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MG MGF Technical - HELP WITH ODOUR PROBLEM PLEASE

I have just bought an MGF SE, 2000, which suffers from a strong odour in the cabin. I first thought it was the wet carpets, but it may be exhaust fumes or similar. A garage carried out a cursory check and found nothing wrong. Grateful for any ideas please.
T W MELLOR

If its a spicy smell it could be the coolant which can give off quite a pungent smell when it gets hot. It might be worth having a good sniff around the engine compartment when the engine is hot. If it is coming from there it could be a simple thing like replacing the filler cap (Halfords about £3ish off the shelf). Make sure the coolant level is up to the halfway mark which is a small projection on the inside of the expansion bottle and tighten up fully. That might cure the smell. Robert
Robert Matthews 1

I assume you have leather seats.

Some cleaning products can produce a strong reaction with the leather, producing a sickening smell.

Sam
Sam Murray

is it only when you use the heater or air vents or aircon as a friends had this problem and he bourght a canister that you open and run the air con or heater for 5 mins with al windows shut which cured the problem straight away only £5 from a motor factor something to do with bacteria in the air systems
ste
Ste Brown

Hi,

If its a smell petrol there was a problem with a few earlier MGF's with petrol smell and there are lots about this in the archives. So check through the archives, as there is lots of useful information of locating and fixing this.

You don't say what the smell is, but but say you thought it was wet carpets, the implication being in reading this that you have wet carpets !

I know the MG is a soft top and there are lots of complaints aboy leaks at cheater etc. but in general although a softtop it shouldn't leak. OK there are a few taht do but in genearl they all should be watertight. Again the earlier models had a design flaw and they all did leak into the passenger compartment through the air duct to the heater. The foam insulation around the duct to the metal was rubbish. this was replaced in newer models and designed out in even newer so again they shouldn't leak.

On the old roofs when you opened the door you could get a bit wet from drops but more or less you should not have damp carpets and the familiar ergo 1970's mg smell

Brian
Brian

Try removing the sound absorbing material from over the engine cover.
Kevin

Sorry,I should have said to have a smell at this,mine smelled oily and suchlike.Put the material in a plastic bin bag and replace it.Replace the carpet on top after a good clean with dry foam carpet cleaner.This cured the problem with mine.
Kevin

how about the water bottle the smell might be stagneent...
mine had a bad whiff today flushed it out with clean water seems ok.. put some anitfreeze in then some water from the garrge then the smell came pong


good luck darren
Darren Jeffery

Darren,

I presume you mean windscreen washer fluid.

Antifreeze would you your paintwork no good at all!!!
Sam Murray

yep sorry sam windscreen washer agh my mistake could not think off for the life off me

darren

hows you ??
Darren Jeffery

This thread was discussed between 09/08/2007 and 17/08/2007

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