I know diesel smells. However should I be able to smell it at idle with the windows down, guess this is possible it is just the exhaust blowing back. If it is coming from the engine compartment what should I look for? Wife actually rides in this car but if I can get the smell minimized and the suspension working I am going to take it on moderate to long trips.

Thanks.

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My Daily : 96 E-300 Diesel with 195,000 miles
Retired: 92 300D 2.5 T 345K miles and for sale
Retired: 95 E320 157K miles and currently parked with blown engine

Both retired cars are for sale as is my w124 shop inventory

Are you smelling unburnt diesel or diesel smog? You shouldn't be smelling unburnt diesel.

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82 300D....went to MB heaven
90 350 SDL....excercising con rods

It kind of smells unburnt I can go out and verify. If it is unburnt where do I look?

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My Daily : 96 E-300 Diesel with 195,000 miles
Retired: 92 300D 2.5 T 345K miles and for sale
Retired: 95 E320 157K miles and currently parked with blown engine

Both retired cars are for sale as is my w124 shop inventory

Check the return lines. Simplest thing to fix. After a while they just start to go, and the leaking diesel will make a stench. One of mine was going pretty bad a while ago, and I noticed the smell when I got out of the car ... of course I chalked it up to the truck sitting next to me and went on about my business, until I noticed the smell again when I parked next to a bunch of gassers at work ... then had to do a quick transplant in the parking lot.

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1987 300D, arctic white/palomino--314,000 miles
1978 240D 4-speed, Euro Delivery, light ivory/bamboo--370,000 miles
2005 Jeep Liberty CRD Limited, light khaki/slate--140,000 miles
2018 Chevy Cruze diesel, 6-speed manual, satin steel metallic/kalahari--19,000 miles
1982 Peugeot 505 diesel, 4-speed manual, blue/blue, 130,000 miles
1995 S320, black/parchment--34,000 miles (Dad's car)

The return lines look pretty brittle but I will check them again. I did not see a leak like I had with my 617 but I will look closer

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My Daily : 96 E-300 Diesel with 195,000 miles
Retired: 92 300D 2.5 T 345K miles and for sale
Retired: 95 E320 157K miles and currently parked with blown engine

Both retired cars are for sale as is my w124 shop inventory

Even if they don't split and dump diesel fuel all over your engine, they get brittle and crack and weep enough to stink up the engine compartment after a few years. If you clean things up with Simple Green and replace the return hoses, you'll be amazed at how fast most of the smell will go away.

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Reid
Past ('59 220Sb, 2-'59 190's, '92 300D 2.5T)
Current
'04 E320 4Matic Wagon
'00 E320 4Matic Wagon