18 captured repliesDiscussion pagination complete · Source accounts, not a confirmed diagnosis
THIS DISCUSSION / SOURCE-DERIVED OVERVIEW
Discussion summary
YOUR RESEARCHOdd smell emanating from my engine
Leading reported evidence
Use smell as much as vision
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
No successful repair reported for this finding.
0
Reported fixes
0
Unsuccessful attempts
1
Discussions
Read evidence and context
Explicit resolution reports before identified causes, performed actions and suggestions. Within each level, matching component labels precede direct query mentions and inherited thread context; successful versus unsuccessful discussion counts, owner confirmations and independent discussion support determine order. This is not a probability of success.
Discussions that performed work without a confirmed outcome
1
0 original-poster resolution reports. Counts can overlap; they are not unique people or a success rate.
0 discussions have direct query context; 0 report a fix in that context. Other evidence may inherit the discussion’s subject.
Performed · outcome unconfirmed
I use smell as much as vision to determine how the car is doing.
Leading evidence: 'Use smell as much as vision' (no explicit attributable resolution; this is a reported action or suggestion). Across 1 matching discussions, The most frequently discussed action is 'Use smell as much as vision' (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.
Source reports, not a diagnosis or a success probability. Counts refer to discussions and can overlap.
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.
18 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: 20261026T163944Z · outcome-qualification-6. Deterministic extraction; no AI model inference. How we use sources
I recently purchased a new to me 04 Targa with approx 80k miles on it. During the pre purchase inspection the mechanic noted that he believed there was a small AC coolant leak near the right rear side of the vehicle. After I purchased the vehicle I took it to a different indy and he stated that he couldnt find any AC coolant leak. The AC blows hard and cold and I havent noticed anything on my garage floor.
Now I'm starting to notice an odd smell coming from my engine once its parked in my garage after a romp around the city. It sort of smells sweet like coolant but not really. I cant quite put my finger on it and like I said i havent seen any leaks or droplets on my floor. I recently removed my front bumper and cleaned the areas in and around the radiators and the AC condensers. The temperature of the vehicle is always steady even during driving in 90+ degree afternoons. Has anybody had an experience like this? I know its kind of hard to describe a smell over the internet........
When Indy was changing transmission fluid he said factory cosmoline was still present, apparently indicating that part of the car hadn't been touched since leaving Stuttgart.
From Wikipedia: Chemically, cosmoline is a
homogeneous
mixture of oily and waxy long-chain, non-polar
hydrocarbons
. It is always brown in color, but can differ in
viscosity
and
shear strength
. Cosmoline melts at 113�125 �F (45�52 �C) and has a
flash point
of 365 �F (185 �C). The most common use of Cosmoline is in the storage and preservation of some
firearms
, hand tools,
machine tools
and their tooling, and marine equipment. Entire vehicles can be preserved with cosmoline.
Our 17-yr-old 911 smells fantastic inside and out, maybe because full leather interior and cosmoline on engine?
When hot my car has a unique smell as well. However, keep an eye on your coolant level over time. How does your coolant tank look color wise. White or yellowed. These have a habit of slow leaks in the back that are hard to see and that doesn't always make it to the ground due to location above hot exhaust pieces. If tank is yellowed I would be suspicious of that. Maybe post a pic?
Oh and how posting a "scratch and sniff" here so we can take a more educated sniff?
I forgot to mention that I also recently removed the rear bumper to add a small hitch receiver for a bike rack. I'm sure during the re-installation I moved some of the heat shrouds around.
Sounds like it _might_ be a coolant leak? I can't understand how this could be refrigerant - AC is still blowing cold, and refrigerant doesn't smell like coolant.
Yeah I think it�s the �Porsche Perfume� as numerous people stated. When I first noticed the smell I asked my pops and he didn�t think it smelled like coolant. He believed it was maybe some plastic or rubber melting maybe from my bumper reinstall. Thank goodness!
Even if it was coolant, it's not necessarily a big deal. The 996 can be adept at leaking coolant.
Kudos for actually driving your 911 hard enough to make it stink.
Our cars definitely have a very unique smell after a good hot run. You get used to it. I use smell as much as vision to determine how the car is doing. You also get used to the "ticking" noises they car makes as it cools down in the garage.
I think that whatever the smell is, it�s just perfectly non-descript enough, that on any given day I can get out of my car and have a different fear- �oh no, coolant leak�... �oh no, oil leak�...�oh no, aos failing so burning oil�... and on and on, but my oil levels, coolant levels, and crankcase vacuum are all good to go. Haha.
This is a source reference. Confirm exact model applicability in the original material.
