The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Wife doesn't like the smell....

So here's a new topic that I haven't seen in my searches...

I just got my bolt pulled home to my garage after sitting outside for a month or so and I'm getting complaints about the strong smell it leaves in the garage. It smells of old oil and gas to me, but 'toxic fumes' to my other. Now I haven't had a chance to degrease the engine or anything to that extent yet, but does anyone know if an engine 'shampoo' really makes much of a difference? Or is it always going to have a fuel smell to it? I haven't seen any leaks to account for the smell either.

Or, has anyone come across a sure-fire way to 'mask' the smell? I will be putting an exhaust fan in a garage window to help for now, but the engine wash will have to wait!

Old gas really puts out a very foul odor, dump the old stuff and you'll have a happy home.

Thanks, but all the gas is new. (Probably stronger smell than the old stuff....)

Some things to look at:
You probably have a vented Gas tank. Coming in out of the cold the gas expands and you have gas vapors in the garage. Personally I think the new stuff smells bad compared with good old leaded regular.

Old chassis grease can get a rancid smell if it was soap or lard based. A lot of scraping and washing to get the old grease off.

gear oil can get a bad smell if it has gotten water in it and sets for a while.

Don't overlook the nasty smell of rodent urine if someone has nested since you had it outside. Especially bad if they nested in an area that heats up when the truck is started.

also look carefully for a real small (pinhole) leak in a steel fuel line. I put my wife's Mustang in our garage, it stunk it up and ruined most of the food in the fridge and freezer. Turns out it had a small fuel leak I didn't find till a year later while it was sitting out in my detached shop.

Time to build a detached garage while she's in the mood. Do not hesitate. It'll also serve as a good home for you because as you work on it.....guess what you smell like. hehehe

If the smell is from old grease & oil, and you want to get rid of it, do you have a tool-rental store nearby?

If yes, see if they have a 200+ F-degree gasoline-powered pressure washer.

If they have one, and you have a remote/safe location to do the spraying, it will remove everything down to metal/paint.

I did it on/over a stone driveway - no concern about the residue.

Sorry, but I'm going to have to agree with Alvin. A metaphor if I may....it would be like not liking the smell of a horse when you go in the stable. The only time it doesn't smell like a horse is when you've just shampooed the poor thing, and cleaned out the stall, and sprayed the whole stable with Pine-sol....and it last for about 2 hrs. So that is what a 70 yr old carbureted truck smells like. Either get some very strong odor eaters or break ground on a detached garage...and build you a shop in the process !

I recently sold my 1969 442 that was in perfect original condition and while we had it in the attached garage, my wife would come in from out there and remark about how much she loved the smell of that old car!!!

1969 442

I guess it's a matter of perspective because I know when the 59 GMC comes home she'll want to spend some time with it alone in the garage...getting acquainted.

Although I like Alvin's strategy, I would tell her that is what an old truck is supposed to smell like and that it is an acquired smell.

Power Wash, drain the gas, buy coveralls.

As suggested by MikeE, pressure/power wash the crud away. It was 2-3 inches thick under my COE's entire body/frame (due to a badly leaking seal at the harmonic balancer).

I had to rent a 210 degree-F pressure washer - it removed all the crud, oil, c grease, etc. My regular pressure washer was not strong/fast/thorough enough.

My 1954 trucks are clean, with no gas leaks (a few small leaks from the drive-train), and they have no foul odors inside or out. I'll be placing heavy duty disposable diapers under those small leaks (in my new/clean garage).

So it sounds like a high-temp pressure wash is my best bet for cutting the smell. Any areas to avoid getting wet?

Good question.

Take off the air cleaner and completely cover/enclose the carburetor and tape/seal the enclosure at or below its base of the carburetor.

Cover/seal any openings in the valve cover.

I'd take off the spark plug wires and then dry all connection-points before putting the wires back on.

Maybe other people have more/better advice?

Agreed- #1 is to hot power wash away the root cause of the smell, but if the engine wash has to wait;
#2 would be a fresh air supply (which your exhaust fan will help).
#3 An essential oil diffuser like this would also mask the smell. I think the trade name for the oil blend is "Purification", but just about any of the blends will help. I run an oil diffuser pretty regular; it's not like burning incense- it's a small humidifier.

We have to walk through the garage to get in the house, and my wife was pregnant when my truck first moved in. So, I heard exactly what the truck smelled like. The diffuser helped out a lot & it was her idea.

Brad

I would leave it out untill its cleaned

If a family member is sensitive to the fumes it could lead to headaches.

My boys room is adajacent to the garage. Once I start the truck I pull the truck out and leave the door open for a while to air out. Although no one has had issues .

As I've aged certain smells get to me now that didnt when I was youner
Mainly fragrances , nothing industrial ...yet.

It turns out the front face of the tank is pushed in from some long ago damage. It's been patched with some type of weld, mostly around the fuel line. I found a pin-hole leak at the front bottom corner, which I patched with a fuel tank putty. Problem solved, or so I thought. I jacked up the backend to take the wheels off and didn't it start leaking (much worse) at a higher spot! More putty, have to jack it again to see if it's finally sealed.

Have you considered replacing that tank?

If I find a good replacement, for sure. Going to a swap meet this weekend.... we'll see!

Not likely you'll find one at Marritt Hall. Recommend you have one fabricated from scratch. Is not rocket science and therefore not expensive

Goach2 - any luck finding a tank @ the Road Runners swap meet today?

Nope, I looked but nothing cold be found, although there was a whole lot of stuff to go through. I ended up with only a '48 license plate. It was fun though and I will be going back.

Is your truck stock? A new tank is reasonably priced...

http://www.tanksinc.com/index.cfm/p...=338/category_id=64/mode=prod/prd338.htm

yeah, unless you have some modified something or other, tanks are easy to find, and not horribly expensive. There would be no reason have one fabricated. I got a NOS for $75 just by looking on craigslist. Not to mention this is a very common problem, thus the ready availability of replacement units. However circumstances may dictate....

Stock tank, but not in cab as the one in your link 46gmcpu. Under the chassis tanks seem to be priced much higher than in cab ones.

Sunday is Mother's Day. A new gas tank would make a practical and thoughtful gift (in your situation)

Stock 48 tanks seem to be rare. 47 and 48 were mounted to the frame as opposed to behind the seat. So far I haven't found one specific to the 48.

Nice Miss Church, I like the way you think...

Miss Church you exemplify the core values found in the soul of a true Stovebolter! No more lawn mowers for Mothers Day from me.

I have never seen my wife as happy as when I bought her a cordless weed eater for Mother's Day several years ago. I figured I was going to get an earful from her. Instead I got a big hug. Go figure. I can't. Buy her that tank. What could go wrong?
Carl