that's cat.

dubtom

I knew it would happen one day, tonight a passenger accused me of letting rip with a stinker, it wasn't me honest. It seems occasionally i pull up behind a car, any car at the lights and an odour very like rotten eggs wafts into my car. I always rekoned it was the catalitic converter on the car in front But I'm not 100%, could it be my AC, although it never happens while I'm traveling with nothing in front. It's terrilbly embarressing trying to explain to a disgusted passenger, who's paying me, that I haven't opened my lunch box madam.
Any thoughts?

MunsterCycling

Was the offending vechicle in front a diesel???

Conar

Most likely a catalitic converter. Tend to smell like rotten eggs afaik!

SouperComputer

yea, the cat will produce a rotten egg smell when its not fully up to temp.

crosstownk

The smell is normal - usually from newer cars. The gas AFAIK is hydrogen sulphide - same as rotten eggs as mentioned earlier.

colm_mcm

or it could be you..

unkel

crosstownk wrote:

The gas AFAIK is hydrogen sulphide - same as rotten eggs as mentioned earlier.

It is hydrogen sulphide (H2S)

crosstownk wrote:

The smell is normal - usually from newer cars

Right again. Newer cars have 3-way catalytic converters. These store sulfur when the engine is not running or cruising. The cat releases the sulfur as hydrogen sulfide after starting the car in the morning (cat is cold) or even with a warm cat when accelerating hard

@OP - try explaining that to your punters