ric-ko

Hi all-- I let a kid drive my car today. When I got it back, and drove home a few hours after, there is a strong smell-- electrical? clutch?
What could happen in a 20 minute ride?

voiceprint1

a smell that lingers for hours after a short drive? could be all of the above plus tires, look at your wheel wells, if you see all kinds of debris and road tar you might be looking at some redline stuff.

Hella-Buggin'

were you with this kid?

first hunch is clutch.

ric-ko

I was not with him. But the smell lingered, so much so that my wife commented on the smell of the garage 3 hours later. Car ran normally.

rockhouse66

Weed?

BaileyII

rw229

Assuming you are familiar with your car and the usual burnt rubber tire smell (I'm still adjusting to that from the oil smell of air cooled) and it's a new smell, I would guess clutch unless your kid is proficient with a manual.

jeebus31

I agree with others... clutch is a suspect in this case. Check for slippage on your next drive.

I do notice quite a bit of burnt tire smell after a particularly good rip that lingers in the garage for a while. Hopefully just that and not something that will cost you $$$.

Psychopoodle

Do you normally drive the car "hard" or spiritedly? If not, it could be the cosmoline substance Porsche puts on these cars as a rust inhibitor. Some call it Porsche perfume. I noticed it distinctly when I bought my car but it has worn off with regular use. Or it could be tires - my P Zero Corsas have a fairyl strong smell if I drive it hard at all. Last time I got pulled over the cop mentioned I must have been speeding because he can smell my brakes. I explained to him it's actually 80 tread-wear tires and they smell like this after driving home from work. Brakes or clutch are more of a rancid, burnt smell. Since you mention this was a "kid" I'd be fearful it is the latter.

linderpat

Well let me ask the million dollar question that hasn't been asked yet - what compelled you to let some kid drive your 911?

Petza914

Unfortunately, it's probably clutch and if the smell was that strong, the friction plate has probably been glazed due to high heat and isn't going to have the same holding power.

Who was "the kid" and why did you let him drive your 911 without first checking him out in it? Obviously it wasn't good for the car and might not have been good for the kid either - at least g didn't wreck it.

ric-ko

Yeah, not my smartest move-- it was a young engineer that works for me who loves cars.

The smell is strongest left rear quarter panel. Car drives normally, but the smell is still there the next day. I do NOT drive particularly hard in general. Hopeful that there is no long term damage...

byrona8

I would confront him and ask him specifics.

What was the highest RPM?

Any launches?

Donuts?

Etc.

Hopefully he's honest and tells you the truth to help allay any concerns.

Good Luck

Petza914

Any chance he left the parking brake partially engaged and maybe the adjustment is a little tighter on that side? Does the parking brake come up further now or do the brakes squeak when stopping now - sometimes happens if you get them really hot, like hot enough to have that smell. Hopefully he didn't beat on the motor too bad and overrev it. Might want to pull the DME report to check the overrev and hours counter just so you know.

linderpat

FIFY