Bad egg/sulphur smell after starting the engine

  • Thread starter Gazbibelots1860
  • Start date
More detail: If you have a shorted cell you'll wind up with what is effectively a 10V battery. When that battery is charged at 12V battery voltages it is quickly destroyed and the electrolyte will be expelled as water vapour, hydrogen and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) products.

The discharge of the electrolyte fairly soon converts your battery into a bunch of plates floating around in the air.

If you test a bunch of plates hanging around in air in parallel with a working battery you'll measure the voltage of the working battery. To find out if it's a bunch of plates or a battery you need to disconnect the parallel source.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for everyone’s help on this. Going to try and get proper battery tests when we get back to the UK, however the fact that k can still smell a bit of the same smell after being disconnect from EHU for a good 24 hours, and not having used any of the battery power too, coupled with the fact when I discharged the grey water there was a very similar smell I’m tending to think it could be the drain/waste water tank, maybe starting up the engine and moving off site caused it to slosh around (it’s only been emptied once and not fully, in a whole month of use)
 
We had the same experience this year in Greece. I even started googling about sulphur smell near Kalamata. After a while we found the reason. It is the grey watter. If the tank is not drained often, the weste in the grey watter starts to rot and when the vehocle is moving this smell gets into the cabin. The recepy is to empty grey watter tank more often and while not in use seal it with the drain plug.
 
Hi, we’re in France atm, we noticed after one of our first stays for a few nights that when starting the engine and idling or driving for. Few miles that we get a really bad rotten egg Sulphur smell. After stopping the engine it lingers. Seems to be worse when stood near the sliding door, opened the bonnet and doesn’t smell in the engine, opened the leisure battery hatch, all looks normal and no smell.

I read it could be a cat converter failing but my garage tells me that only really happens with petrol cats. He said could be one of the batteries over charging.

Just wondering if we can get by til we get home, should we disconnect the leisure battery maybe?!

The digital display this morning on starting up was reading 14V and 4A.

We’ve been mainly plugged into electric most of the time.

Any ideas welcome! ThNks
This happened to me in an old car and it was because the exhaust had somehow loosened so the exhaust fumes weren’t being pushed out back but hanging under bottom of car and inhaled into the car itself. Smelt like eggs and only happened when engine was running and we were stationary.
 
If you've not emptied the tank for a month then that's a possible source. Empty the tank and put some tank cleaner diluted in water in it. Just a few litres will do, then it will slosh around whilst you're driving. Empty that when you get to your next site and repeat. No harm in leaving some diluted cleaner in it. If you can't get a specific tank cleaner then diluted Dettol or similar will do.
 
Last edited:
Hi, we’re in France atm, we noticed after one of our first stays for a few nights that when starting the engine and idling or driving for. Few miles that we get a really bad rotten egg Sulphur smell. After stopping the engine it lingers. Seems to be worse when stood near the sliding door, opened the bonnet and doesn’t smell in the engine, opened the leisure battery hatch, all looks normal and no smell.

I read it could be a cat converter failing but my garage tells me that only really happens with petrol cats. He said could be one of the batteries over charging.

Just wondering if we can get by til we get home, should we disconnect the leisure battery maybe?!

The digital display this morning on starting up was reading 14V and 4A.

We’ve been mainly plugged into electric most of the time.

Any ideas welcome! ThNks
Someone else has mentioned this, but the EGR exhaust-reinput system is very prone to faults and leaks on these VW diesel models. When mine was discovered and fixed, it was the result of weird smells inside when the engine was switched on. It's worth checking. Not cheap to fix, I'm afraid!
 
I'd bet on grey waste water smell from the sink, very eggy, alway drain the tank when you can and drive with the plug in.
 
Hi, we’re in France atm, we noticed after one of our first stays for a few nights that when starting the engine and idling or driving for. Few miles that we get a really bad rotten egg Sulphur smell. After stopping the engine it lingers. Seems to be worse when stood near the sliding door, opened the bonnet and doesn’t smell in the engine, opened the leisure battery hatch, all looks normal and no smell.

I read it could be a cat converter failing but my garage tells me that only really happens with petrol cats. He said could be one of the batteries over charging.

Just wondering if we can get by til we get home, should we disconnect the leisure battery maybe?!

The digital display this morning on starting up was reading 14V and 4A.

We’ve been mainly plugged into electric most of the time.

