Exhaust fumes in cab with back window up!!?

[bowes]

Hi guys,

I have a 1988 3VZE that ive owned for 1.5yrs without major issue in typical Toyota fashion. The PO took really good care of it for 15yrs, and im certain the motor is in good shape.

The exhaust has a cat delete, and goes into a CherryBomb that cuts off before the rear axle and ends there. It has been this way for 6months without any signs of a problem. 2 weeks ago I took her out for some spirited offroading and when i came off the trails i noticed it sounded very lumpy above 2,000rpm. When i had to push it above 1,500rpm under load the cab begins to fill with exhaust fumes to the point where my eyes water. All windows are up including the rear, but nothing changes. When it starts to sound lumpy it feels like im losing power and getting it up hills at highway speed seems to take more effort.

Do i have a major exhaust leak?
Faulty EGR valve?
Maybe even bigger problems?

There is no smell of raw fuel and i just replaced my distributor so i dont think it is an ignition problem. I am going to be replacing my entire exhaust this weekend because it is rusty anyways, and I will be diverting the pipe out the side to keep fumes out when i have the window down, but im not positive that will solve the issue!

Help!!!

 

[91'4bee]

Well the first thing I would do is get under the truck and look at the exhaust for cracks. I ran a CAT delete for a while before headers and I got that heavy exhaust smell all the time, but not that bad and I connected it out the same exit as stock. And my new high flow CAT has a less as heavy smell but I get it now and then still.


Hope this helps and good luck

 

[bowes]

Thanks for the response.

Would a crack in the exhaust cause the loss of power when im over 1,500rpms and lumpy sound? I have had an exhaust leak before but it made a different sound and i didnt notice a loss in power...Now it sounds like a damn tractor when i accelerate, but the odd thing is the exhaust tone gets nice and smooth when i downshift :wacko: and the smell overwhelms the cab even with all the windows up!

 

[91'4bee]

Would a crack in the exhaust cause the loss of power when im over 1,500rpms and lumpy sound?

No prob :thumb:

What do you mean lumpy? like the motor is shaking and the idle is jumping? or just the exhaust note?

A small enough crack, like in a weld, back pressure can come and go making it feel like less power and needing to step on the gas more. This happened to me when I ran the CAT delete because it was interchangeable and after switching it out a few times the gaskets wouldnt seat right (have emissions testing in the county I live in).

However the lumpy thing has got me intrigued now. Video?

 

[bowes]

Well, there are no issues starting it, and at idle it is a tad rougher than normal but nothing too alarming. When i am getting into 1st the gear stick shakes alot more than usual and it sounds very rough. This only gets worse as i accelerate and the fumes come on strong above 1,500rpm.

I will shoot a quick video on my lunch break and see if i can upload it today!

Thanks again:thumb:

 

[bowes]

Okay here is a quick video...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRCC7p7EknM&feature=youtu.be

 

[onian]

It is possible Edie Murphy stuck a banana in your tail pipe. Seriously though sounds like got a major crack somewhere in the exhaust and maybe the ecu is trying to correct making it run badly. Surprised there isn't a code but if you have fumes then something is broke in exhaust.

 

[91'4bee]

Ok...that sounds like a dead cylinder miss to me. Which would explain why you smell rich exhaust because its not burning it. Take a tissue and with the truck idling put it up next to the exhaust pipe exit and if it starts trying to suck the tissue in the pipe you got a misfire.

Another test (I dont recommend unless you dont mind getting shocked) is to pull individual spark plug wires from the distributor and if there is no change in sound you found the cylinder.

Here is a video I found (on a toyota too!) to help explain the second method 3VZE 3.0 diagnose a cylinder misfire - YouTube

Hopefully it is something as basic as a wire fell of the plug...

Good luck