ahh, the wonderful smell of sulfur!

The sulfur smell is simply a function of the current gasoline chemical makeup and the burning of this gas. There is nothing the dealer can do short of changing the aerodynamics of the car and making the windows not roll down! That or shorting us 10 more hp (over the many hp already lost to emissions) by adding additional restrictive cats. I know I would gladly keep the functionality of the car for a little smell.

Trust me, other cars smell like this also when under lots of throttle but they don't tend to get the backdrafts that bring the smell back into the cabin. It is a problem of the gasoline makeup that manufacturers have no control over.

Gents,

The gas is not the problem, I have/had other Toyota vehicles and they don't have this problem. Yes other vehicles do emit fumes/smell but nowhere near the intensity of the 4Runner. The problem the 4Runner has is somewhere in its design. Toyota knows exactly what the problem is but is unwilling to absorb the cost. This has been proven by their attempt to redesign the rear spoiler on the 05 model. The only way this problem will be fixed is if a large number of owners go through the Lemon Law procedure and make them buy back vehicles or the media publicizes this problem and shows all the unhappy owners. The only way ANY car manufacture address expensive problems with their vehicles is either they are forced to or their pockets are affected.

Now if all the affected owners organized and contacted the media and make the same stink the 4Runner makes this problem would be addressed.

Koz

KMX3060 said:

I travel up the hill from Camarillo to Thousand Oaks almost everyday. It is like 6% grade for about 2 miles.

I smell the sulphur odor many times but if I change lanes from being behind another car the smell goes away so it must have been the car in front of me.

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I do the same drive that you do. I never have had the smell, and i punch it going up that grade

West Coaster

Hey there,
I've taken my 05 V8 from Arizona to British Columbia, and I get the same sulfur smell regardless of which brand I use or where I fill up. I stick with 87 octane and usually don't do bargain basement gas (typically Esso/Exxon, Conoco, Shell, Teroso).

Pretty stinky, yeah most oten when the back window is down and I punch the throttle, but have noticed it once or twice with the sun roof or back windows down only.

Still waiting for the V8 TSB's.

I'm from BC, Canada.
Cheers, Elroy

TeCKis300 said:

The sulfur smell is simply a function of the current gasoline chemical makeup and the burning of this gas. There is nothing the dealer can do short of changing the aerodynamics of the car and making the windows not roll down! That or shorting us 10 more hp (over the many hp already lost to emissions) by adding additional restrictive cats. I know I would gladly keep the functionality of the car for a little smell.

Trust me, other cars smell like this also when under lots of throttle but they don't tend to get the backdrafts that bring the smell back into the cabin. It is a problem of the gasoline makeup that manufacturers have no control over.

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BULLSHIT !!!
It's absolutely not the gas.
If it were, my other cars would stink too, and they DON'T.

00328 said:

BULLSHIT !!!
It's absolutely not the gas.
If it were, my other cars would stink too, and they DON'T.

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Do your other cars have a rear window that rolls down? Do you typically drive behind your other cars monitoring the exhaust smell? By the way, nobody said that YOUR other cars smell, just that some other cars do too.

I will admit the 4Runner seems to have cornered the market on smell, but I have also been behind newer Trailblazers, Explorers, Chrysler minivans, and an Acura that all had the same smell. And, I was on my motorcycle at the time, which I'm positive doesn't have the sulfur smell.

I only notice the smell if I have the windows open, and accellerate hard. When I used to run 91 octane fuels like BP Ultimate, the smell was noticeably reduced, almost non-existant. Now that I'm back to the cheap stuff due to gas prices, it's much worse.

So, if saying that the sulfur content of gas is the problem is just "BULLSHIT", then explain to me why the smell changes based on the gas I use?

I will also admit, that I think the 4R seems to be much more sensitive to fuel quality than other cars I've owned, and currently own. But, this is not a new problem with any manufacturer, I've had cars with cats dating back to 1979, that would emit a rotten-egg smell from the exhaust at times.

Does the smell bother me, yes, a little. Does it bother me enough to spout off obscenities about it on a forum while adding nothing to the discussion, not by a longshot.

--Mike

I just think a lot of people have bought into the idea that it's the gas. Just what Toyota and I guess some other car makers want you to believe.

