burning smell

metzengerstein

i have a burning smell,kinda like plastic melting in the car,ive gotten it twice now.opened the bonnet and couldnt smell anything .only when im sitting it the driver seat .anyone any ideas.the 1st time i got it i was stoped at lights and i thought it was someone elses car and im sure i saw some smoke flash by my driver window

Swampy

Might be your clutch.

metzengerstein

its an automatic ,would it do the same ,

trad

Plastic bag melting on the exhaust pipe?

deadman walking

if it smells like burning rubber then it is your clutch.

metzengerstein

trad wrote: »

Plastic bag melting on the exhaust pipe?

defo not i checked all round the car ,i reckon its somewhere underneath.need to get it on a ramp maybe and get it checked out ,i just hope theres not an electrical fault somewhere

metzengerstein

deadman walking wrote: »

if it smells like burning rubber then it is your clutch.

it is that kind of smell,crap thats gonna be costly if thats what it is ,apparently there are a few cluthes in an auto matic and to get it opened up and looked at is ment to be expensive too

Henry Ford III

Brakes binding?

TomMc

You may just have an oil leak. Look underneath the car from the front in case nothing is visible when you open the bonnet.

metzengerstein

ive just looked up something there ,says a manual makes the rubber smell with the clutch,but not an auto ,and gave another few things it could be ,

maybe something in the brakes i dont think the right pads where put in last time ,alot of brake dust on the wheels

deadman walking

+1 on the brakes possibility,there is very similar material used to make brake contact surfaces as in clutch contact surfaces so similar smell.but if brakes were binding you would feel it in the car as well as hear it squealing.

damagegt

are you sure your taking the hand break all the way off?

metzengerstein

TomMc wrote: »

You may just have an oil leak. Look underneath the car from the front in case nothing is visible when you open the bonnet.

just went out and had a look ,and sure enough there is a small leak at the sump ,maybe thats what it is

metzengerstein

deadman walking wrote: »

+1 on the brakes possibility,there is very similar material used to make brake contact surfaces as in clutch contact surfaces so similar smell.but if brakes were binding you would feel it in the car as well as hear it squealing.

they are very sqeaky at times

metzengerstein

thanks for all the help

Max_Damage

The heater fan maybe knackered. I remember when I worked in the garage, there was a melted plastic smell when you turned the heater fan on on a particular Fiat Multipla. Turned out the fan's electrics burnt through the casing

T83

You said in another thread that it was an Ibiza you had, well thats identical to a polo with most small parts and the polo had a problem with the rubber sleeves surrounding the caliper pistons, they'd perish and crack letting water in and the caliper would seize. Take it out for a normal drive, and when your done put your hand near the front wheels if one of them feels abnormally hotter than the other then thats the side with the stuck caliper. Parts cost me about €20 (rubber sleeve, new piston etc), plus whatever for new discs and pads (you'll have to change both sides).

metzengerstein

T83 wrote: »

You said in another thread that it was an Ibiza you had, well thats identical to a polo with most small parts and the polo had a problem with the rubber sleeves surrounding the caliper pistons, they'd perish and crack letting water in and the caliper would seize. Take it out for a normal drive, and when your done put your hand near the front wheels if one of them feels abnormally hotter than the other then thats the side with the stuck caliper. Parts cost me about €20 (rubber sleeve, new piston etc), plus whatever for new discs and pads (you'll have to change both sides).

the ibiza is my freinds car ,,mines a honda but thanks for that might do that also with mine could be something there ,cos im nearly sure the pads are not right on the car theyve been squeking since they where put in a good while now ,and alot of brake dust on the front wheels

metzengerstein

ok so i have discovered where the smell is coming from,i got out of the car this morn to see smoke pouring out of the back wheel and the pad looked very melted well the paint anyway ,

any ideas to whats going on

Max_Damage

Brakes are stuck. Same thing happened to the parent's Mazda 626

Piston is probably seized, best get a new caliper.

metzengerstein

Max_Damage wrote: »

Brakes are stuck. Same thing happened to the parent's Mazda 626

Piston is probably seized, best get a new caliper.

thanks ,will pop the wheel off later and have a look.


oh sorry t83 said pretty much the same in a post just above ,should have remembered that