How to remove odor from the steering wheel of a 67 Fury?

[MoPar~Man]

It might not work for a steering wheel (unless you take if off and put it in a box with this gadget) but I've used an ozone generator like this in several cars to get rid of smells:

It will completely get rid of tobacco smell after maybe 2 treatments. I'll run it in a closed car, with also a fan running in the car, for an hour. Timer will turn off the unit, but I'll leave the car closed for a few more hours. Never occupy an enclosed space when one of these things is running. I bought one about 5 years ago (yea, from China), probably $100. They work well.

 

[Toolmanmike]

It might not work for a steering wheel (unless you take if off and put it in a box with this gadget) but I've used an ozone generator like this in several cars to get rid of smells:

View attachment 698316

It will completely get rid of tobacco smell after maybe 2 treatments. I'll run it in a closed car, with also a fan running in the car, for an hour. Timer will turn off the unit, but I'll leave the car closed for a few more hours. Never occupy an enclosed space when one of these things is running. I bought one about 5 years ago (yea, from China), probably $100. They work well.

Tried ozone. It works very little. Hardly noticed any difference.

 

[edbods]

Worth mentioning that you may also want to be careful with ozone generators - ozone degrades plastic, so you want to expose it long enough to get rid of any odours (although apparently in this case it may be ineffective) but not too long that it accelerates the breakdown of it

 

[Scoopy G]

Get a cat and let her live in the car. You will not notice the stench from the wheel from that point on. Or a dog. Or a parrot.

 

[69PHOENIX]

Hi Fellas,
Many Years Ago (When We Were Young & Stupid (Now I'm Old & Stupid)
We Used to Pull a Mates Hub Caps & Fill Them with Raw Prawns.
I'll Leave the Rest to Your Imagination.
Regards Tony.M

 

[edbods]

Hi Fellas,
Many Years Ago (When We Were Young & Stupid (Now I'm Old & Stupid)
We Used to Pull a Mates Hub Caps & Fill Them with Raw Prawns.
I'll Leave the Rest to Your Imagination.
Regards Tony.M

oh man, prawn juice and a turkey baster. A fun time for for anyone that's ever wronged you. Squirt the stuff in the windscreen cowl vents and they'll probably scrap the car before ever getting rid of the smell. Alternatives include: canned tuna juice, surströmming (make sure you have an empty stomach before getting near), stinky tofu (literally smells like ****), or curdled milk

 

[3175375]

oh man, prawn juice and a turkey baster. A fun time for for anyone that's ever wronged you. Squirt the stuff in the windscreen cowl vents and they'll probably scrap the car before ever getting rid of the smell. Alternatives include: canned tuna juice, surströmming (make sure you have an empty stomach before getting near), stinky tofu (literally smells like ****), or curdled milk

Now I have a better understanding of Monty Python humor. I thought that I had a handle of their comedy, but I was mistaken. I know that they’re a British gang, but they used to own you guys and it shows.
;^p

 

[1970cat]

you are going to have to remove the wheel. there are indents on the back side of the hub that hold all kinds of nastiness.

 

[73Coupe]

 

[Big_John]

Get a cat and let her live in the car. You will not notice the stench from the wheel from that point on. Or a dog. Or a parrot.

View attachment 698437

I needed a company car and since we had fired a sales guy, I grabbed his Impala. He must have had his dog living in the car.... It stunk so bad that I wanted to hire him back so we could fire him again. We had it cleaned and detailed and they ran an ozone machine in it for a couple days. It was OK after that.

 

[73Coupe]

I needed a company car and since we had fired a sales guy, I grabbed his Impala. He must have had his dog living in the car.... It stunk so bad that I wanted to hire him back so we could fire him again. We had it cleaned and detailed and they ran an ozone machine in it for a couple days. It was OK after that.

@marko has had good results with ozone generators too, I recall from a previous discussion.

