Smelly steering wheel

Any remedies to get rid of the smelly steering wheel syndrome? It must be some type of decomposition of a milk based product. Smells like the old screwdrivers or fishing lures in Grandpa's tackle box!

That's because your steering wheel is made of the same stuff. Cellulose Acetate Butyrate. it is a UV resistant and cheap plastic commonly used in the 60's to make plastic interior parts (and many other things) from. In Mopars, brown parts such as steering wheels, shifter balls, pistol grip shifter grips, etc. were made from it. Butyrate often has an acrid/sour odor, it's still a popular injection molding material except todays Butyrate blends have a masking agent added to hide the stink.

Thanks 🙏. I thought it could be something like that. I appreciate your explanation! So does anyone have and experience with a particular cleaner or solvent that would eliminate the odor?

Don't leave your window down when there are horses in the area. They'll eat your steering wheel.

https://www.cartalk.com/content/1025-horse-ate-my-steering-wheel

I heard hand lotion will fix a sticky wheel. But stinky? - not sure.

When my screw drivers stink too much I wash them with dish soap, and the odor goes away for about a year.

That acrid interior odor many old Mopars have is primarily caused by two things, Butyrate plastic components, and the jute under the carpeting.

Aside from replacing that stuff with something else, or leaving your windows down all the time to allow the smells to dissipate they are released (so they don't build up inside your car) no, there's not much you can do other than mask it with another smell (air fresheners etc.).

37 little "pine trees" hanging from the mirror should do the trick..........

Can you paint these stinky old steering wheels?

If you have removed the source of the smell . . . then get an ozone generator, and leave inside the car with windows up for an hour . . . the ozone combines with the "smell" and burns it . . . had to do that in truck I bought to get rid of "smokers" smell . . . actually did it twice . . .works like a charm . . . got ozone generator off amazon . . .

The only stinky thing in my car, is the seat cushion, after I have a
big burrito dinner.

You guys are a riot! any other real life sugestions?

Have you tried scent elimination spray by Code Blue? Used by hunters.

Put on some rubber gloves and go round up an old dried dog turd ( I bet its a pretty similar smell as your steering wheel). Now, spray it down really good with anything you like (any of the above suggestions for example) now, put it on your dash for a week and get back to us on the results. I'd ponder a guess that it will still smell just like an old dog turd, only one that you spritzed up with some perfume

Hi a12rag, do you have a model number on the ozone generator that you got from amazon?
Thanks

Very nice car. Love the colors.

I have never heard of this bad smell before. My cars never smell from the steering wheels or shifter knobs. In fact I always smell the old car leather smell from the seats when I get in since mine is am S.E. & has leather seats.

my other car.