Okay before I get screamed at for using the search button...I did.

I saw various topics on the smell. However, one thing that seperates my vehicle from everyone elses that I read, was theres only had a few hundred or thousand miles. Mine has almost 20k.

I noticed it last week really bad coming from the passenger side, and when I lifted up the hood, I got a nice whiff too. I opened the passenger side door and the same thing, strong odor. It smelt electrical like a hair dryer so I kinda thought where it was coming from it may be the wiring to my sub in the trunk (dealer installed)...I opened up the hatch and sniffed the area of the sub and could still smell it, try smelling behind it and still smelt it strongly.

Then I read some posts about the oil on the cat and exhaust system and now I'm confused...what does everyone think? I don't recall smelling this when I first got the car, so I'm wondering if all of a sudden it's starting to do it.

It's just all weird because the car has 20k miles on it, not even a year old and it's winter here...

Any thoughts are welcomed...thanks in advance.

 

Could it be the brakes? Because I heard some people's brake pads go out at around 20k.

 

I belive I am getting the same smell as you described. I pretty sure that it is the brakes. I was with a friend of mine after he got new pads and rotors installed and had to brake them in. It is the smell from the new pads he got that im getting now on my TC with just under 20K miles. I also only notice the smell after a long day of stop and go driving, what about you?

 

I notice it even in the morning going to work, like a 5 minute commute and I barely touch the brakes.

I'm going to need an inspection soon and I may have the local Toyota dealership do it and see what they have to say about the smell.

Usually when brakes go, you begin to hear squeaking don't you? I have at least in the past...rubbing and such.

Also, I smelled all the tires and nothing...also as I said, the smell is only coming from the passenger side of the vehicle...

 

I recently got the same smell but i really dont smell it as much as i did like a week ago.

I got new rotors and pads installed about 1000 miles ago.. so i hope its that

 

rjj130.. i wonder if it could be that the car is running rich causing this smell to come from the catalytic converter.. wanna take a whiff from your tailpipe?

Some 05's.. if not all of them have a condition with which the oxygen sensors go bad and can cause it to run either lean or rich, i forgot which it is.. that might cause the smell too..

 

I haven't noticed any difference in performance to make it running rich or lean...

If it is doing that though, I would assume when I get the car inspected and they do an emissions test they'd be able to detect that...

I think I'll just make an appt today to get my car inspected at a local Toyota dealership and see if they can detect what is wrong with it seeing as it's still under warranty....

 

I have noticed this "hair dryer" smell also on mine. I notice after I have been driving around. Its too cold here to drive with the windows open. To me it smells like its from the engine compartment or something in the dash (not exactly sure) my car has 9k on the odom and my pads have a lot of meat still on them, Im not sure what is the problem either..
Currently my car is still stock as well I havent installed my aftermarket goods like I said its too cold here.

 

I can't believe all the different things posted. Every possibility that was posted has a very distincly different smell. There's no way to confuse them unless you have never experienced them. I don't mean all of them either. If you experienced at least one, you should be able to distinguish that one from all others after that. The sense of smell has the most memory associated with it.

If you have a hair dryer burning smell, then you have an electrical issue. Forget about the brakes, oil, etc. Locating an electrical problem by the smell is tough because it spreads quickly and evenly. If you suspect your stereo, try driving with it off or completely disconnected. If you don't get the smell, then you know your system is probably the culprit.

 

I just made an appointment this morning to drop it off at the dealership for Monday to do the inspection/emissions and to have them check out what I'm talking about...

I'm hoping it's not electrical because that'll blow and be like a needle in a haystack in looking for.

Again, the oddest thing is I can smell it most heavily on the passenger side, when I lift up the hood second, and even somewhat on the drivers side when I exit the car...again also able to smell it behind the sub in the hatch.

Also, both stereo and sub are all Scion accessories...there is no aftermarket stuff...

We shall see.

 

I had an odd smell coming from the vents in my tC, i only have 10K on it had it about a year and 4 months. The smell has died down some, but it's still there. I am still to this day not sure what it is. It's sorta like a burning rubber smell im not to sure but you only smell it after driving lot periods, sometimes even short.

I went through the hassle of the dealer, they swear up and down they couldnt smell anything, even though everyone else could. So i was done with that one and figured if anything happens i got the warranty still and proof they said nothing was wrong.

So we'll see.

 

my car is just above 20K and I get that smell when i drive with heater on for about 15-20 minutes. I have a self-made cabin air filter, so I was thinking about taking it off and see what happens. Then again, I have LEDs on airvents, so it could be the wires, perhaps? heh

 

Yeah, I did a little more snooping today after work and it's really pugnent under the hood and the left side of the engine bay (when facing the engine your left hand)... I can't see anything rubbing and all fluids are topped off.

I'm going to be needing an oil change soon, but that shouldn't be the reason. Also, I changed the air filter on the car because it was due last Friday...still hadn't changed it.

I'm kinda worried now because I cannot pinpoint it...

 

Yeah mine is from under the hood too, and it smells through the vents. If I open the hood and smell mine it seems to be located towards the passenger side , although it's hard to pinpoint because smells disperse themselves. But I think I’ve pretty much narrowed it down to the passenger side. I have heard this high pitched humming noise coming from my belt tensioner (also passenger side). Toyota claims it to be nothing, I swear up and down something is rubbing against my belt, but they won’t do anything about it.

So we’ll wait and see.

 

i got a funny smell, too. it's almost like something plastic burning off the exhaust or something. i don't think it's the brakes. at first i thought it might be the new CF engine cover i put on, but it's not even getting hot. i'm lost. i'll let toyota figure it out.

 

Okay...you're all going to laugh at my dumb self...

I took it by the dealer today to explain about the smell before taking it in for inspection and emissions on Monday, and a mechanic at Bobby Rahal Scion in Mechanicsburg, PA was more then happy to help me out.

He was smelling around and looked under on the exhaust. I checked there before and didn't see anything, but he poked around and found a plastic bag stuck to it. They're going to remove the rest on Monday during my inspection.

So there we go, mystery smell is no more.

 

Thats pretty funny , the only other problem is the smell the rest of us have had

 

off topic, but you're from spokane? thats pretty sweet, first person from here that i have seen on SL.

 

Mandangalo were did you get your tc from?

 

appleway, 3 weeks ago. was gonna get it downtown, but i needed a car asap, and they couldn't get me one without side airbags. i really wanted FM though, but i went with a silver car again (my 04 civic was silver)