My former boss 10 years ago had a '95 Exploder, which was a rattle trap, a liability, and an aroma generator. He made us drive it to meetings instead of using our own cars, because he accused us of using the mileage reimbursement as a profit center. He was a slob, along with the rest of his family. There would usually be a gym bag fermenting in the back, multi-year remnants of fast food on the carpets and under the seats, dog hair on all surfaces, and a sticky steering wheel. The dash controls, radio, turn signal, and window switches were all encrusted with dandruff, schmutz, hair, and other detritus. It was a rolling petri dish.

 

[bnz84]

I have this nasty cheese smell/vomit with other old plastics but lucky with car stuff. Reading up on it its a breakdown of the plastic and one of the byproducts is butyric acid (s./a as in blue cheese). Suggestions were to put the wheel in dry or liquid bath of baking soda or some other basic compound for a few days to counteract the acid. Shouldn't be too spendy to try it.

I worked with that acid in my last job and when I did everyone new it. Had to go straight home and shower

some other info

How to Remove Butyric / Valeric Acid Odor
butyric acid odor eliminator - Google Search

 

[edbods]

Whew, the smell is gone! I had a can of Krylon Fusion For Plastic - Clear Gloss UV Protector:

Still had plenty left from when I had coated my retractable hose reel to help protect it against the brutal summer sun here. Took the wheel off, hung it from the clothes line. Didn't bother sanding it, covered up the center steel bit and horn wire with masking tape, wiped it down clean and made sure no lint was left on it, then gave it some mildly thick coats - not enough to drip - but definitely more than the "light" coats the instructions say to apply. Did it about 6-7 times, wanted it to last long considering it's probably the most touched part of the interior besides the seat. Smell is completely gone, no doubt sealed in from the spray paint. About an hour or two later and it was back in the car.

Operation: de-puke: success! I'm sure this could be done with any good quality spray paint, but I went with one that had UV protection in it. If anyone knows of other similar paints do share.

 

[detmatt]

I’m glad that it no longer smells but hopefully the thickness at which you applied the finish will not come back and bight you in the arss. The instructions on the can are more than just suggestions. Applying too much of any finish will create adhesion issues.

 

[edbods]

I took another look at it and the more I think about it, I don't think I laid it on as thick as I thought I did. Instructions say to spray from roughly 8 inches away, and do 6-7 coats. I did that but at 4 inches away instead. I moved pretty quick when I was spraying though. It's got a nice textured feel to it, and now the test is to see just how long it'll last with daily driving.

 

[polarnj]

Is that what that scent is? I was going to ask the prev owner if anyone barfed in the car before, that's literally what it smells like. I can't find where it's coming from though, I've checked the rug (which is ratty and falling apart) to the seats but no luck so far.

My first impression was mold/mildew but I don't think it's that

It's too bad I can't post a pic of a smell here !

 

[darth_linux]

Is that what that scent is? I was going to ask the prev owner if anyone barfed in the car before, that's literally what it smells like. I can't find where it's coming from though, I've checked the rug (which is ratty and falling apart) to the seats but no luck so far.

My first impression was mold/mildew but I don't think it's that

It's too bad I can't post a pic of a smell here !

I have one of those vintage style steering wheel wraps that is supposed to be leather, but mine is a vinyl base, and when it's really sunny, it gives off the vomit smell as well. It's usually because "butyral" is one of the main ingredients in the formulation, or "buteric acid" which is essentially the main component in the vomit smell.

 

[Slick Willy]

Ok there's a first for every thing. But I have never heard of stank on a steering wheel lol!

 

[WissaMan]

Fascinating. I remember when I was a small kid we had a lawn tractor with a plastic cap in the center of the steering wheel that covered the nut. If you pulled the cap off and took a whiff it stunk like crazy. I bet this is the explanation.

 

[edbods]

Ok there's a first for every thing. But I have never heard of stank on a steering wheel lol!

There really is...once you catch a whiff, you'll never forget it.