Hard to write a title that will explain what I mean without having people just quickly assuming the worst.

08 6 speed base with zero mods, daily driver wtih 7800 miles on it.
Everything works fine, but I notice that if I am in 2nd or 3rd gear and want to step on it, I can get up to about 4-6000 rpm and then I smell a smokey sort of smell.

It goes away after a minute and everything remains to appear fine.

I notice this usually when I am driving and get on the onramp to the highway. I will keep it in 3rd and step on it as I merge onto the highway, never redlining it, but getting the rpms over 5,000.

I have never smelled a burnt clutch, so I can't say if it is that or not, but I always assumed a burnt clutch would be caused by abusing or reckless driving. I never race my car, has never seen a "launch" or a racetrack and I have never autocrossed my car. I can't imagine anyone autocrossing, as I imagine you keep the rpm's pretty high during most of it.

Hard to tell what is the cause of the smoking smell, but any ideas? Anyway to test if it is my clutch "burning" and if so, why on earth would it be doing that with so few miles. I honestly treat the car very well and rarely ever step on it. But when I do, I get that smell.

 

does it smell like a diesel/sulfur smell?

 

Not like diesel, but a little bit with a sulfur smell. Not bad enough that I would say rotten eggs. Just a generally "smokey" scent.

I guess I am prepared to hear most people tell me its the clutch, but if so, that really sucks. With less than 8,000 miles on it, it seems unreasonable to think that this is normal. I read about people racing and launching and auto-x'ing, so if this is normal, I would assume everyone smells "something" when they step on it a bit harder than usual.

I haven't noticed any signs of actual slipping; stepping on it moves the car, it doesn't just shoot up the rpm's.

 

Has to do with the stock cats, don't worry.

Burnt clutch smells horrid... you'll know it when you smell it.

 

Thank you for your reply. Can you elaborate a bit with the smell coming from the stock cats? I tried searching on here for more information, but I appear to suffer from actually finding anything I search for on here (I did search though!).

 

yea.. it has a faint kinda smokey/burnt smell..

im quite sure if its the clutch smell.. you will have needed to launch a few times/or ride the clutch pretty badly..

 

You have a problem. 7,800 miles and residual chemicals used to manufacture exhaust components is long gone. Burnt off.

A burnt clutch is impossible to miss. Acrid. Acidic like sulphur. Burnt clutch odor does not linger. Its gone in a day.

 

Had a friend try to "launch" my Z with asking me and stuck the clutch to the floor for a good 200 yards .

I smelled clutch for another 2-3 weeks. Just saying if you burned it pretty good once you can be smelling it for a while.

 

hey i kinda got the same dilemma here
mines also an 08 base but i only got 2600 miles on her
doin the same thing as the op,kinda curious to find out the reason.
i know its not a burnt clutch though

 

Whatever causes this smell is gone in minutes, not anywhere near a days day or less.

 

^^true...used to drive a WRX so any AWD cars go through the stock clutch pretty quick. The Z clutch is much stronger than the WRX clutch and I can only remember burning mine once or twice on the Z, smell wore off pretty quick. If this happens every time you step on it, its probably just the chemical burning off your cats.

 

it is the stock cat.

 

Can you elaborate a bit?

 

I also have the same problem as the op. I have a 2004 6spd with 80k miles.. I have a single out exhaust and I can smell something when I step on it, always wondered what it was, but it always went away after I got off the throttle. I had a friend following me and he said when I stepped on the gas it shoots a little white/gray smoke. I am not sure if this is normal but would like to find out!!

 

buy an all electric car.. problem solved.

 

2010 Volt Baby!