My name is Bill West. I live near Seattle, Wa just off 405. I've got an 86
Volvo 740GLE wagon that I'm having some trouble with.

I'm honestly not sure what's going on! I've rebuilt *old* Brit cars with OLD
technology, and to me, this 86 is a 'modern' car and beyond my ability to
diagnose. Let me tell you what happened.

Driving home the other night, there was suddenly an acrid, almost
sulfuric/insulation smell that blasted briefly through the vents. It went
away fairly quickly, but the residual smell lingered. The next day, it
happened again. This time, however, I thought I smelled something
occasionally as I drove the car, but very faintly. Suddenly, about 14 miles
into the drive, a very stinging sulfuric smell again. It also went away quickly with a residual smell left in the car. Both times it was at
night so if there was any smoke, I didn't notice. When we got out of the
car at home, my wife said she smelled the same smell outside the passenger
side of the car near the back door.

This may or may not be coincidence: for months, my speedo would stick on
occasion until I tapped the plastic window and it would immediately bounce
up and work properly. I noticed after the first incident that the speedo no
longer responded to my 'tapping'. I assumed that some piece of wiring or a
relay or SOMETHING burned in association with the speedo. No other
electrical functions are affected that I can see. But the fact that my wife
smelled it outside the car, and that it was a sulphuric smell made me wonder
if the cat converter was going? Honestly, I don't have a clue.

Have any of you heard of anything like this?