Burning smell after drives

Ever since I have owned my 99 996 c2, I smell like a burning rubber smell from the rear. This occurs EVERY time after I drive it. The car drives fine and have no evidence of oil or any fluid leaks. I cannot see any portion of my tires rubbing. Anyone know what this smell could be?

Check your serpintine belt and related pulleys and tensioners.

I had the same exact problem a while back and I posted the same question. It was my alignment on the rear tires (I thought it was my lead foot). A local tire shop jacked my car up improperly and caused $1500 in damage to my suspension. Once it was fixed, the smell was gone.

It's normal after hard driving.

Welcome to the smell of porsche. Totally normal.

What exactly did they mess up?

Hahahaha,good one!

Normal? It smells pretty bad after every drive. Even if I drive it real lightly.

Mine stinks sometimes too. Do not worry about it.

Rubber wearing off the tires gets on the exhaust behind them. "Normal" with our cars, just like routine RMS replacement.

and mayonnaise.

If you have not polished the underside of your 996, the smell you have is from the Cosmoline outgassing. It is perfectly normal for an average 996 that has not had the Cosmoline removed. Cosmoline is a wax based corrosion protectorant that is sprayed on the engine (including the headers) and transmission at the factory to minimize salt corrosion during shipment. It is usually not on european cars. It can be removed with a pressure washer and either mineral spirits or specialty solvents from Wurth and others. The longer it is on the car, the more it hardens and the more difficult it is to remove. If your car is driven in areas that is close to the coast or in snowy areas, it is best to leave it on the car.

Haven't heard that one before but it makes sense. As other has said, an oil-rubber-engine smell is normal on the back of a 996 especially after hard driving. It can be surprisingly strong sometimes. It just one of the characteristics of a Porsche that become endearing after a while.

Thanks for all the response guys. I dont mind if my car have the burning smell after hard driving but even driving lightly, I still have the burning smell. The cosmoline makes sense but does it smell that bad?

Blinkwatt, it was the lower "control arms" in back...they jacked the car up off them. I don't think they are called control arms. They are about 18 inches long and they are the primary adjustment for rear wheel alignment. I thought the rubber smell was normal....it was severe...it smelled like my tires were on fire, even after the rare gentile drive (which only happens when my 80 year old dad is in the car). It was not normal. I destroyed a set of rear tires in about 200 miles (they had 50% tread when I bought them with a set of wheels). I figured out that I had a major problem when I drove it in the rain and the tail started wagging at anything over 10 mph. I was lucky, my insurance covered the damage to the suspension.

I found that out years ago when I had a 944... Me: It smells like gas or something is burning after I turn the car off. Tech: yeahhhh... thats normal, nothing wrong at all. Me: oh, ok.... weird. Tech: It's a Porsche "thing", dont worry about it.

I heard the same thing when I complained to the tech about the clattering valve noise at idle. He says, not as bad as most of 'em.

That isn't even close to the jack points. Oh the Porsheanity.

Wow - they sound like they really know what they are doing.

I'm not giving up their name because, believe it or not, I still like the place. They have always treated me good and they will match Costco's prices. I think a new kid got ahold of it. Thank God for insurance. It isn't nearly as bad as the tire store that did a brake job on my truck a few years ago. A new kid put oil in my brake reservoir....I wasn't happy when I tried to stop the car in freeway traffic. They had to replace my entire brake system.

Smell is normal like these guys stated.

I would vote for a slight burning smell as being normal. I've been using a 911 as a DD for the past 11 years so I've become accustomed to the smell.

Mine smells too for what it's worth, and my buddy who ust bought a 2003 model. I figured it was the rear tires getting cooked by the cats. My cosmoline is pretty much baked on from what I saw during the post purchase inspection.

Funny, I just noticed that smell Friday night after a hard drive and pulled in the shop. The mufflers were still pinging when I shut off the car. I could smell the rubber of the tires and they were fairly warm to the touch. However I never experience that smell with normal driving. This is the first time smelling it in the 3,000 miles of my ownership. JIM