2015 BRZ: Strange smell after shifting and when driving in 1 gear for a while
 

I just got a new BRZ around a month or so ago, it has just over 1k miles, and it is my first manual car. I've noticed for a few weeks that after I shift or when I have been driving in the same gear for a while. sometimes I will smell a thick almost sweet smell. I don't think it is me burning the clutch because I have been very careful with waiting until my foot is entirely off of the clutch before giving any gas when I shift, and it still happens. When I am just driving along, I will hear a very faint hiss sound for a second or 2 coming from the passenger side of the cabin and then I will smell the smell for a second, and then it disappears.
I brought it into my dealer to get checked because I have the warranty still, and they told me nothing is wrong and that I'm probably burning the clutch. I thought that was the problem, but it wouldn't explain it happened when I'm already in gear. Does anyone have an idea what it could be?

new cars have weird smells. that's all I really know about your problem, lol. I think it's just part of the new car experience.

either that or there actually is something wrong lol. sorry I couldn't help you out more than that

btw, just double checking but you are not resting your foot on the clutch pedal when not shifting, right? that's a bad habit that some people have.

I heard about that before I got the car, so I have been very careful to not get that habit, so I keep it on the dead pedal when not shifting :)
But thank you for your help. I'll keep the idea of it might just be a new car thing in mind!

Hello @hosfordbrandon and welcome to ....... The Gang .......:clap:

So, you "hear a very faint hiss sound for a second or 2 coming from the passenger side of the cabin and then I will smell the smell for a second".

I sometimes hear and smell that when I'm cruising along in one gear, at about 4,500 - 5,000 rpms. The sound comes from mrs humfrz, because she knows I'm cruising past the torque dip, about ready to mash it to show off ....... the sweet smell is from her perfume, when she gets steamed ..... :iono:

OK, really, does the sweet smell smell like coolant .... ??

If it smells sweet, I doubt it's burning clutch. A burning clutch doesn't smell like anything else ...... except another burning clutch.

Come back.....??


humfrz

I'm not sure what coolant smells like, sorry. Could I find out by just opening the cap and sticking my nose in there??

If so, I'll try that out in the morning and get back to you.
But if it was coolant leaking or something like that, wouldn't the mechanic notice that or I'd see spots on the driveway?

At the risk of stating the obvious, don't open the radiator cap. Just flip open the reservoir cap. You can do that when the engine is hot and the sweet smell will be more obvious.

It might not be coolant but you'll learn to recognize the smell. Remember, coolant circulates through the heater core inside the cabin.

Okay thanks for the help! I'll do that tomorrow morning after driving for a bit and report back

I see @Ultramaroon got it covered there.....:)

In addition, a coolant leak could be just a pin head leak in the heater core and it wouldn't leak enough to puddle up.


humfrz

:cheers:




Made us some popcorn. :popcorn::popcorn:

Is your A/C on? I have had 3 Subaru's and all of them had a random smell from the hvac while the A/C is on.

Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk

Yeah pretty much every time I drive, I'm running the A/C. If this is the cause of the smell, are there any fixes?

I smelled the coolant this morning after driving for about 20 minutes, and I didn't smell much of anything, but what I did smell didn't smell like what I've been experiencing while driving

Before assuming it's the A/C, try going without it for a while. This includes the windshield defog mode. That secretly kicks in the A/C.

Then, if it indeed turns out to be related to the A/C, no biggie. I know that smell. Fix is to run fresh air without A/C before shutting it down after a drive. That's supposed to help dry out the evaporator and prevent mildew.

Meh. It kinda helps, I think, maybe. I quit worrying about it.

I thought the Ms's had grounded you or something.

I agree with you can't be the clutch if it smells sweet (burnt clutch stink)
and the only thing in a car that I figure would smell sweet is coolant, everything else smells like death and rotten things

Well, not exactly. I installed in my FR-S, a Kenwood, nav system, radio thing and the on-screen, speed indicator turns RED when I exceed the posted speed limit.

