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How do you get a car checked out for excessive carbon monixide?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by pumpanddump, Jul 31, 2018.

  1. pumpanddump

    pumpanddump Junior Member

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    I have a terrible feeling that my prius might be producing excessive carbon monoxide inside the car.

    Actually, it's just something I want to clear off my checklist of what is possible leaving me feeling dizzy after driving the prius.

    In my other threads, I talked about the suspension and I had work done, but still I feel dizzy after driving, while my wife is fine. I also drive a Acura TL and have zero problems. I am considering doing the front / rear sway bar mods mentioned... but now I dont know if this will help my issue.

    Back on topic... so how can I get this done.. and more importantly what does the mechanic actually do to inspect for excessive carbon monoxide in the car.. or maybe I can do myself? Thanks in advance.
    Please dont say: drive with the window down. ;)
     
  2. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    You can get a Kidde CO detector with digital readout for the house for about $25 at Walmart is where I got mine.
    Normally after warm up the CO is so low it is almost immeasurable. So if you actually want to see a CO reading you need to hold it up to the exhaust when the car is first started up. Now then you could have a problem with your exhaust system that causes higher CO, or you could have exhaust gas come in without CO, but who wants that either?
     
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  3. pumpanddump

    pumpanddump Junior Member

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    Forgive me, but why would I stick the CO detector at the exhaust end of the car.... when its the interior cab that I am concerned with?
    If I stick it at the exhaust exit, I am pretty much guaranteed some kind of a reading... but that doesn't mean there is a problem.

    Unless you mean, that if I stick it there and NO reading...? Btw, there is no LOUD sound from the exhaust to indicate a disruption in flow, even during acceleration or idol.
     
  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Just saying you can get the kind that give you ppm reading. You can put in your car. But you will probably see no reading.
    If you see a reading it will be start-up and you can test using the exhaust at start up, which is moist so messy to work with.

    Two mechanical things. You could have a hole in the manifold ahead of the cat converter. We have seen that, but as you say, usually the complaint is loud noise if the hole is big. Also your cat converter could be bad but that should throw codes.

    Keep in mind the raw exhaust (ahead of cat converter) probably has a CO content 6% which is 60,000-ppm, which is the way we used to live with auto CO before cat converters. Now with the cat converter you may see well less 500 ppm in the exhaust at warm-up, and near zero after warm up.
     
    #4 wjtracy, Jul 31, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 31, 2018
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  5. pumpanddump

    pumpanddump Junior Member

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    I dont have any codes, and no loud noise. I cleaned out all the filters as well. There is a scent in the car.. but that could still be hippie from the previous owner.. 3+ years ago. LOL. CM has no scent, I know that.. but just saying.
     
  6. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    So by all means take your car to a muffler shop and ask them to check for leaks and maybe they can check cat converter, which if you are not orig owner, the other guy could have replaced it. Keep in mind we Prii owners all have California cars with superior cat converters (lots of platinum or palladium which makes them valuable to thieves). But upon replacement those of us in non-CARB states are allowed to substitute cheaper converters.
     
  7. pumpanddump

    pumpanddump Junior Member

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    LOL!
     
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  8. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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  9. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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  10. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    If OP is worried about odors, then ozone treatment is one approach.
    If OP is worried about CO, I think we have covered that
     
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  11. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    As a quick check for exhaust leaks take your hand and maybe a rag and plug your tailpipe, it should push your hand away and if it doesn't it will amplify if there is a leak somewhere.
     
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  12. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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  13. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

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    I doubt you will see much. I took our Kidde home detector into my '95 Toyota Hilux pickup when the check engine light came on and after it had started making noise for a hole in the exhaust pipe before the cat, and it didn't budge from 0 PPM. The manual that came with the detector does advise against taking it into an automobile. Possibly they are afraid of lawsuits if it fails to detect a serious leak in a car.
     
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  14. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

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    It you smell something it may actually be a small oil leak onto the hot exhaust and it doesn't take much to get your attention.
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how long after buying the car did the dizziness start? perhaps you are sensate to magnetic radiation.
     
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  16. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    I like the idea of testing with a CO detector.

    And yes, I would offer it to the tailpipe to make certain it triggered.

    Public Service Announcement: A lot of junk detectors were recently sold by Amazon- they've recalled a bunch and I might suggest finding an alternate vendor for that item in the near term.
     
  17. pumpanddump

    pumpanddump Junior Member

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    About a week or so into ownership I noticed I felt headaches, and just plain tired like I been out at sea fishing all day. Other days.. I would drive my Acura TL... had zero physical issues.
    I did a google search and sure enough I came across a thread on prius chat about others feeling the same dizzy, ill effects. That was a warzone in that thread, and allot of nonsense about devices to buy to help your brain, etc... I just observed it. It boils down to a bunch of things going against me:
    1. I lived overseas for 7 years, using mostly public transportation so daily driving became 2 weeks worth of driving annually.
    2. My eye glass prescription changed... up to date.. but yes, it changed.
    3. My previous car was a 5th Gen Honda Prelude
    4. Rumors about the Prius front windshield being too big, odd angled.
    5. Rumors about people being sick because of the giant magnets inside.
    6. Seat position within the car and where the tires are located.
    7. completely different driving experience: No Noise, no down shifting from the cvt (?) transmission.
    8. I bought the car used, with a replaced battery -everything done by a Toyota certified mechanic.. but the car was owned by weed smoking hippie who didnt fix anything.
    So I got multiple issues.. that have probably become psychological now, towards the car. Since 2 mechanics found no issue with car... LOL.
     
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  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if it were me, i'd just trade it for something else. too much trouble and sickness trying to figure it out.
    some people are sensitive to fluorescent lighting. maybe some are sensitive to magnetic radiation. who knows?
     
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  19. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Well that WOULD be a fairly easy test to do.
    And/or don't run the A/C system in recirculate.

    The first reply after your post probably gave you the best advice that there is. I personally would not trust a mechanic to give it a clean bill of health CO wise. If you are really serious about this, there is a blood test for high CO levels.

    Consider this: It is possible that the windshield on the Prius isn't getting along with your eyes, maybe when combined with your glasses or sun glasses.

    Good luck.
     
  20. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    You could have MOLD in the duct work. Some people are VERY sensitive to that.
     
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