wadem

hi there!!!!! dont even wanna think about starting another "cab smells" thread....i have read them all. just want to know if anyone has been successful with a dealer fix for the problem. i have heard through the grapevine that DC is accepting some responsibility, and is attempting
a fix...Is this true or false? my dealer says he has gotten a ton of complaints regarding this issue........ still stinkin in Calgary.

Scotty

Here is what I was told...and it did make sense but no solution.

The air intake to the cab is huge. On defrost with the fan on high, a piece of paper held above the grill on the passenger side ahead of the windshield was sucked out of my fingertips.
I had to hold onto it a bit tighter to stop it from pulling down...theres a lot of suction there.

This explained to me why the fumes are in the cab. Dc has told me its the changes in the fuel and the way the truck is designed. Well, they designed it wrong if you ask me.

So now they said if I can figure out a way to eliminate fumes, they are listening.

I am going to test a few different approaches with carbon activated filters. However, I should not be resovling this. Theres admission all over North America theres a problem, but no solution.

I am getting closer to the arbitration step.

Scotty

Neil58

I had this problem, took it to the dealer and they extended the vent hose back beyond the cab. It worked, no more diesel smell in the cab.

Scotty

My breather hose was extended and it reduced the smell but it froze up and now I am doing an oil consumption log because I was pushing 1 liter of oil per 200 kilometers.

Cut the hose, oil is not being pushed out but the smell is back.

CRXsi

Just one stupid suggestion on my part from previous experience...when I worked for Nissan, on certain cars (Micra, Sentra, etc.) if you did not pull the dipstick out before filling the oil during an oil change the oil would literally back up into the pcv system before draining into the oil pan and have blue burning exhaust for months. By pulling the dipstick the was enough of a vent for the air to exit as oil drained into the oil pan. Our trucks don't really use a pcv system but rather a breather hose vent. My truck initially had the smell unitl the first oil change. On the first oil change I used Mobil delvac 1300 and never had the smell again. I also pulled the dipstick before filling. Second oil change same thing. On my 3rd and most recent oil change I changed to synthetic esso XD-3 and dumb me forgot to pull the dipstick and have noticed the past couple days the smell in the cab again. I don't know whether to arttribute this to the change in types of oil or the fact like the old Nissans that I didn't pull my dipstick to allow a vent so the oil can drain into the pan faster instead of backing up into the breather system. Anyone interested please try this on the next oil change and see if it helps at all? It may or may not but is easy enough to try and see if it works.

joel

Here's an observation on mine - I still have the smell from time to time.

But I have it less with colder temps. I also don't have it with the A/C on in warm weather.

I only seem to get it in med. temp weather, say between 40-75 (when I hit the A/C).

I just don't get it.... I guess this spring I'll have to take the cowl apart and block off some of those vents

AaronT

I do not get any smell in the cab. Wonder what is different. I am not complaining though and I use Rotella T.

Lightman

I only get the smell when using the VENT not AC and when STOPPED. It's not too bad though, not nearly like some people describe.

cby52

Got my 03 fixed first part of September, it’s been great since. [
I was getting nowhere with Dodge, service writer said he filed a "Star Report" on it and I'd hear from Dodge, yea right. After 9 months of nothing , calling Dodge got me nowhere. On one of my calls to Dodge I got transferred back to the Service Manager at my dealership and he said he'd look into it. Got an appointment to see the SM, gave him the info collected on this forum, and he ordered as many parts that he could get from Dodge, the rest he got from Home Depot (double sided weather strip) and had at it. It turns out he got rubber flappers from Dodge and installed them, used the double sided tape to seal the cowl and just for good luck, he swapped out the PCV valve. Now I get an occasional faint hint of odor but nothing like it was before.
While we were waiting for parts the SM said his factory technical rep gave him a document he called a pre-TSB which he said address this problem. At the time he said this usually happens before Dodge releases an actual TSB. But when I had the truck in for the fix I asked if he had a TSB number, he said they did a 180 on the TSB and now they probably weren't going to issue one. He was at a lost as to the logic here, so am I.

Bottom line is the cowl fix does work and talk to your dealer service manager and/or owner. It seems that if they want your business they'll pop for a few bucks in parts.

4byzero

I have the smell in my 2005 2500. The dealer took the top cowl off, the rubber plugs are missing on both sides. They covered them up and left the bottom ones open for the water to drain out, but they still have a smell. They extended the breather hose past the driver’s door, not as bad, but still have the smell. I’m using premium blue valvoline. I keep reading about Mobile Delvac 1300 stopping the smell. Is this the answer? I sure would like to see a fix, not a Band-Aid.


2005 2500 4x4 six speed stock

wadem

ya know, i find this amazing!!!!!DC will pull all the stops and test drive/dyno
re test drive and balance every single moving part, to lets say FIX A 70 MPH VIBRATION!!!!! but when an air contamination issue comes up, and i think its in the vast majority of the trucks, they seem to be able to get away with doing nothing......... I had a friend of mine in my truck the other day{he is on his 2nd duramax,has owned a powerstroke as well} i didnt say a word to him and he looked at me after about 10 mins of driving and said "what is that stink"
so i dont believe that this is just a diesel smell. anyway, love my truck
but a 1974 mack truck might smell that way, but a new 50k truck thats promoted as luxurious, should not.........not that i want a duramax, but rode in his truck today.... there was no way you could ever tell{other then sound} that you were in a diesel.

Scotty

The smell I get is exhaust fumes and a small bit of crankcase. I extended the breather only to create another problem when if froze up. I have done the cowl fix and spent an entire day with the service mgr, two techs and a DC rep. When its as cold as it is outside I decided to check something today. Defrost on high, I get out and watch my exhaust plume being pulled toward the truck. Its sucking the fumes in. I am pursuing a filter inside the cowl directly over the screen on the passeger side inside the cowl.

I have owned 25 of these trucks since 89 and this one is by far the worst and the only 3rd gen. My last truck, an 01 never had this problem.

Scotty

wadem

yea, like i say, its frustrating when you pay that kind of money, and they {DC}
dont come up with a fix when its quite clear that its an air induction problem.
my only other question is, why does it also seem that the smell on alot of the trucks goes away after a certain amount of either time or miles? my truck only has
10000 km on it.