New Viper owner has a few questions.

[YellowViperSRT10]

Hello everyone, its my first post here, great forum by the way! I am a proud new owner of a 2005 SRT-10. I love the car. Its a yellow 05' with $2,400 miles. This is my first real sports car, I have has lots of Mercedes in the past but got tired of all the luxury and automatics. This is my first car with a manual transmission, so I still have some learning and getting use to.

I have 2 questions I am hoping someone will be able to answer.

1. I just washed the car today for the first time, put a nice few coats of zaino on it, looks great. But my question is about 15 minutes after i hosed the car, i pulled it into my garage to wax it, and as i was pulling in i smelt a terrible burning smell in the car and outside. I put my nose to the hood vents and could smell it coming from under there. Is this normal that water obviously just got in there is that's what the burning smell is? I just moved it in my garage again 2 hours after the wash and smelt the same thing, but I know there could still be water in there, if it is in fact the water.

2. Since this is my first car with a manual transmission I just want to make sure this is normal, when the car is in reverse and then I put it back in 1st gear is it normal for the car to rev up just a bit even though my foot is not on the gas? Or is that a sign of something?


Sorry for the n00b questions, but right now thats what i am.

Thanks, hopefully someone can help me sleep better.

 

[ViperBite]

I think the smell is due to the Viper rejecting the Zaino. Zaino is for tupperware not snakes.

Have you raised the hood and looked for any obvious signs for the smell. Open the hood, start the car and use your nose. Can't help you with the rpm change, my guess would be don't worry about it.

Congrats on the new car, you will get plenty of advice and help here. What everyone will caution you about is the effect (and maybe affect) your right foot will have on the car.

 

[DodgeViper01]

Congrats on the car! Where are you located?

As for the problems, do not sound very out of the ordinary, but if the smell is back after the next start up I would have it checked.

 

[ILLSMOQ]

I usually place a towel under each set of vents when I wash it. Alot of electronics under there.

 

[YellowViperSRT10]

I think the smell is due to the Viper rejecting the Zaino. Zaino is for tupperware not snakes.

Have you raised the hood and looked for any obvious signs for the smell. Open the hood, start the car and use your nose. Can't help you with the rpm change, my guess would be don't worry about it.

Congrats on the new car, you will get plenty of advice and help here. What everyone will caution you about is the effect (and maybe affect) your right foot will have on the car.

Haha!

I actually did open the hood right away, the car was off though. The smell was still able to be smelt even an hour after the car was off sitting in the garage, which leads me to believe it can be the water since these cars are hot and stay hot a while. I sure hope someone else can chime in and say they had the same thing and it was just water.

 

[YellowViperSRT10]

Congrats on the car! Where are you located?

As for the problems, do not sound very out of the ordinary, but if the smell is back after the next start up I would have it checked.

Thanks, I am in South Florida.

 

[1stViper]

Congrats on the car! I dont know if I can help much as I am new to the viper world as well, but my car does not rev up when I put it in R... Are you sure your pushing the clutch in all the way and not hitting the gas a little while on the brake?

Brian

 

[YellowViperSRT10]

Congrats on the car! I dont know if I can help much as I am new to the viper world as well, but my car does not rev up when I put it in R... Are you sure your pushing the clutch in all the way and not hitting the gas a little while on the brake?

Brian

Well mine only revs up from when i take it out of reverse then go to 1st.

Yes, i believe i am pressing the clutch in all the way. If it was not all the way it is very close. I will try it again, it happens everytime i go from reverse to 1st, but i am 99.9% sure it was depressed all the way. And yeah, i definitely made sure my foot was not hitting the gas while on the brake. I noticed that happening right when i got the car since these pedals are VERY close down there. I don't know what anyone would do if they had wide feet with this car! haha

 

[Mamba King]

Did you buy the car from Excell in Boca?

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

Congrats on the car! Where are you located?


Thanks, I am in South Florida.

Hey, what's up with that, I was told I had the only yellow 05 in S. Florida.

 

[Nader]

I have owned several sports cars and must say that the Viper does make some interesting smells. I think it has to with the large amount of heat the engine generates.

 

[YellowViperSRT10]

Did you buy the car from Excell in Boca?

Yes, infact i did.

 

[YellowViperSRT10]

Congrats on the car! Where are you located?


Thanks, I am in South Florida.

Hey, what's up with that, I was told I had the only yellow 05 in S. Florida.

Haha! I have seen 2 other yellow ones around Broward/Palm Beach area.

 

[RainMaker]

Hey YellowViper,

I just got my Viper a few weeks ago and noticed a smell also. In fact, my wife hates riding in it because she is very sensitive to whatever that smell is.

At first, I thought it was just the new car smell, leather, etc. However, I kept the top down for a week hoping to air out the car. She still senses it after we have driven for awhile and leave it parked in the sun.

I think it is partly due to the heat and because we are just breaking it in.

I am also curious on what you may find out. PM me if you have anymore insight.

Congratulations on your new ride!

 

[SoFlaSRT]

Red is a faster color.

 

[YellowViperSRT10]

Hey YellowViper,

I just got my Viper a few weeks ago and noticed a smell also. In fact, my wife hates riding in it because she is very sensitive to whatever that smell is.

