aircooledpurist

SO...... My car arrived this afternoon. 17530 miles. Drives tight as can be.... like new. Every 993 I have driven has a smell.... best described as a combination of leather, oil, maybe a hint of gas. No smoke on start up, maybe the slightest hint, but the engine pulls strong.... especially when the tach passes 4K. About 100 miles ago, the car had new brakes (everything), new shocks, new tires, new belts and hoses. After driving about 10 miles, there is a slight smell coming from the warm engine (that I should mention looks like new). It is similar to the smell I get inside all the 993's I've been in. A mechanical smell, a hot smell if there is such a thing, a hint of Burt oil smell, perhaps a hint of gas?

I'm new to this air cooled world. I find myself wondering if all is well. Would love to hear from others in the know of such things.

As I said, M3 to 993. Two vastly different worlds from two very different times. The vintage Porsche is not nearly as fast but is so much more engaging. The steering is heavy in the driveway but perfect once underway. The sounds are real and authentic, not piped into the cabin. It is going to take some getting used to but I can tell already that all the hype is warranted.

The M3 isn't going anywhere. I'll be able to make my comparisons. Well, tonight it is in the driveway while the Porsche is in the garage. I have to re-arrange some things this weekend.

Wondering about that smell.

tstafford

I'm new to the 993 thing as well. My bet is you're fine. It's just old car smell - thankfully mine does it too because it adds much character. And possibly yours hasn't been run much lately (until you got it) so it's just that. When you're ready to have your indy do something like an oil change or brake fluid or whatever just have him/her go over the whole thing and give you a bill of health.

BTW - Where are the darn pics? I want to see what a 17K mile 993 looks like. I thought mine was low miles with 28K !

JZ98-993

It’s all part of the air cooled charm . It took me a while when I got my first 993 and had my M3 to get “it” , welcome to the club

P-daddy

Congrats, on a minty 993! Sounds normal to me. Even with the low mileage, you may have some oil on top of the heat exchangers which may contribute to the oil smell.
Pics

Tlaloc75

If your car didn’t smell like an aircooled 911, that’s when I’d start to worry. A hint of oil and the smell of heat, means the car is happy.

drodg

Pretty normal with all 911's that are not water cooled. Welcome !

71-3.0-911

Every air cooled 911 I've owned has had that smell. The first time my 7 year old rode in the 71, she instantly said "Dad, this car smells just like the red one." It's all part of the experience...

pp000830

Congrats, enjoy your clearly fresh example of this 20-year-old car!

Going forward new owners need to be aware of how to properly not overfill the oil. These cars are filled with almost 10 quarts of oil at oil changes so underfilling is really never an issue. Check the oil with a fully warm engine, say after a 20 min. drive. Check it on level ground with the engine running. Oil level should be at the lower third of the dip-stick. Any higher and you risk ingestion of oil into the intake with unintended negative consequences. If your oil is overfilled to some extent it can be drained at the engine case drain plug as most of the oil is retained in the oil tank and only a small part of the oil in the system will drain out of the plug. Once you remove the engine undertray to do this just store the tray as most folks do to makes life easier at future oil changes.
Best regards and hope you have many good experiences with your 993,
Andy

knorrena

My wife has caught me on many occasions just standing in the garage sniffing the air. My 993 has a particular smell that I quite enjoy. The GT3 does too, but its smell is less oily. I think the stuffing in the 993 seats contributes to its smell.

fatmike

Smells like leather and the hint of burned oil...all good.

Smelling like gas is something to have awareness of. These cars have 20 year old fuel lines, we're allowed to replace them.

+ pictures required.

/

abiazis

Check the lower valve covers for oil leaks.....typical on 993......have changed mine twice in 65k miles.....leak there will give you the lovely burnt oil smell

aircooledpurist

Thanks again for all the helpful responses. The car is starting without any smoke and now that we have been driving it there is a hint of oil/leather/heat smell but certainly nothing I should be worrying about. I was so worried about getting the right car and not buying a problem I will be the first to admit that I am a little bit paranoid. Fact is I am starting to get more comfortable driving the Porsche. It is VASTLY different than my M car.

Wondering.... where on the tach are you guys shifting these cars? I have read over and over they love to rev. Is that going to hurt the car in any way? 4K? 5K? 6K? Just trying to get a sense. It seems like I could never get beyond third gear around town.

Great chatting with you guys

skyboy

I’ve had my 993 since July. The smell is intoxicating. It’s been parked all winter and I’ve spent the last few nights this week doing some interior work and every time I opened the door to gain access to the cabin it was a delight.

My car car has two “bumps”. I feel a little bit of a booost at 3k and then a more noticeable one at 4K. It seems to love to rev although I haven’t had the nerve to go over 6 yet. Mine’s a 98 so it has varioram and that may translate to a slightly different experimcd to a non-varioram car. I’m curios as to what some of the experienced owners say about this as well.

Bloose993TT

Bogging the engine is going to hurt it way more than revving it. These cars like to revved. Doesn't mean you need to flog it at redline every shift but don't be afraid to shift at the upper revs. The last 2k is where the car comes alive.

Tlaloc75

They are happiest between 3k and 6k and have no trouble hanging in the 5-6k range. I try not to spend much, if any, time below 2k.