Just got back from another drive and after parking in the garage, 15 minutes later I walk back out and the garage smells like an old car. Nothing like it. Smells like music trigger the memories. A cooling car in the garage is something you will never forget.
Smelling the exhaust, the engine compartment, the nose is a great diagnostic tool if you know what the smells mean.
The smells
Moderator: Joe Johnston
- Alan H. Tast
- Posts: 4237
- Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2003 10:52 pm
- Location: Omaha, NE
Re: The smells
All I hear about from my wife after I park the car in the garage for 20 minutes is complaining - "it smells like old car - it stinks, I can't stand the gas smell, it smells like mice..." Then again she also complains about keeping the lawn mower/garden tractor and gas cans in the attached garage during the winter when I put a snow blade on the front to clear the driveway for her, along with any time she ventures into my research library in the basement and gets a whiff of the smell of old books, magazines, etc. Sometimes I can't win for losing...and sometimes I just want to paraphrase the quote from "Apocalypse Now" - "I love the smell of napalm in the morning - it's the smell of...(long sniff)...victory."ward 57 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 20, 2024 10:53 pm Just got back from another drive and after parking in the garage, 15 minutes later I walk back out and the garage smells like an old car. Nothing like it. Smells like music trigger the memories. A cooling car in the garage is something you will never forget.
Smelling the exhaust, the engine compartment, the nose is a great diagnostic tool if you know what the smells mean.
Last edited by Alan H. Tast on Fri Mar 22, 2024 4:33 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Alan H. Tast, AIA
Technical Director/Past President,
Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"
1963 Hardtop & 1963 Sports Roadster
Technical Director/Past President,
Vintage Thunderbird Club Int'l.
Author, "Thunderbird 1955-1966" & "Thunderbird 50 Years"
1963 Hardtop & 1963 Sports Roadster
Re: The smells
Not to change the subject, After I would come home from a long ride on my Harley. The smells of a cool down motor remind me of the police motorcycle garage when I was a kid. Oh and after a ride in the country my 56 would have that classic old car smell.
1956 Thunderbird Sage Green
1953 Ford Custom Liner Hot Rod With Flat 8 Motor with Henderson three 2 barrel Carbs
VTCI Member # 12309
1953 Ford Custom Liner Hot Rod With Flat 8 Motor with Henderson three 2 barrel Carbs
VTCI Member # 12309
Re: The smells
Alan H. Tast wrote: ↑Thu Mar 21, 2024 12:11 amAll I hear about from my wife after I park the car in the garage for 20 minutes is complaining - "it smells like old car - it stinks, I can't stand the gas smell, it smells like mice..." Sometimes I can't win for losing...ward 57 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 20, 2024 10:53 pm Just got back from another drive and after parking in the garage, 15 minutes later I walk back out and the garage smells like an old car. Nothing like it. Smells like music trigger the memories. A cooling car in the garage is something you will never forget.
Smelling the exhaust, the engine compartment, the nose is a great diagnostic tool if you know what the smells mean.
Ok. I thought I was alone in this. I’ll add a third fragrance, hot brake pads after a 1/2 mile off ramp down to our community. Gas, exhaust and hot brakes. How could anyone not love it. We finally compromised and I installed an exhaust fan. As I write this I realize she didn’t give up anything.
Re: The smells
Only once have I smelled hot brakes. Throttle cable stuck on my'96 Cadillac on a busy freeway.
My wife doesn't mind the smells at all. One of her sons used to race dirt bikes as a kid and she still remembers the smell of the castor oil they used to run in them. She ran the concession stand for the races so got all the smells from the event. Fond memories for her.
My wife doesn't mind the smells at all. One of her sons used to race dirt bikes as a kid and she still remembers the smell of the castor oil they used to run in them. She ran the concession stand for the races so got all the smells from the event. Fond memories for her.
VTCI # 13223
Re: The smells
Is there anyway to minimize the fuel smell?
Re: The smells
If you smell fuel you need to investigate unless you are running very rich but that is a totally different smell and sticking your nose in the exhaust will tell you that. Look and smell when the engine is just warming up as a small amount will quickly evaporate when the engine is hot and not be seen but you can still smell it. Just the engine cooling is a whole different story. These things leak and the burn off of the very minor leaks is part of the whole experience But if you smell fuel at that time, something is not right.
I discovered my accelerator diaphragm on the carb was going bad that way. Just pumped the throttle while watching ( and smelling )as it was cooling and caught the leak. Damn ethanol. Ethanol free fuel since but supposably the new rebuild kits can handle it.
I discovered my accelerator diaphragm on the carb was going bad that way. Just pumped the throttle while watching ( and smelling )as it was cooling and caught the leak. Damn ethanol. Ethanol free fuel since but supposably the new rebuild kits can handle it.
VTCI # 13223
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- Posts: 240
- Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2018 3:34 pm
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- Posts: 240
- Joined: Sat Feb 24, 2018 3:34 pm
Re: The smells
I noticed an unusual exhaust smell the first time I attended a dirt track bike race (Harleys). Figured out it was because they were all running on pure alcohol.ward 57 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 21, 2024 7:36 pm Only once have I smelled hot brakes. Throttle cable stuck on my'96 Cadillac on a busy freeway.
My wife doesn't mind the smells at all. One of her sons used to race dirt bikes as a kid and she still remembers the smell of the castor oil they used to run in them. She ran the concession stand for the races so got all the smells from the event. Fond memories for her.
Installing a PCV instead of the orig. draft tube helped rid the garage fumes after parking.