I don't doubt that gas has sulfur in it, but there is something about the 4R that seems to enhance this emission stink.

None of my other cars rear windows roll down, and so what, the rear window doesn't need to be rolled down on the 4R in order for the passengers to be enveloped in such a stink.

I don't know what it is on the 4R that causes the stink, I just know for what we paid for these vehicles, they shouldn't smell like someone took a big dump in the cargo area. It's unexcusable! Especially since Toyota has known about this problem for some time.

Is it the exhaust system? I don't know. Is it more specifically the cat? I don't know. My guess is there is definitely something that Toyota cheaped out on.

I still say Bullshit to gas being the problem!

I have noticed a difference in smell when going from the higher grade down to 87. I don't drive with the rear window down because of it. Now the main time I smell it (bad) is when I get home, pull into my driveway and get out. It nails me in the face like someone trying to jack my truck.

I've had numerous comments from friends getting out of the truck with me, too many to count. By now everyone is used to it and they just say, "MMM, smell that Toyota burn!" Kind of embarrassing but what can ya do?

I was driving my altima behind my 4Runner (fiance was driving it) the other night and I could always tell when she stepped on it a bit. I got a nice big blast of sulfur through the vents. Now I know how everyone must feel driving behind me :repuke:.

Has anyone had the TSB for the 05 V6's done yet? Has it helped? My dealer just called me saying they got the parts in so I can take mine in for the service anytime. Just wanted to see if it was a waste of time or not.

All of us on here arguing over what the problem is or could be isn't going to fix the smell. I think Koz is the only one that had the right idea. If we can band together and make as big a stink as the 4runner does to Toyota or the media then maybe it could hurt their sales or make them look bad enough to WANT to fix the issue. It can't be all that bad or none of us would be on this forum talking about our trucks....

Solice said:

I think Koz is the only one that had the right idea. If we can band together and make as big a stink as the 4runner does to Toyota or the media then maybe it could hurt their sales or make them look bad enough to WANT to fix the issue. It can't be all that bad or none of us would be on this forum talking about our trucks....

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Oh Yeah, Brilliant!
Hurt the sales and drive down the resale value, now that is a smart move.

If you have the smell inside the vehicle with the windows closed you are being subjected to carbon monoxide which is dangerous.
And it indocates a leak in the exhaust system.

If you are just embarassed for the smell that is not a safety problem.

KMX3060 said:

Oh Yeah, Brilliant!
Hurt the sales and drive down the resale value, now that is a smart move.

If you have the smell inside the vehicle with the windows closed you are being subjected to carbon monoxide which is dangerous.
And it indocates a leak in the exhaust system.

If you are just embarassed for the smell that is not a safety problem.

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I'm just saying that that is what it takes if your going up against a Corporation. There's power in numbers and if Toyota sees that the public sees the problem, they'll fix it. Until then they'll only keep "bandaging" the wound and not "heal" it.

Everyone's quick to jump and say there's a problem but when it comes down to doing something about it people hide in the bushes. In the military, if I'm going to complain about a problem then I sure as heck better have a solution, or at least a plan to fix the problem.

Your right, it's not a safety issue. It doesn't inhibit the vehicle's performance either. It's more of a flaw and may be disappointing to think that we bought such a great and awesome vehicle, that just happens to smell like a barrel of rotten eggs when you give her a little gas.

No need to get all snippy.

ULEV

I heard from my dealer that the 4.7 V8 is the only V8 on the market to get that ULEV rating. Some kind of clean burning emissions rating that the 4.7 got in the sequoia. My stealer said its a combo of the sulfur in the gas and the clean burning motor
Anyone here that before?

Also, Magnaflow exhaust and yes... on a trip to Vermont I smoked my parents that were following on occacion with that nice egg smell. They actually brought up the smell and asked if it was me!:arrow:

I was behind a Highlander the other day and about gaged from the sulfer stench. I guess 4Runners aren't the only ones that smell...

Iowa4Runner said:

I was behind a Highlander the other day and about gaged from the sulfer stench. I guess 4Runners aren't the only ones that smell...

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This is an old TSB but it looks as if you're right.

http://www.autosafety.org/Toyota Sulfur Odor All Models.pdf

I hear it is a problem with a few different Toyotas.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-33,GGLG:en&q=toyota+sulfur+smell&spell=1