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Triumph TR6 - Fuel,Oil Combustion smells in cockpit

I got my hands on a 76 TR6 last winter and it is in absolute great condition. I had some work done on the car i.e. clutch, exhausts, and reg stuff for maintenance. When I drive the car and wait at a red light i get these fumes or smells of oil, gas all mixed up toghether. When I drive, its almost not there. The exhausts are new, and all the work done on the car is by a reputable Triumph shop.
Is this a normal smell I have to live with !
L. Towel

As old as these cars are, a little gasoline/exhaust smell is their character. I know when I get home of an out of town trip, I open the door and take a deep breath and it brings a smile!

Too much is not a good thing though I understand. You mention clutch work, so I assume the tranny and cover where out. You now may not have a good seal all around the tranny cover allowing engine bay fumes to enter the cabin. There are also a host of old rubber grommets in the firewall for wiring harness and tach/speedo cables that can allow smells in as well.

Maybe one of the flanges at the exhaust joints is leaking a bit since the service work? It is tough to seal them all up good, but you can minimize them through diligent work.

Cheers!
MRankin

"When I drive, its almost not there..."

The original TR exhaust system had the pipes exit at the side of the rear of the car. They also appeared a little longer than needed. All this for a good reason - the get the fumes out of the turbulence created by the car's design, particularly as a result of the 'chopped off' tail. I suspect that you have an exhaust system that is not similar to the original (?) in which case some of the exhaust gases can be drawn back into the cockpit.

As suggested, check also the transmission tunnel and seals for any obvious leaks.

I find that a new exhaust, degreasing the engine, hot brakes and heavily used clutch tend to smell a bit in the engine bay which is then blown by the engine fan out and sometimes into the cockpit. If seals are OK and it's happenning when stationary, it could be more to do with wind direction!
Roger H

I once bought a '74 TR6 that made exhaust smells in the cockpit. Turned out the previous owner had taken out the liscence plate lights in the time between when I looked at it and when I took delivery. That piece of $hit could have killed me.

Don
Don Ho

If my older cars are any indicator, yes. You'll have to live with a little old car smell. I really like the smells, myself. I could live with a little less gearbox oil on the exhaust, though. That's my least favorite.
Tom

I find that if I keep my car under 90-100 mph the exhaust dosen't get hot enough to burn the tranny oil. I remember driving the trans-canada highway between Hope and Chilliwack BC, my speedometer said 75 mph and everyone was passing me. I accelerated to see how fast traffic was moving but at 100mph people were still passing me. I decided this was fast enough for a 35 YO car. My girlfriend didn't notice how fast I was going but she did notice the burning tranny oil smell. If a person didn't know what that smell was it could get quite alarming! Anyways, the car set up and felt better than anything at 90 - 100 mph (except for the burning smell).

Don
Don Ho

This thread was discussed between 18/09/2006 and 20/09/2006

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