Need Help Getting Rid Of Horrible Smell - Corolland: the Toyota Corolla Forums

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96 Geo Prizm 130k miles. I started getting this smell a few months ago. And it just got worse with tme. Finally it got to the point where it's pretty bad. I went threw and cleaned the inside of car really good. Thinking I had some rotting food in the car, dead body in the back of the car or something. I found the problem when I opened the truck of the car. Had an old bottle of transmission fuild that leaked. Lost about half of quart. Might I add, this was about a 1 1/2 month ago. The smell isn't nearly as bad. But the smell is there.

Now onto my question, what's the best way of getting rid of this smell. I've thought about scubbing the heck out of the trunk. Can anyone suggest any good chemicals or anything.

Kinda of a dumb question, but I thought I would ask for any suggestions.

It is kinda hard to make any suggestions without some more complete information. Just exactly what does it smell like? Does like it smell like a dead animal rotting? Does it smell like something chemical in nature? Does the odor change with temperature?

The spilled transmission fluid wouldn't smell that strong, IMHO. However, I don't know what chemical changes it would go through as it interacted with other materials in the trunk, such as the liner, the metal in the body, paint, etc. so I guess anything's possible. If the odor seems to definitely come from that area, then yes, go ahead and clean it with a good general-purpose detergent and water. I'd remove as much of the trunk's lining as possible and scrub it separately on both sides, rinse it thoroughly and allow it to throughly air dry before re-installing it. Same with the interior of the trunk -- make sure you get it thoroughly dry before re-assembly in order to eliminate the possibility of corrosion getting started.

friendly_jacek

I guess it was manual transmission/differential fluid, right. Those smell bad (high phosphorus content).

Why washing the fluid with detergent would not work?

If smell persist, you could try ozon making equipment, it is used in homes affected by floods, so it could work in your car.

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Yeah, it was manual transmission fuild. And the smell is alot worse when opening up the trunk. But when jumping in the driver seat, you can smell it there also. It's alot worse when it's warmer outside. Anyway thanks for the tips. That's what I was planning on doing.

Max

This is what a local auto detailer told me to do to get odors out of the car. Get some white vinegar, and some Woolite heavy duty carpet cleaner foam. Mix 3 parts vinegar to one part water and brush the mixture well into the affected area. Let it dry overnight. Next morning, spray that Woolite on thick. Rub it in and let it dry. Brush it out, then vacuum. My odor was, um, the regurgitated remains of someone's lunch, and this little trick actually worked.

This is what a local auto detailer told me to do to get odors out of the car. Get some white vinegar, and some Woolite heavy duty carpet cleaner foam. Mix 3 parts vinegar to one part water and brush the mixture well into the affected area. Let it dry overnight. Next morning, spray that Woolite on thick. Rub it in and let it dry. Brush it out, then vacuum. My odor was, um, the regurgitated remains of someone's lunch, and this little trick actually worked.

Yuck. I hope you wore rubber gloves while performing that rather unpleasant task.

Max

LOL! Yes, rubber gloves and a towel over my nose!

try baking soda to rub and clean. Leave the baking soda box partially open in the trunk for a few days. Baking soda absorbs odours

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hahahahaha, well the tranny fuilded leaked into where the spare tire is. Big nice pubble of it. Pulled the spare tire, popped the drain plugs out, then threw a oil pan under it. Sprayed some water in there, added some dish soap, and bleach. Looks good now. But the smell is there. I've thought about a box of baking soda. Thanks for the suggestion about the white vinger. May just give that a try.