urabus1995 Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Hi guys and dolls, I have noticed that after a fairly "nippy" 10 mile or so drive back from work, quite often in 3rd or 4th gear, fairly windy roads, when I get out of the car, I notice a pronounced hot odour coming from the engine ( I think). Its not a rubber smell, nor a radiator leaking smell , both of which I used to get sometimes with my 92 DL Wagon which had 150000 miles on it, and got very little real attention. This new Wagon has only done about 25000 miles. It looks , and feels like a brand new car in every other way, and I cant believe what a bargain it was. Is it possible that the previous owner was ,perhaps, a very slow driver and the car has never really been "used" to its full potential ? There is no indication of high temp. on the dial, just middle of the range. The oil is really clean, and full. There are no leaks of any sort ( coolant or other fluids). The max revs I have used it to for short periods is about 5000. Maybe I am just a bit paranoid about this smell, its a bit like hot metal ??? ( could even be part of the exhaust?) If anyone else gets this effect after a bit of a burn, could you let me know? I just hope my sensors are working properly!!!! cheers, John (scot) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DerFahrer Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Cars make odors. My Legacy always seems to have a yet-unidentified odor after a spirited drive. Nothing has ever happened though, and I'm not going to worry about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EOppegaard Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 I notice that sometimes after "sprinted' driving I can smell an odor which I attribute to my brake pads, it may be something else, however I am not really worrying, nor does anything appear wrong with the vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 urabus, this is quite normal. Especially if your power steering system is leaking a little bit - like most Legacies. Nothing to worry about, but it does produce a distinct smell when the servo oil drips onto something hot. I know you say that it isn't leaking, but a small leak from one of the pipes or hoses or joints is enough. If the pump itself is leaking, don't waste money on a new one, Subaru makes a seal kit that includes the main bearing. Keep up the good driving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Even though it's low miles doesn't mean it couldn't have a split CV boot slinging grease. Or you may have simply run over/into some material that got onto the exhaust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alias20035 Posted December 5, 2003 Share Posted December 5, 2003 Originally posted by 1 Lucky Texan Even though it's low miles doesn't mean it couldn't have a split CV boot slinging grease. Or you may have simply run over/into some material that got onto the exhaust. The DOJ (double offset joint, like a CV joint but slides for axle length adjustment too) boot above the catalytic converter always fails because of the heat, and ends up coating the cat in grease causing it to smell for many months after. Check for torn or leaking CV/DOJ boots. Fix any torn boot and tighten/replace the clamps on any boot that is leaking (after repacking the boot/joint with CV grease). Also check the rear end and sides of the transmission, sometimes the outdrive seals leak, and the oil will leak right onto the exhaust. Valve cover and rear camshaft seal leaks are common. As others mentioned, power steering leaks are somewhat common. Sometimes the catalytic convertor fails causing a "rotten egg" odour. We will cross our fingers on this one, the cat is expensive on these early Legacy's. Usually a cat failure causing an odour would cause performance problems that get progressively and quickly worse. As for air/fuel mixture causing an odour, evaluate the engine power output across the rev range and WATCH the fuel economy. If the car is running rich you should note very high fuel consumption. Running rich would also put unburned fuel into the catalytic convertor, where it will burn and cause an odour. Cars will often produce odours and it is important to know what the odour is. Sometimes an odour can be the first indication of a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urabus1995 Posted December 8, 2003 Author Share Posted December 8, 2003 thankyou everyone for your suggestions. I will check all the areas you suggest , for leaks , drips etc. I suppose that being 9 years old ,rubber and stuff will perish whether it has been driven or not. I will let you all know if I find anything weird. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EOppegaard Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 9 years? It's still young, don't start thinking things are suppossed to fail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northguy Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 Smells? Smells? I thought ALL Subarus were supposed to smell. It's part of their charm. No two are alike. If you can't identify your ride (blindfolded) by its smell, you haven't made peace with it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urabus1995 Posted December 8, 2003 Author Share Posted December 8, 2003 You are so RIGHT Northguy ! My old 92 DL had its own particular smell, recognisable from a distance. I did drop a lot of rolling tobacco over seats and floor, which gave it a nice "french TABAC " smell. Then ,after transporting my pig in it, and a few hundred bales of hay , its smell chenged considerably. My kids spilt some milk drink down the back seat. I never noticed, cos I never drive in the back seat. The odour was quite unique for a while. Maybe thats why I never smelled any engine "heat", until the day the heater sprayed its contents inside my dash . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northguy Posted December 8, 2003 Share Posted December 8, 2003 That's too rich. I haven't transported any pigs since I got married. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnchabin Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 urabus, this is quite normal. Especially if your power steering system is leaking a little bit - like most Legacies. Nothing to worry about, but it does produce a distinct smell when the servo oil drips onto something hot. I know you say that it isn't leaking, but a small leak from one of the pipes or hoses or joints is enough. If the pump itself is leaking, don't waste money on a new one, Subaru makes a seal kit that includes the main bearing. Keep up the good driving I bought the seal kit ($25) and rebuilt the PS Pump yesterday. There was no main bearing included with the kit, though. The 93-98 Legacy Haynes manual is helpful for removing the pump (my Outback is a 99). They had a copy at the library. No leaks/smells so far... time to fix the power antenna. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 Odd, my kit came with a bearing. Maybe there are two kits? I did the work cause my main bearing was worn from the previous owner having tightend the drive belt too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcniest5 Posted July 10, 2004 Share Posted July 10, 2004 Now that someone mentioned PS pump, I have some questions regarding mine. It was leaking so I went and bought a used (at the wrecking yard) and replace the leaking one. The odd problem is it continues to leak. The even odder thing is that I can't figure out where it is leaking from. After a few days or driving, I notice fluid/oil just below where the PS pump. I checked for leak but can never see where it is coming from. Not that it is completely dry by any means, but no big sign of any real wet looking either! The only thing I haven't done so far is to buy a new O-ring to replace the old one on the pump. After a couple weeks of not checking, I can actually see puddle of fluid/oil! But the PS reservoir remains full as well, so I'm very puzzled here. Someone point me to the right direction, PLZ!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urabus1995 Posted August 2, 2004 Author Share Posted August 2, 2004 Sorry this has taken so long to update. My "hot" smell was definitely caused by a leaking inner boot, as was suggested, throwing the grease onto the cat.It has almost gone now after a couple of months since replacing the boot. Been on a long holiday, hence delay in replying to you all. Glad to be back on USMB--------was getting withdrawal sypmtoms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcniest5 Posted August 2, 2004 Share Posted August 2, 2004 Replacing the O-ring fixes the leaking problem. Now, it's completely dry. Originally, I couldn't see the leaking because the whole thing was wet from leaking anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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