21 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHplastic burn smell from engine bay
Reported or suspected cause
a/c compressor clutches
Reported cause
No successful repair reported for this finding.
1
Identified cause
0
Suspected cause
0
Reported fixes
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Discussions that report identifying a cause
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Reported cause
It was the A/C compressor clutches that burned up.
Leading evidence: 'a/c compressor clutches' (1 discussions report identifying this cause; no attributable repair resolution). Across 1 matching discussions, the most frequently mentioned possible cause is 'a/c compressor clutches' (1 discussions; 1 report identifying it and 0 suggest it). The most frequently discussed action is 'Replace tires recently' (1 discussions). For that action, 0 discussions report a resolution and 0 report an unsuccessful attempt. No action has an explicit, attributable resolution report under the current rules. These are forum reports and suggestions, not a confirmed diagnosis.
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Performed · outcome unconfirmed
The engines are coated with a grease the same type used for storing guns called cosmolin.
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Suggestion
the engine actually gets alot hotter, since there is no coolant running through the engine...
Counts describe captured discussions, not unique people or a diagnosis. Author identities are not reliably stored. Exact duplicate evidence is counted once across matching discussions; one discussion counts at most once per action/state. Multiple repairs reported together remain a combination. Suggestions and failed attempts do not establish a fix. Matches cover whole discussions and can include related faults, model variants and incomplete threads.
21 eligible posts · 0 unverified posts · 1 discussions match the subject in their title or opening post.
Rennlist: 1 discussions
0 evidence records excluded for query context · 0 excluded by outcome qualification · 0 adjusted by outcome qualification.
0 acknowledgements have no verified action link; they do not establish a repair result.
Generation: 20261026T203514Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
i noticed this plastic/chemical burning smell from the engine bay today. My fluids are good and no odd noises occur when the engine is running. No smoke or leaks either.
Anyone have any idea what the culprit might be?
Could it be a pulley? I noticed the upper tension pulley for the serpentine belt is a tiny bit noisy, thats it. Thanks.
Have you changed tires recently? I have been told that tire dirt splashes up on the exhaust and will cause this smell. And I have smelled it when I am heavy on the pedal.
No other symptoms. Engine running nornally. Fluid levels ok. Probably a piece trash got blown up onto a hot exhaust pipe.
The exhaust manifolds are at a particularly dirty location and any trash disturbed by the front tires and air flow in and around the body could find its way onto the hot exhaust manifold. Thus the smell.
When I was looking over my Boxster's engine I found a charred piece of thin plastic wrap the kind cigarette packs come wrapped in.
The rear of the car has a lot of hot metal, coolant, oil, and tires in or near it. After a drive with everything hot you are going to smell something. Hot oil. Grease. Rubber. Cosmoline (preservative). And anything that kicked up onto the hot exhaust manifolds.
Keep an eye on fluids and tire pressures and such -- which you should do anyway -- but if nothing shows up the smell's nothing to be alarmed about.
Sincerely,
Macster.
after a spirited drive and shutting off the car.... the engine actually gets alot hotter, since there is no coolant running through the engine... my theory of pronounced smell after shutdown.
I take it you are new to owning a 911. The engines are coated with a grease the same type used for storing guns called cosmolin. It's great for preserving metal and 11 years old cars like mine can still bake the stuff and give the smell off. But you can still look around for plastic burning.
yes i am new to owning a 911. so they actually coat the engine block with cosmolin?
sounds like it is nothing to worry about then. thanks for all the quick responses.
I LOVE that smell!
All 996's do this. It's a combination of hot brakes, hot tires, hot cans, cosmoline, and smoldering grease.
Smells better than a stripper to my sniffer.
I had an officer tell me that that smell was proof that I had been driving hard. When I said that it's the cosmoline protection on the engine he got pissed off, said "Don't insult me, this is my job."
Why does it take so long to cook off the cosmoline, 10 years later in some cases? I have the smell too from time to time, I know the smell and it is definitely cosmoline, not oil or coolant.
It's not cosmoline. Those of us with new engines don't have cosmoline, and we all get the smell.
It's the tires. The toe and the camber combined with the heat from the mufflers and the soft compounds of the tires themselves....yes they smell, they all smell.
In light of the recent article in Excellence concerning the IMS bearing failing due to lack of proper engine heat I took my 996 out and whaled on it for about 20 mins strait. JOY!! God these car's are insanely fun to drive fast.
Last summer my A/C compressor finally bit the dust (only 47,000 miles, but 2 years in Florida, 3 years in Hawaii, and 6 more years in Florida) with no warning and after sitting quietly in the office parking lot all day. Worked fine on the way to work. Started the car to go home, there was a strainge squeal, a puff of white smoke up through the engine cover grill, and a smell of metallic burning. The A/C would not cool after that. No other symptoms. It was the A/C compressor clutches that burned up. Check you A/C. It may be too early in Nebraska for a real test of that. LOL!