THEN, mrs humfrz squawks ...... :eyebulge:

Oh, yes, sometimes I do yearn for the old days ..... with just a paper map, dead reckoning ...... and an ex-wife that couldn't read a map. I got along just fine and very rarely got lost!

Now, I have a girl in the Garmin GPS, telling me which way to go; the Siri girl in mrs humfrz's cell phone, telling me which way to go ........ and my wife telling me which way to go........ :confused0068:

NOW, I'm ALWAYS lost ......... :sigh:



Sorry ......... :threadjacked:


humfrz

So you were lost the last couple of days? rofl I kid

I'll give that a shot. Thanks

Catcon. Mine smells too. Especially at start up.

I think I know that smell, too. I've been told it's some kind of fungus growing in the AC evaporator or the air ducts behind it, where there's moisture. And there's several different species, with different smells.
One of them has a sweet smell which can be almost pleasant at first, but it soon becomes a a little nasty and nauseating.

Had a hint of it in my 86 last spring, so I started turning off the AC whenever it is colder outside than I want inside the car.
Ideally, the AC should turn itself completely off in such conditions, but it doesn't.
Anyway, the smell hasn't returned.

OP, I see you live in Texas so I guess this doesn't help much. Sorry.

This CatCon?
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/catcon-2015...ngeles-1505177

LOL you guys. I meant Catalytic converter. CatCon... lol


Does your guys exhaust smell quite a bit compared to other vehicles you've owned?


--IB4Tjokes

"Depends on what I eat" hahaha

Oh, that CatCon :cool:

No, my 86's exhaust is as colourless and odourless as they get.
I pump high grade 98 RON fuel.
My Nissan truck is another story. On cold start it lays down an imposing blanket of partially combusted diesel and it smells like partially combusted diesel.

Of course! Trololol... ;)

Gotta add lactaid to the tank.

But seriously, no. It's by far the cleanest running car I've ever owned.

Hey, back on topic. Any luck? :popcorn:

hey Sorry I've been pretty busy and I keep forgetting to check back.
I've been trying what you said I I still smell it, but it is only when I run the ac. If it's just blowing without the ac on, no smell, and when I turn it on when it gets hot (which is often thanks to these Texas "winters") the smell comes right back.
Should I keep on with running it without ac, or is there another possible fix?

I think the drain hose for the condensation pan might be plugged. There are a few threads here discussing the subject. If you sit in one spot while the AC is running in fresh-air mode, you should see a puddle form under the car right below the passenger foot well. If not, it's plugged.

Your car is under warranty, so I recommend taking it to your dealer, explain your findings, and have them flush out the entire system with this special anti-fungus gas they have.

Oh, and what Ultra says. That goes without saying. So I just did.

Hey, good call. I keep forgetting about warranty and I didn't know about the fungicide-mildewicide stuff. Thanks!

Aw, now I got that icky fuzzy feeling again.
I'll go annoy Tcoat and see if it that makes it go away.

thanks for all of your help, guys. I'll probably take it in to the dealer within a week or two when I find the time. :thumbup:

Maybe you need some fungicide.

Probably.
I'm all out after the in-laws were here, but I do have a single malt stashed which has come of age and then some.
I'll crack that open and see if it'll do the job.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/multim...llan_9509c.jpg

Cheers.

Friends don't let friends enjoy a good single malt alone. Cheers!

http://i.imgur.com/3zdwsNQ.png

Geez why do I always get associated with "icky fuzzy feelings"? That is three times today alone. Mind you two of them were at the clinic so....

I'll drink to that, and your exqushite excuesit exq...good taste in whisky.

http://oi68.tinypic.com/35317k8.jpg

Cheers, mate!

Good news from the clinic I hope?

Not sure. They sure seemed excited about some "research grant" and "no bell prize" after seeing me though.

Bravo, my good sir! Likewise on your taste as well. A pity we aren't able to help with each other's leftovers. We'll reserve that for a future adventure.

I see. Best of luck then.