7:30 am |
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anglefire
Member Since: 09 Mar 2010
Location: In the Club House
Posts: 4180
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Russell wrote:Take the bottle out and check that there is nothing dead laying in the bottom. You may have used something like a watering can to fill it up in the past witha dead animal in it and not realised.
ISTR that this job is not as easy as all that - bumper off job? Mark.
2006, D3 SE Auto - gone but not forgotten.
2014 BMW 530d M Sport Tourer.
1977 Triumph Spitfire 1500
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| 25th Sep 2010 7:33 am |
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DaveT
Member Since: 01 Aug 2005
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 2572
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Take care!
Legionaires disease breeds in them. Warm stagnant water.
Use lots of fresh screenwash. You may find that that 3yr old part used gallon can of screenwash is actually the cause/carrier, & the bacteria then breed as soon as given a nice warm washer bottle to live in. Long succession of Disco's since 2001...
SIII Lightweight - neglected & rusting. Bulkhead, A panels, vent panel & outriggers now disintegrated - Next years project!
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| 25th Sep 2010 8:25 am |
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chalky
Member Since: 22 Aug 2008
Location: Yorkshire
Posts: 3145
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As above, bacteria and legionella stagnate under there in the warmth, screenwash helps reduce the bacteria.
Try some milton sterilising fluid ? and keep it topped up with screenwash
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| 25th Sep 2010 8:43 am |
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Frapp
Member Since: 19 Dec 2008
Location: Norff Zummerzet
Posts: 1653
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Dave T & Chalky
Good Shout, thanks for the warning 
Milton it is
Frapp Member of the carrot crank club
Embarrassingly in for the 2nd round, bought another two
D3 Jack Russell carrier
D4 Landmark for towing duties
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| 25th Sep 2010 8:53 am |
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crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
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Yes, thank you everyone for the replies... I'll try the sterilising fluid today. Probably a good idea because I was beginning to wonder what would happen if I ran bleach through the system! Taking the washer bottle out doesn't look very straightforward to a ham-fisted amateur like me. Unfortunately I've got a long trip around France next week (inc. Motorshow) and I'm getting a little bored of explaining the smell to everyone... 2005 D3 HSE
2011 D4 Landmark
2016 D4 HSE Lux
2017 Ford Tourneo VR46
Club Waitomo
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| 25th Sep 2010 9:18 am |
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disco_steve
Member Since: 25 Aug 2009
Location: Are you sure this is the M5 ?
Posts: 1498
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Have had the same issue
I added a small amount of 'Miltons' - the stuff used to sterilise baby bottles etc 
But talking of bad smells - NOTHING smells as bad as the animal rendering plant I was working at a few weeks ago - that absolutely STUNK to high heaven  Never get mad - get even !!
06 D3 now gone to family member and still going strong at 265k
previous vehicles:
04 D2 TD5 - (clocked 189k from new)
52 X-Trail 2.2 SVE
various euro boxes !
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| 25th Sep 2010 10:04 am |
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DG
Site Moderator
Member Since: 12 Dec 2005
Location: The Gaff
Posts: 50949
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Russell wrote: fill it up in the past witha dead animal in it and not realised.
Doesn't the filler neck have a sieve filter to stop this  ? I know mine does.
Legionella infected water systems don't smell BTW ....but agree that it's a bacteria type issue that can sometimes form a 'skin' in the bottle... Milton or other disinfectants mentioned here should do the trick 21 year LR veteran > D2 GS 2003 > D3 S 2006 > D3 HSE 2009 > D4 HSE 2013 > D4 HSE 2015 > D5 HSE 2018 > DS HSE R-Dynamic P300e 2021
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| 25th Sep 2010 10:17 am |
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character
Member Since: 01 Jan 2008
Location: wiltshire
Posts: 5781
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are to 100% that this smell IS the water bottle and not a failed/failling cat converter contributed by the nasty smell of the water bottle, as the "eggy" wiff is a symptom of the cat's giving up then perhaps coming through the air intakes in to the cabin?
might be worth looking at both options
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| 25th Sep 2010 11:35 pm |
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crews control
Member Since: 18 Mar 2007
Location: Dorset
Posts: 5011
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When you lift the lid of the washer bottle the smell almost knocks you over, and that's even after the cars been standing overnight and quite cold, so I don't think it's the cat. You also only get the smell inside the car immediately after using the washers. I've bought some Milton sterilising fluid and will try to flush it through this morning. (Should I leave the fluid in the bottle for a while?) I'll report back here either way!
2005 D3 HSE
2011 D4 Landmark
2016 D4 HSE Lux
2017 Ford Tourneo VR46
Club Waitomo
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| 26th Sep 2010 8:23 am |
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Russell
Member Since: 24 Aug 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 10564
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Yes leave it in there overnight if possible, perhaps run one lot through today and put another fresh lot in for overnight. MY17 D5 1st Edition Namib Orange
MY15 D4 HSE Kaikoura Stone
MY12 D4 HSE Nara Bronze Sold and gone
MY11 D4 HSE Stornaway Grey Sold and gone
D3 S spec Silver Sold and gone
Tow bar, full length roof bars, side steps, tow bar storage unit, surround camers.
D4 camera club
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| 26th Sep 2010 10:06 am |
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