Any ideas welcome! ThNks
We had the same smell for a couple of weeks. It lasted 10-15 minutes after starting to drive. We also got a nasty rotten eggs smell
After 20 mins the smell went. It has gone completely now. Any ideas

The drains would keep on smelling for longer. The Cat Converter and battery cell issues could be it

We have a ‘67 umber plate Ocean camper
 
Hi, we’re in France atm, we noticed after one of our first stays for a few nights that when starting the engine and idling or driving for. Few miles that we get a really bad rotten egg Sulphur smell. After stopping the engine it lingers. Seems to be worse when stood near the sliding door, opened the bonnet and doesn’t smell in the engine, opened the leisure battery hatch, all looks normal and no smell.

I read it could be a cat converter failing but my garage tells me that only really happens with petrol cats. He said could be one of the batteries over charging.

Just wondering if we can get by til we get home, should we disconnect the leisure battery maybe?!

The digital display this morning on starting up was reading 14V and 4A.

We’ve been mainly plugged into electric most of the time.

Any ideas welcome! ThNks
Hi there from sunny Scotland... Our Cali Ocean van 'Dave' has just has this issue occur and the smell was absolutely awful. Strangley we travelled all the way from Lancashire with no issue but as soon as we unhitched from our awning to drive into Edinburgh the smell filled the cab area. I thought it might have been the catalytic converter but came here to this fantastic site for answers. The stench was from THE SINK. I lifted the lid and nearly passed out .... Any way a bottle of bleach and a good fill and empty resolved the problem. We have now decided to empty the tank before we leave site, and then flush with bleach before our next adventure. I know the thread is old but we've just experienced this issue and hope it may help others...
 
Thanks for this reply! This is exactly what ours was. After all this panic at the time! I put some cleaning tablets in and drove around with the tank full to let it slosh around, drained and refilled and not smelled it since.

I think some egg must have gone down the drain whilst cooking
 
Thanks for this reply! This is exactly what ours was. After all this panic at the time! I put some cleaning tablets in and drove around with the tank full to let it slosh around, drained and refilled and not smelled it since.

I think some egg must have gone down the drain whilst cooking
Also keep the plug in when the sinks not in use.
 
I don’t know what others think but I avoid putting almost anything down the sink except water and maybe a bit of occasional toothpaste. Almost anything is likely to smell after a while.
 
Agree with the last post - almost anything will smell up from the waste tank and up through the sink.
After realising that after 2 days of just having washing up water in my T6 waste container it was not nice.
Always now put the sink plug back in after.
Have tried all sorts of other ways of keeping the smell down - zoflora and other domestic bits to put in - but this does what it says on the tin -


Yes expensive but with the T6 not a lot was used.
I do see something called SolBio which is also used for the porta loo. Organic and no chemicals. You can use it there too. Not used yet to see if this works.
 
Agree with the last post - almost anything will smell up from the waste tank and up through the sink.
After realising that after 2 days of just having washing up water in my T6 waste container it was not nice.
Always now put the sink plug back in after.
Have tried all sorts of other ways of keeping the smell down - zoflora and other domestic bits to put in - but this does what it says on the tin -

Yes expensive but with the T6 not a lot was used.
I do see something called SolBio which is also used for the porta loo. Organic and no chemicals. You can use it there too. Not used yet to see if this works.
We use either a spot of washing powder or crumble a dishwasher tablet down the plug hole, keeps everything fresh.
 
Agree with the last post - almost anything will smell up from the waste tank and up through the sink.
After realising that after 2 days of just having washing up water in my T6 waste container it was not nice.
Always now put the sink plug back in after.
Have tried all sorts of other ways of keeping the smell down - zoflora and other domestic bits to put in - but this does what it says on the tin -


Yes expensive but with the T6 not a lot was used.
I do see something called SolBio which is also used for the porta loo. Organic and no chemicals. You can use it there too. Not used yet to see if this works.
Yes used the Thetford grey waste solution in the van from new, never had an issue with odours from the sink, although am careful what goes down it.
 
A few mentions on here of getting 2L of cheap Coke (soda rather than Columbian marching powder) and pouring that down the sink before a journey. That cleans the inside well. I also do a couple of full rinse throughs periodically (fill, drain, fill, drain) to keep the water system potable. We popped a ‘silver sponge’ in our clean water tank when we bought the Van new. Silver is a naturally good cleanser - slight aside mind
 
Back
Top