At first, I thought it was just the new car smell, leather, etc. However, I kept the top down for a week hoping to air out the car. She still senses it after we have driven for awhile and leave it parked in the sun.

I think it is partly due to the heat and because we are just breaking it in.

I am also curious on what you may find out. PM me if you have anymore insight.

Congratulations on your new ride!

Well my car had a bit over 2k miles on it. So its probably broken in. Although when i shut the car i sometimes see a bit of smoke out of the exhaust. Smoke not like when its cold out, but smoke like when you blow out a candle.

I am about to go use the car in a few minutes, i will let you all know if it stil smells.

 

[Eagle]

My car has 1100 miles and still has the smell but it seems to far less as time goes on. Eagle

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

Congrats on the car! Where are you located?


Thanks, I am in South Florida.

Hey, what's up with that, I was told I had the only yellow 05 in S. Florida.

Haha! I have seen 2 other yellow ones around Broward/Palm Beach area.

Yes, I own all of them.

 

[YellowViperSRT10]

Ok, well just wanted to let all of you know that the smell is gone, I guess it must have been from a lot of water and soap going down the hood vents. Also, I make sure my foot is down all the way on the clutch when going from R to 1st and the engine RPM only changes just a bit, so it fine.

Just one thing, out of curiosity, with this car having 2k miles on it from someone else, and with this being my first car with a manual transmission, how much is a new clutch? I might as well know now.

 

[YellowViperSRT10]

By the way, here are 2 quick pics i was able to snap today. I know its just another viper since everyone here has one, but here they are anyway.

You must be registered for see images

You must be registered for see images

 

[FloridaChris]

Boy, you can really see what Hurricane Wilma did to the landscape in those shots...

 

[DavidSB]

Mine smelled a lot when new - and not that wonderful new car leather smell one often gets - but a burnt grease kind of smell. Spoke with others who told me that was pretty standard in a Viper because of all the heat. Couldn't stand it at first so I just had to drive faster to vent it out.
At 6,000 miles I only notice it once in a while. Either its gone away or I'm used to it.

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

Looks like Coral Springs, yes?

 

[YellowViperSRT10]

Looks like Coral Springs, yes?

Yes, coral springs/parkland.

 

[Sellshomesdrivesviper]

Heron Bay-Coral Springs side.

 

[Vipper Rich]

Congrats on the car! Where are you located?


Thanks, I am in South Florida.

Hey, what's up with that, I was told I had the only yellow 05 in S. Florida.

Haha! I have seen 2 other yellow ones around Broward/Palm Beach area.

Yes, I own all of them.

You do huh? Well, last night after dinner a yellow 05 pulled up next to me on Federal/Sunrise - and we "played" a little - whoever you are send an email to me! Two yellow Vipers racing down Sunrise - what a sight!

 

[myfirstviper]

I have an 06 yellow coupe (no stipe), and no smell. I also frequent the parkland area. I have the newer 5 spoke rims.much easier to clean. just a bit of advice for you. since its your first manual trans car. dont be a ***** and try and race anything that pulls up next to you. because beleive me, all these kids around here will want to race you. learn how to drive the car. take it on back roads and practice. learn how to stop the car from 100-0 not just get there quick. you may want to consider a driving school. I'm going to the one in vegas with the vca at the end of feb.if you want to know more about the school contact bill pemberton(great guy) just becareful the car is a lot to handle even if you know how to drive stick.in your case you're just learning. a new cluthch i'm sure will set you back a few grand. just curious if you dont mind sharing how much excell charged you for the car.

 

[YellowViperSRT10]

I have an 06 yellow coupe (no stipe), and no smell. I also frequent the parkland area. I have the newer 5 spoke rims.much easier to clean. just a bit of advice for you. since its your first manual trans car. dont be a ***** and try and race anything that pulls up next to you. because beleive me, all these kids around here will want to race you. learn how to drive the car. take it on back roads and practice. learn how to stop the car from 100-0 not just get there quick. you may want to consider a driving school. I'm going to the one in vegas with the vca at the end of feb.if you want to know more about the school contact bill pemberton(great guy) just becareful the car is a lot to handle even if you know how to drive stick.in your case you're just learning. a new cluthch i'm sure will set you back a few grand. just curious if you dont mind sharing how much excell charged you for the car.

Absolutely. Personally I'm not a street racer. I never really have raced anyone on the street. I have more fun just flooring the car when the road permits any no cars are around. I am very aware this is a pretty serious car and I do not want to wrap it around a tree, so I drive responsible. I still have lots to learn with shifting and driving a manual, so I don't think I will be doing any racing at a track or anything for a few months till I am very comfortable and use to the car.

A driving school may not be a bad idea, is there anything in Florida that you know of? or is that just Vegas?

I got the car from Excell for 69k. It was hard to find a yellow one local. I know I could have got a different color, like Red or Silver less, but I fell in love with yellow.

 

[JonB]

Burning Soap residue...from soapy car-wash water.
It runs down inside the engine bay and sidesill seams and gets on the cats.
Cats incinerate the soap film and dirty-road film inpurities from the water.
The residue scorches and stinks, sometimes for a few hours.

 

[DodgeViper01]

Those pictures look great