Oo-ooh, that smell! Fumes in passenger compartment from????

["Tom Borden" <teborden2@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Help, drivers of older Beemers!

I've got a 1988 528e... my air controls are three horizontal sliding knobs
located center console, the middle one of which seems to be the one for fresh
air from outside.

Beginning last winter, whenever heater is on (okay, and maybe blower) and
external air feed is closed, I get a faint smell of... burning oil... or is it
burning antifreeze?  Can't quite tell, but it's back this season and it
becomes strong enough that I am compelled to open the exterior air feed or
crack windows.

Today, I opened the external vent and put blower on full blast and heat up and
can't really detect smell.  But it's there when I cut the external air.  Any
idea what I'm dealing with?

Many thanks!

Tom Borden

------------------------------