www.jec.org.uk

I keep getting the above with the hood up or down in varying degrees when I deccelerate, I think it may be something to do with aerodynmic created air pressures but I can't fathom out where they are being sucked in from - can anybody offer any suggestions please?

Gareth.

Hi Gareth,

Hope you are well, can't offer any insight regarding air pressure variation, but shortly after I bought by Series 3 Coupe my wife (who is the more sensitive of the two of us) kept complaining of fumes in the cockpit which gradually got worse. I checked all the usual places, and even had the exhaust refitted but made no difference - eventually traced to a small crack in the exhaust manifolds - expensive to remedy but the problem went away.

May not be relevant to you but I would get somebody to do a pressure and leak check across the whole of the exhaust side of your system as a starting point.

Regards

Thanks Ray, I did suspect something like that but the chap who looks after my car said he'd checked it all for leaks and thought the fumes were somehow being sucked in from the rear exhaust pipes. However I doubt it was done under pressure so I'll look to getting that avenue explored - you don't need to tell me about the cost of replacing exhaust manifolds, one of my first expensive experiences of the car's low ground clearance was cracking both of them on a speed-bump [lesson learnt the hard way]!

Apart from that things are going OK as I trust they are with you & yours,

Gareth.

Hi Gareth

Yes everything fine thanks, interesting you cracked yours on a speed hump, mine was also cracked but on a very up and down road to Ludlow where the ground clearance didn't give me a chance! However after that I had the suspension checked by CMC who are just down the road from me and they told me the whole car was 1 inch too low!! A combination of soggy bushes and a previous owner they reckoned.

I then had a Sports exhaust kit fitted which cuts out the two silencer boxes under the passenger area and hey presto no more ground clearance problems ever since....

Be interested to know what you find out re the fumes once you have it tested under pressure...fingers crossed no more manifold cracks!!

Rgds