I'm plugging away on my college thesis, due in three days, and of course a late night run to the store for sustenence is required.
Starting her up was fine, but starting out slowly she started to pulsate in uneven acceleration...but then it cleared up. Drove a couple miles.
And then upon getting out of the car there was a particularly pungent smell around the back. Not like anything I've ever smelled from a car. Not a coolant smell or a fuel smell...just a really acrid smell. It's been raining, so I can't tell if anything's leaking. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what this might be? Is it possibly related to the pulsing acceleration? Starting the car to drive home from the store, the problem did not arise again. But the smell did.
I'm sorry if this is a repeat query, the only thing I could think to search for was "smell" and nothing came up that looked promising. Thanks in advance to you sagely volvo owners for your help!

Have you checked in the trunk and under the seats for a dead cat. I had that happen once, found it under my seat. Could it be flatulance, had that happen too? (sorry couldn't resist)
--
David Hunter

Though this would be unrelated to pulsating acceleration, the smell you describe could be differential fluid. Gear oil has a very distinctive, strong smell. I'm really at a loss to describe it, it's almost a sulphur smell, but go to your nearest auto parts store & take a whiff of a bottle of gear oil & you'll understand. (Alternatively put a piece of cardboard under the differential overnight & look for drips in the morning.) If that's the smell you noticed, have it attended to as soon as possible, the consequence of leaking differential fluid is eventually a seized differential. A few tablespoons lost as small drips won't cause problems but you can't be sure when it started leaking, right?
-Chris

When it stops raining, park the car and place a sheet of newspaper under the rear differential (center of the rear axle). It's possible your pinion seal is leaking and throwing rear axle oil around, including onto the muffler, which will smell badly. If there is a leak, it will show up on the paper and will be a heavy, sulfurous oil dripping from the front of the differential.

If it is a sulfurous smell ( rotten egg), it could be the cat converter dealing with a bad load of gas. Fill up with a fresh tankfull from a different source. Could also be the cause of the pulsating/surging.
--
Gary Gilliam Sumerduck VA, '94 940 na Regina 150k, '86 240 180k

Was this before or after that burrito you ate? hahahaa!! If this odor does not visit itself upon you in the future - my guess is that maybe a plastic bag or some piece of trash, maybe even a mouse got stuck somewere along your exhaust system and melted. Otherwise I would suspect melted wires-Are all your lights in proper order? DiD a bulb blow out?

Check the inside of the trunk just under the rear antenna housing. Sometimes water leaks through the antenna, and if the drain tube is plugged (as mine was), water will back up into the trunk area.....You can pull back the trunk liner and see the drain tube.....

Jay
88 740 GLE 192k
85 245 GLTi 230k

I'll check it out, but it smells really strong, and I don't smell it while I'm inside the car. It had a kind of chemically aroma...
(I hate to think what could b trapped in there besides water to produce this smell)
;o)

I am going to guess that your motor is burning incredibly inefficiently and you're smelling some partially burned gas. My old VW bugs would do that if I got the timing waaay off. I'm sure the poor running was related.