This morning, when I first started it, I noticed that the check engine light was on, which wasn’t the case last night.
Curious about it, I plug my obd2 scanner and the code P0172 comes up, with the indication « system too rich » below. After checking it up, it means that the air/fuel mixture in the engine contains too much gas.
The symptoms of this code listed on the website do match what I noticed on the car afterwards, which include:
- higher fuel consumption (13.6 L/100km on the information screen, instead of the habitual approximate 12.
- An anormal quantity of smoke coming out the exhaust (white/grey smoke thought, not black)
Since I bought it, there was always a smell of gas (outside, not inside) when I start it, I believe that there is a leak somewhere in the exhaust system. Maybe this is related to what happened this morning.
I also know that there hasn’t been any engine oil change done in (at least) the last 1.5 year. The lady I bought it from lived in the downtown of a big city and barely drove it. Also, my friend (who knows more about volvos and work as a mechanic) and I frequently checked the engine oil in the last few weeks and it always seemed perfectly fine. Because of that, I still didn’t change it.
What do you guys think I should try first? I’m thinking about checking the spark plugs first, since I read that the gas smell could be one of the many causes of this (if its not an exhaust leak) and also one of the many causes of this morning’s problem.
