burning oil smell

[leverpuller]

Hi all, My question is, Why does my 82 smell like burnt oil inside the car. Mainly when i'm doing high speed. I don't look at the speed,but the tac reads 5k in top kind. gear and i start getting a good wif.. No smoke, just smell.. No leakage to the ground but the valve covers look alittle sweaty. but the car doesn't drip. No smell at city speeds only at high speeds. Should I look for something pulling loose during the higher oil pressures? Any suggestions

[azasadny]

Mine does this and there are several small oil leaks that drip onto the exhaust (heat exchangers, in my case) and the oil burns off and creates the "burning oil smell" but very few drops on the ground. I clean it off several times a summer with Simple Green or other degreaser and live with it...

[Komenda Fan]

I thought this was part of the charm. Don't all old 911's smell like oil? Mine certainly does. I used to think that the only way to stop a 911 from leaking oil was to empty it of oil. However, we drained a 2.4 of oil months ago, and as far as I know, its still leaking oil.

[old man neri]

I have a oil pressure sensor switch that is leaking a lot of oil. It's a $6 part (well, about $30 in Canada) I have to swap it out, it's buried back near the firewall. It leaks all the way down right on the exaust at higher RPMs. You can actually see oil splatter all over the rear bumper it's so bad. When I come to a stop after running on the free way it drips on the exhaust and the smokes starts bellowing out. It's an awesome sight!

-88 911 Targa

[Miguel Antonett]

Don't worry and enjoy the smell, they all do :-)

[red67]

Originally Posted by Miguel Antonett

Don't worry and enjoy the smell, they all do :-)

part of the special charm.
does anyone use Carbon monoxide (CO) sensors in the cockpit?
not tried it myself but maybe CO has something to do with the great etherreal experience of air cooler's?

[petrolblue83911]

Like the others said, you have a leak which is getting onto the heat exchangers. -What happens if you open up the heat on the floor?- if you pull the levers up after the car is warm, do you get smoke pouring in to the cabin then?, does the smell get worse?, if so, and you are going to live with the smell then try to adjust the heater box levers so that they are fully shut. the boxes get rusty where the incoming heat tubes are opened and closed so if you have some oil in there, you may be smelling it because your heat is not fully off.

[old man neri]

Originally Posted by red67

does anyone use Carbon monoxide (CO) sensors in the cockpit?

I was thinking about that the other day. I use to fly in really small airplanes, they had this CO detector paper. Spots would appear on this paper in the presence of CO. Probably not a bad idea to have it somewhere.

[haycait911]

has anyone ever seen some kind of shield to deflect oil drips off the exchangers. the problem seems to be when oil gets into the airbox part and hence into the cabin air. something to direct the oil off of the exchanger entirely.
and don't tell me to just fix the oil leaks! LOL.

[Booney1golf]

Can this oil pressure switch that is above the Oil cooler be replaced without dropping the engine. What about any other of the seals / o-rings that might stop oil leaks?

Thanks for your time.

Daniel Womack
Booney1golf
85 Porsche 911 Carrera Targa!!!!!!

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

The "burning oil smell"--which is standard equipment in a car of your/my generation--has absolutely nothing to do with CO, which in fact you won't smell at all. CO and burning oil are produced by totally different exhaust-system effects, one has absolutely nothing to do with the other. I've spent 3,000 hours flying light aircraft and have at times used a CO detector but usually not. The systems that produce heat in light aircraft are pretty similar to the heat exchangers in a Porsche, and they're pretty much bulletproof. Not to say that CO detectors aren't good ideas...but unless you're flying or driving a real antique, I wouldn't worry about it.

But the bottom line is that if you smell burning oil, it has absolutely nothing to do with the risk of carbon monoxide.