911 soft rear window targa experiences and any exhaust fumes in cockpit

911 tweaks · 03-30-2020, 05:13 PM

I am looking for experiences that folks have had as either owner, driver, passenger that have been in such a car with the soft rear window removed and went for a ride in the car with the targa top either on or off.....
My memory serves me that exhaust fumes came rolling up the rear lid and into the cockpit which gave me a headache after a half hr of being in the car ...
Now, this was early in my Porsche days ie late 1970’s ~ early ‘80s and I think I was in a car or cars possibly with exhaust fumes coming into the cockpit thru the heating system a/o exhaust a/o engine burning oil possibly also and it coming into the cockpit somehow...
**I am seeking folks to share their experiences of same exhaust smell/fumes in cockpit and possibly how it was fixed and what was the cause and fix...
Thx guys, Bob

Tony V · 03-30-2020, 05:26 PM

I have a ‘68 912 SWT. Most drives are with the top off and the rear window down. Haven’t noticed any exhaust or gas smells in the cabin. Lots of wind, whipping around the neck but no smells.
I did notice an increase engine temperature with the rear window down.

911 tweaks · 03-30-2020, 05:39 PM

Thx Tony... I vaigly also remember the driver say the engine ran hotter when the soft rear window was removed...
1. How much hotter does your car run...?
2. How is car if you also remove targa top with soft rear window removed...?
Thx for your input...

Tony V · 03-30-2020, 05:56 PM

912 gauges don’t have a temp scale, just a white area and a little red at the end of the scale. First noticed it on a road trip through the western states. It started to sprinkle and I stopped to button up the car. Noticed a good drop in temperature with everything in place. I later removed the top but kept the rear window zipped up. No difference until I dropped the rear window. It was quite a number of years ago but I remember it being noticeable. Guess it disturbed the air flow to the engine grill. There’s nothing like driving with the top off and the rear window.

911 tweaks · 03-30-2020, 06:09 PM

Do you mean to say in your last sentence, nothing like driving with targa and soft window off OR nothing like driving with targa top off only...?

911 tweaks · 03-31-2020, 06:32 AM

Tony... can you clarify/answer my last q please...

Any additional experiences...?

Tony V · 03-31-2020, 08:42 AM

Just saying, that it’s a great driving experience to have the targa top off and the rear window down.

jpnovak · 03-31-2020, 10:30 AM

I don't have any issues with exhaust smell in my SWT.

I hardly ever have the back window up. or the top in unless required. Ask Tony, He's seen it...

Usually mid-day I have top in and rear window down. Ya know, cause the sun is beating down in TX. I need the shade.

PFNog · PFNog's Garage

Sorry if I'm missing something here...
Isn't a targa with the top off and the rear window out, aerodynamically the same as a cabriolet - or maybe a cab. with a roll bar?
So what's the big mystery in experience of airflow, exhaust fumes, etc?
Again, sorry if I missed a critical difference... I'd understand a question about top on, with window out... but otherwise = cab., no?

911 tweaks · 04-01-2020, 06:34 AM

TonyV... thank you for further explaining...
jp...thx for your input also...
PFN...thx for your input...what i am trying to determine is if my long ago experience of smelling exhaust fumes in the car was due to the poor? possibly, condition of the car I was in OR a common issue with the sw targa cars in general...

911 tweaks · 04-01-2020, 06:38 AM

OK so it is looking like it was the car I was in way back in the day...YEAH...!!

My next question is, how easy is it to remove the glass rear window of an 85 carrera targa AND can the glass be put back in if the car owner does not like the sw set up for one thing, knowing that this glass is part of the structure of the car...?

maybe I should post this as a seperate thread...??