Wait. "I recently noted that exhaust smell when the car in front of you floors it."

To be clear, you mean when alone, you are smelling a similar smell in your Hellcat?

Exhaust leak no ifs, ands, or buts.

To verify, roll down your windows only about 2" and turn off your ventilation system. Then repeat behavior that led to it. It should make the smell worse. In FACT, do that AND make sure one of the rear seats is folded down.

That is the lowest-pressure zone of the greenhouse, right where the air sideways-ski-jumps off the sides of the windshield, so you are creating a suction that is affecting all parts of your passenger compartment surfaces, which will draw in even MORE of the leaking exhaust.

If it gets worse, then it is obviously the leak in the exhaust system we already know it is, but it reinforces it. If you hear a tick-tick-tick-tick from the engine compartment, it's a header flange leak or one of the pipes is cracked, which is unlikely. It's really a psssht-psssht-psssht but it can sound like a tick which can be confusing.

If it smells like exhaust, it most likely IS exhaust. Anything that clogs the exhaust system, such as a smashed-up catalyst, can make any leak UPSTREAM of that worse.

To pinpoint it, let your car get nice and cold (this is assuming leak doesn't vanish on cooldown) and slather plenty of very, very, very soapy water (Ivory or Dawn make great bubbles) on your exhaust system, then have someone start it up very briefly and watch for bubbles. Repeat as you head rearward starting at front, as the front will get the hottest the fastest. You need a lift for this or jack it up underneaf.

 

Thanks for the reply. Just to be clear this is in our 21 Trackhawk. I hate taking it to the dealer but I might have to.

R.K.

 

Sounds like you have a small exhaust leak. Is the exhaust stock?

Higher elevation makes a HUGE difference. My wife got a 4.2 0-60 in hers without even using launch control, she just stabbed the throttle at a red light one day.

 

The Jeep is completely stock.
I’ve tried sport mode and track and with launch control. I get the same 4.0s every time.
R.K.

 

My Challenger Hellcat, SRT Durango and my Trackhawk all smell like that after extended WOT (wide open throttle).

I think it is because the catalytic converters get hot from running rich at WOT due to the factory tune. But what do I know.

I do not know about 0-62, but here is one of my 0-60 runs in my stock Trackhawk on a cool dry day last October:

 

My Challenger Hellcat, SRT Durango and my Trackhawk all smell like that after extended WOT (wide open throttle).

I think it is because the catalytic converters get hot from running rich at WOT due to the factory tune. But what do I know.

I do not know about 0-62, but here is one of my 0-60 runs in my stock Trackhawk on a cool dry day last October:

0 - 60mph is the same as 0 - 96 km/h. I’m timing 0 - 62mph or 0 - 100km/h.

R.K.

 

Sounds like your catalytic converters are working the way they should.

 

If the vehicle is ultra-new, there are coatings and such that can be burning off.

 

This was my first thought, I have seen (smelled) this before long ago on other cars. If it did it from day 1, it could be some lube, sealant, chunk of foreign (not for you) material touching the exhaust somewhere. Maybe give it a few weeks. In the meantime, stop worrying and enjoy!

 

The air recirculation door needs to be adjusted my Jeep had the same issue.

 

The air recirculation door causes exhaust smell in car? That sounds interesting.

 

Couple of things to consider. There can be an exhaust leak to be sure. If it is at the engine or close the exhaust fumes can move from the engine compartment and be routed into the cabin air intake vents. I had one car with an engine oil leak that dripped oil on a hot exhaust manifold. The cabin smelled of hot/burning oil until the leak was fixed.

I do not any direct experience with Jeep models but vehicles generally has air vents located in some low pressure area -- when the car is moving -- to allow air in the cabin to escape to the outside. The vents I have seen are made of soft thin rubber sheets which flaps cut in the rubber. When the cabin air pressure goes positive either from the heater/AC or from open windows the flaps open and let the air escape.

When the cabin air pressure goes neutral or becomes low the flaps close to prevent air from these low pressure areas from being pulled into the cabin. These low pressure areas can have exhaust fumes. If one of these air vent flaps is bad it can let air from the wrong place into the cabin and this can account for the exhaust smell.

 

If the leak is DOWNSTREAM of the catalytic converters, it is relatively harmless CO2. Upstream is relatively deadly, sedative and subtle CO.

 

Thanks for the pointers. It’s so hot here that I can’t drive without the AC. I’ll wait till it cools off next week and see if I can take it for a drive with the sir off and the windows down a couple of inches.

The door air recirculating door is a interesting comment. Did you go to the dealer and told them the same issue as I’m having?

R.K.

 

It was the exact same issue the tech said he knew what it was I left it at the dealership picked it up after work and sure enough it was fixed.

 

You can drive with the AC on recirculate AND the front windows down 2".