What's that smell... ?

[Nico911]

I'm wondering what can cause these gas/oil smells in a 3.2L Carrera. My dad's '72 had that problem too. I read somewhere that it can be caused by rusty heat exchangers that let smoke go through the car...

Any idea ? Is it normal...

Thank you pelicans.

[CorsePerVita]

Anything that can make its way into the heat exchanger system can be smelled in the cabin area yes.

You can check for rusty spots and holes in the exchangers, but don't underestimate the power of loose heater hoses. Double check the clamps and hoses and make sure they're tight, don't have tears or rips or aren't split. Mine had splits from the previous owner, I replaced them and the air flow and heat were 20x better.

[E Sully]

Oil dripping off the engine will get pulled into the fan system. Fuel smell could be a little more troublesome. The tank vent, charcoal cannister system should be checked. Also, the fuel lines should be examined for dry cracked lines. One of the forum members, BoxsterGT, makes up nice replacement lines for the 3.2 engine. Last thing you want is an engine fire.
Need advice on replacing 3.2 fuel lines

[DRACO A5OG]

Check the heater flappers are not lodged open due to a stretched cable. They should be fully open when levers are down and closed when up. If you have the levers up when you initially start the car and back out right away you will smell the exhaust, it should disapate quickly

[kidrock]

Q. "What's That Smell?"
A. Eau de Porsche.

[dave 911]

Originally Posted by kidrock

Q. "What's That Smell?"
A. Eau de Porsche.

x2 . I feel like I've been driving a race car after a drive in mine, the faint smell of German mechanical magic in my clothes .

(my 62 beetle has a similar smell)

[dave 911]

Originally Posted by CorsePerVita

Anything that can make its way into the heat exchanger system can be smelled in the cabin area yes.

You can check for rusty spots and holes in the exchangers, but don't underestimate the power of loose heater hoses. Double check the clamps and hoses and make sure they're tight, don't have tears or rips or aren't split. Mine had splits from the previous owner, I replaced them and the air flow and heat were 20x better.

Hey Corse - where did you get the replacement hoses in the 'after' photo? Are they plastic, paper, or metal (can't really tell in the photo, but they look nice).

Mine are the unpainted metal, and have alot of dents & deformities and I'd like to replace them at some point, I like the look of yours.

[aoncurly]

I got my OEM paper covered aluminum heater hose from our host. Just look up heater hoses. You can also get the black ones, but I preferred the OEM look. As a suggestion, do the hose underneath at the same time if you have an AC unit as you have to unbolt it to get the top hose in and the bottom hose is accessible at that time as well. Before and After:

[Reiver]

if it smells then your heaters are working.

[Jerome74911S]

Mine will usually smell upon revving the engine into the upper regions. Increased pressure, from more air being pumped, evidently pushes toasted oil smells into the heating ducts no matter if the heat is turned on or not.

Do you have any evidence of oil leaking that is beyond "normal"?

[redstrosekNic]

Meh. As long as you don't get sleepy when you drive, the heat exchangers are alright