My ever faithful, near indestructible Mitsu ASX has, since yesterday evening, developed a really odd smell. After driving back from the food shopping (a journey of about 5 miles) and driving into work this morning upon reaching my destination there has been a really strong smell of burning rubber. It isn't coming through the air vents and I only notice it when going to the boot and if I open the back doors.
I have checked the wheels, wheel arch liners, looked underneath at the exhaust and all looks fine. I have also opened the bonnet and there is no smell other than warm engine under there. It is definitely not a burning clutch or brake smell - I am well aware of what they smell like (don't ask).
I can't smell anything when driving, it's just there when I stop and get out.
Anyone got any suggestions? This is really weird the way it just suddenly seemed to start yesterday evening. I had already made a 10 mile journey about an hour before and there were no strange smells then. I am genuinely puzzled.
Has anyone got any ideas what it may be, what else I could check or how I fix it?
Cheers
Check the exhaust system for plastic bags etc stuck to them. It cost my mate a lot of money for a diagnostic!
Are you sure it's rubber rather than plastic?
Clutch maybe?
It certainly smells more rubbery than plasticy and having got a few clutches hot in the past it doesn't smell like that. At one point I did wonder if someone had stuck a rubber glove in my exhaust but can't see anything there.
As I said, it's really odd.
I'm going to have a good look at as much of the exhaust as possible as soon as time allows.
Would air-con hoses be going anywhere near something that could make them hot enough to smell? It just seems vaguely coincidental that this has happened just as the temperatures have suddenly dropped.
Are either of your rear brakes sticking on?
Not that I've noticed. The tyres didn't even feel warm when I got to where I was going.
Thanks for the suggestions folks, I really appreciate them.
My van did the same last week. No smell in engine bay all wheel hubs cold to touch, no rubbing of tyres. It's quite odd.
Have you been drifting it around the local lanes?
🤣
Check the exhaust system for plastic bags etc stuck to them. It cost my mate a lot of money for a diagnostic!
Worth checking ^^
This happened to one of our cars ,an old bit of tarp must have blown up from the road,it took a while to find.
Horrible smell.
Local garage time - could be anything from rubbish on exhaust, to slipping belt, to melting wiring....
I had a horrible feeling that might be the case, TBH. I think they may be getting a call. I've got it booked in for a service soon anyway.
Is the smell occuring when you have the internal fan on high (or higher than usual)? Has one or your fan options stopped working recently? My guess is a wiring harness for the fan is drawing more current in this cold weather and melting one of the plugs.
Is the smell occuring when you have the internal fan on high (or higher than usual)? Has one or your fan options stopped working recently? My guess is a wiring harness for the fan is drawing more current in this cold weather and melting one of the plugs.
Ooh, that's a good one, I'd not thought of that. I have been running things at a much higher temp over the last couple of days because of the frost, ice & snow so you may be onto something there.
Cheers, @cyclistm
Massive long shot if you've had it a while but might this be the first time you've smelt a DPF regen that has been interrupted mid-cycle ?
Massive long shot if you've had it a while but might this be the first time you've smelt a DPF regen that has been interrupted mid-cycle ?
Another excellent suggestion, thanks.
Check for rodent infestation, warm engine cold weather they like it. May have had a nibble on your wiring. Smell at the back I d be looking round exhaust tho.
I had this when the pulley that drives the auxiliary belt started to separate. It was the type that had a metal inner and outer separated by an elastomer. Thought it was the alternator but turned out not to be the case. I'd expect it to smell in the engine bay if it were this though?
I’d put £5 on it being a slipping belt
Thanks for all the recommendations. I turned the heating down to about 1/3 of the maximum and switched the heated seat off on the way home (it was -5 in my way in this morning) and there was no smell at all, so I think that @cyclistm may have hit the nail on the head with their suggestion.
Cheers folks.
Stick pulley on the alternator or alternator overrun pulley failure. Or skipping belt due to more drain on the alternator . Belt slipping caused by tensioner failure.
Coincidentally have the same issue - smell of burning rubber from the rear of the car (not in the engine bay).
It's a 2008 BMW 320i (petrol) touring. Def not the smell associated with clutch, brakes. Exhaust clear of plastic stuck on it.
Happens intermittently and always then get an engine warning fault light but no specific code. Often then disappears if I stop and re-start the car.
Well, we did a 45 mile round trip today with no problems at all.
There were never any warning lights and I can guarantee no belts slipping as it's all chains on the engine.
I'm pretty convinced now it's the heater when turned up high and might have an experiment tomorrow to see if I can replicate it, just out of my own interest.
Thats novel . A chain driven alternator . Is it a bike chain and sprocket arrangement?
I'm just wondering what the garage said
Stick pulley on the alternator or alternator overrun pulley failure. Or skipping belt due to more drain on the alternator . Belt slipping caused by tensioner failure.
This is a thing - the alternator one way clutch pulley is a consumable item. On Volvo's D5 engine it should be changed every 2x times the aux belt is changed. Failure to do so shreds the aux belt /causes stinky.
I had it happen on a Volvo with a different engime
Had the same problem with our EV this morning.
Think our problem was the 4 pts and pepperoni pizza in the Kirkstall Tap yday evening. Mrs Epic as guilty as me, our clutch pulleys obviously not correctly tensioned
There were never any warning lights and I can guarantee no belts slipping as it's all chains on the engine.
What car is that?
The car is fine, can't smell a thing..... 😉
🤣
Tried running the heating at full pelt this morning on one journey then turned it down (it was getting quite hot!) and tried the heated seat on the way back but there was no hot rubber smell at either end of the journey so I'm stumped now.
What car is that?
Mitsubishi ASX 1.8 diesel AWD. As for the chain thing, I probably just misunderstood something that the garage said when I was asking about replacement periods for the belts and they said it was chains