Palladin

I know there have been other threads about this but none of them really answered my question. Others have said it's "normal" and they have experienced it too, but nobody has ever really said why it happens. When I drive hard in Sport or Manual mode and then stop and get out (even after a little bit of cool down time) the car smells like something is burning. I know the oil temp rises quite rapidly when driving hard (especially in Manual mode) but I'm curious how and why that would cause the smell. I have noticed this smell even when not using the brakes hard, so I eliminated that possibility. The car doesn't have a clutch (duh !!!!) so no clutch plate burning. I assume the guys who track their cars have smelled this a hundred times. What the heck is causing this smell !!! And is it a bad thing??? !!!!

ZephyrAMG

How many miles do you have? How exactly do you drive? Burnouts? Lots of gear changing? The C63 burns a lot of oil, especially at high speeds. I have had to add almost a quart of oil over the span of 5 months. I only have a little over 2000 miles and I have the exact smell after flooring it a bit and then garaging it. The parts are settling and any adjacent, non similar materials, ie, plastic against metal need to adjust and the increase in heat will always send off a burnt smell. Check for proximity of the difuser to the exhaust. Check for anything, like a plastic bag or something, caught underneath. You never know...

bushburninc63

I like the smell actually, it means that I drove the car the way it was suppose to be driven.

Palladin

That's what I thought at first too, but not so likely now. Had the car for 7 months and have 13K miles on it and drive it hard quite a bit. Hardly ever uses oil any more now (maybe half quart every few thousand miles), but you're right, at first it did. I'd say it's settled in by now.

miami1lt

Mine smells bad even without hard driving, but when going up a long winding hill or something with a lot of shifting.

I've always attributed the smell to transmission heat and transmission fluid burnoff, but I'm probably wrong.

But I have a long uphill drive to work, and when I get to the top (going no more than 20 mph because the road is unpaved), my oil temp is up as high as 248F, and the car smells...not speed, but clearly a heat thing (and i'm guessing a strained tranny).

Wish I didn't have to make the drive (and I do vanpool most days), but when I have to, my heart is sad

Palladin

Not so sure about that. I've had plenty of fast cars and they dont usually smell like they're gonna catch on fire after you drive them hard. It kinda worries me.

bushburninc63

oil temp of 248F, the highest I've seen mines go up to is 220F

Even Money

If you've taken your charcoal filters out, it'll smell more..

bushburninc63

well you shouldn't worry since it seems like a lot of c63 owners experience the same thing.

Palladin

Drive it hard in manual mode, especially in the lower gears, and you'll get past 220 in a hurry, regardless of the outside ambient temp. I shudder to think of the temps the guys must be getting at track days.

SGTzAMG

its probably the oil being burned

i smell the same on my C32 and same for my buddy's E55. looks like its not just us lool

and this only occurs, the smell, when SMASHING

miami1lt

Yeah, not sure why either...HI is warm, but not hot...drive up to work usually at 78F ambient...starts at about 212F at the bottom and slowly climbs to 240-248F on the way up...never lower than 240F when I get to the top...its a 3 mile road that elevates about 500 feet, so no amazingly steep roads.

My car always runs hot. In fact, I'd say that if I drive more than 5 minutes (even not spirited driving), it will be 212F or higher.

I'm thinking about getting the 180F thermostat to help control that a bit...will that do anything, or does it just make the engine think the air is cooler so it combusts better?

miami1lt

I think it's safe to say the C63 (and probably other AMG cars) run hot...I came home yesterday at 4pm and received my smoked side-markers...tried to install at 5:30, still too hot...tried again at 7:30, still pretty warm, but bareable...took nearly 3.5 hrs, and the car was still warm.

I've noticed it only cold starts if sitting off for more than 16 hrs...If I get home at 4pm, and start it back up at 7am, it usually is a warm-start.

Even Money

yeah...it gets really hot under the hood, more so than my STi did. Maybe big motor in a small space has something to do with it. That's why I'm thinking of ceramic coating my headers when I get them...

Palladin

So it's good to know this is common but I'm still curious what causes it. Any MB techs or tuners who actually work on these cars want to chime in?

Palladin

[quote=miami1lt;3954064]
My car always runs hot. In fact, I'd say that if I drive more than 5 minutes (even not spirited driving), it will be 212F or higher.

212 is typical cruising oil temp for me too. When driven hard pops up to 220 to 230 rapidly. I've heard the oil cooler fan doesn't even kick in til something like 240 or 250. Crazy heat.

miami1lt

[quote=Palladin;3954106]I think with the ECU tune (Kleemann), they change when the fan comes on, to come on at lower temps.

Also, I've been digging through the Eng Mode on the COMAND, and found a place to have the external fan always on...guess it comes at the expense of the fan motor...it is set for auto by default, but you can set it to any constant speed (low-med low-med-med high-high), or could change it as you like as long as you are in the menu.

miami1lt

Yeah, def. cooler than the STi, but that's because we had that queer waterspray onto intercooler switch...I used to love the "rumors" that you could spray out in the middle of the desert, and steam would coming pouring out of the intake...right!

It was always fun to open the hood though, and let somebody push the botton...gave them a visual to go along with the sound you would hear, "zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" from the spray pump.

The 63 is WAY hotter than the STi!

propain

crap your pants?

ZephyrAMG

was gonna say the same thing but thought it was way too easy...

rantarC63

It may be a combination of tire rubber and burnt oil. Also, the diff (at least the LSD cars) have some sort of a venting valve. Perhaps when the diff fluid temperature gets toasty the vent releases the pressure and along with it, some fumes containing diff fluid. That could account for the strange odor. Just a thought.

On a side note, my friend's E55 smelled like feline urine after driving and putting the car in the garage. Turned out to be a very small leak (seeping actually) of tranny fluid which burned off as it hit the hot parts (never making it to the garage floor). It was a quick fix on that car. I'm just glad the C63 has a different smell.

propain

I love my STI. Hot factor goes to the C63 for sure. Rip your spine out launching out of the hole goes to the STI. 0-60 in 3.8 seconds is a rush!

KCviper

I have not noticed this, but have not driven the car to hard. I had high flow cats on my Viper and you could certainly smell those after a spirited run. Could this smell be coming from the C63 exhaust?

miami1lt

Well, it isn't just the 0-60 in 3.8....it's the 0-50 in 2.7. That thing loses some serious speed after the 3rd gear shift at 50mph, but the launch on that was violent.

I had to laugh...first time my brother visited and was in it, I launched unexpectedly at a light...and after, he said, "oh, man...I'm feelin' a little dizzy!". But he was so serious!

I hit 0-30 one time in 1.1 secs and 50 in 2.7...smokin fast off the line! Of course, that was with a Vishnu Tune...but that thing would bury the C63 up to about 60.

avengerboater

Stop eating beans and it won't smell bad. Sorry, I couldn't resist.