Car feels like it's filling up with fumes

Question

I bought a used 2000 volvo s80 with around 93k on the odometer.

I was driving the other day and I felt sort of sick. At first I thought it was some dirt on the floor that got into the air. But upon driving again about 30 minutes later it was apparent something was definitely wrong, I was feeling woozy and weak the rest of the night.

The car has a bunch of lights on, but a mechanic says that it was mainly just the catalytic converter.. and that was only an "environmental problem"

So at this point I'm thinking of just junking it, since I don't think it's worth getting CO poisoning over. What would you suggest? Thanks.

Answer 1

Exhausts inside the car is not healthy at all. As someone said, perhaps another mechanic should be considered.

As to the problem, it sounds like the exhaust pipe is leaking before the catalytic converter. The engine light would likely light up because of this, since the Lambda (Oxygen) sensor in the converter would be receiving less exhausts (and more oxygen) than expected. As Nelson says in the comments, a leak after the catalytic converter would not be detected.

I don't know if that's the case on an S80, but many cars have a "flexible hose" kind of construct between the exhaust manifold and the exhaust pipe which can leak without visible holes.

To ascertain where the leak is, look under the hood, around the front wheels and under the car when running. Try plugging the rear end of the exhaust and see if a pressure is built up, if the exhaust system is okay it should.