View Full Version : burning plastic?


ScionGunner
01-31-2005, 09:43 PM
anyone ever thnk there car is melting i keep smelling burning plastic i thought i might have ran over a shopping bag but no and its not a wire smell ether

manejounxa
01-31-2005, 09:50 PM
I get that burning smell also.so I guess im not alone.

ScionGunner
01-31-2005, 09:52 PM
yeah mine is after a long drive it smells just like burning plastic bags i wonder if its the intake it is plastic bolted to a hot metal block

PandaIst
01-31-2005, 10:01 PM
Hmmmm.....I don't think i've had that problem with my xA. I'll keep that it mind though next time I drive to see if i will smell that burn.

01-31-2005, 10:06 PM
Have a manual? If you like using the clutch method to hold your car on hills, the clutch can get hot from the friction and create a burning smell.

waynephinney
01-31-2005, 11:46 PM
I used to use the clutch method in my driving, then I stopped. There's two things. You'll wear out the clutch faster, and in the case of gear braking, you'll wear on your engine faster.

When I was a teen, someone told me that it wouldn't hurt the engine since it's used to that sort of thing, and I wouldn't wear on my brakes so much. Well guess which one is cheaper to replace when you destroy it? That's right, the brakes. Brakes are cheaper than a clutch too(assuming you just need new pads), so there you go.

Derk-xB
02-04-2005, 01:46 AM
I haven't smelled it in a few days. I smelled it on both xBs I testdrove, too.

I attributed it to something being new... dunno for sure.

jct
02-04-2005, 03:33 AM
it might be your burning your new car smell away :silly:

Distracted_Thinker
02-04-2005, 03:36 AM
Nope not your clutch because in that case you wouldnt get it on long trips unless you get stuck in traffic. I think it just cause I rpm's are so high on regular driving so our engine heats up alot more than others. My rpms are around 3500 when im going 65 or 70.

cseika
02-04-2005, 11:05 AM
check to see if you may have accidentally dripped oil somewhere in the engine compartment where it can get hot, such as the exhaust manifold, etc.... I had the same problem on my Eclipse, turned out that when I pour engine oil, a little dripped on to my manifold and dried. So everytime it heats up i get that burning smell!

Derk-xB
02-05-2005, 05:19 PM
it seems to come from the back. I don't smell anything when I'm at the front of the car. :eyebrow:

adorable
02-05-2005, 08:24 PM
If it's the first hundred(s) of miles, could be just the usual break-in - oils, lubes, etc, just burning off.

But if it's really strong smelling, or if it continues, I'd have the car looked at. Here, the 'new' car exhaust didn't last beyond a hundred miles or so, and it's been fine since then.