Is this normal that your car hood/engine is still hot after the car has been off for over an hour and 15 minutes?

I went out in the garage and happen to put my hand on the left side of the hood and it was sitll pretty hot at 9:30 and the car was turned off at 8:15... is this normal?

Also as I go in the garage the car (my 92 300D 2.5 Turbo) gives off a pretty well odor, guess its between a smell of oil/gas? is that normal? - or could this be a consequence of a leak or anything?

Our 98 E300 stays warm for quite a while so I wouldn't worry. The diesels have more insullation for noise supression which probably dissipates heat slower. The most obvious thing I would check for a fuel like smell is the fuel cap as the system is pressurized. I'm on my second cap and have a new one ready as the seal tends to deteriorate. They're surprisingly inexpensive. I tried to buy just the gasket but was told the cap is an "emission" item and is only sold as a unit.

Bob

The most obvious thing I would check for a fuel like smell is the fuel cap as the system is pressurized. I'm on my second cap and have a new one ready as the seal tends to deteriorate. They're surprisingly inexpensive.

-- where would I look for the fuel cap?
---- the car has 111,000 miles on it FYI and I just had a new oil head gasket put on.

Thanks

You're going to kick yourself- you know the "gas cap" where you fill the tank- I had a strong diesel smell in the thrunk and traced it to the fuel filler cap. If its not sealing you should be able to feel fuel oil around the cap along with a stronger than normal smell. It will take a while to learn what is normal and what is not- part of owning a diesel. I got my first cap from dealer, the spare along with fuel and oil filters from on line parts who helps sponsor this site. Cost is in $13 range.

Bob

Check the cap and it all seems good there...

So you beleive hoods should stay hot for up to 2 hours after runing the car off

Also as I go in the garage the car (my 92 300D 2.5 Turbo) gives off a pretty well odor, guess its between a smell of oil/gas? is that normal? - or could this be a consequence of a leak or anything?

If you're smelling gas, check the other car in the garage. :D