What Causes That Burning Smell From Your Car?

It’s never a good sign when something smells like it’s on fire. A burning smell usually means that your vehicle has a problem. Fortunately, you can usually identify and fix the issue responsible for the burning smell from your car. Learn about the different types of burning smells, their common causes, and how to fix them.

Burning Rubber 

Does the smell remind you of burning rubber? The burning rubber smell might come from the drive belt or clutch.

Dragging Drive Belt Or Serpentine Belt

Your vehicle uses one or more drive belts or serpentine belts to drive various accessories. However, a belt can drag if the pulley or one of the accessories gets locked in place. The friction created by the belt dragging over the unmoving surface creates the smell of burning rubber.

Additionally, when a drive belt or serpentine belt drags on something, it might make strange sounds. You might hear knocking, slapping, or squealing.

Replacing the faulty drive belt should eliminate the burning rubber smell. Inspect the other belts to see if any others also have a problem. Make it a habit to check the drive belts every six months.

Clutch Slipping

In manual vehicles, the burning rubber smell might only manifest when you shift gears. That might mean the clutch is slipping.

The clutch transmits the engine’s rotational power to the manual vehicle’s drivetrain. When engaged, the clutch enables acceleration and deceleration.

However, you have to release the clutch pedal without delay when shifting gears. Taking too long to release the clutch causes the clutch disc to slip against the flywheel. The friction between the clutch and flywheel burns off the clutch’s surface, resulting in a burning rubber smell.

Check the clutch disc for signs of excessive wear if you smell burning rubber. Replace a worn-out clutch immediately.

You can prevent the burning rubber smell by ensuring the clutch doesn’t wear out prematurely. Practice fully and smoothly disengaging the clutch while shifting between gears. Next, improve your driving position to keep your foot off the clutch pedal until necessary. Avoid riding the clutch as much as possible.

Burning Plastic

Many car parts are made of plastic. If one of them develops a problem, they can release a burning plastic smell into the passenger cabin.

Heater Issues

Always start with the heater, especially if the burning plastic smell only shows up when you run the HVAC. Check the heater for dust, dirt, and debris that can burn at high temperatures. Also, clean or replace the air filters and the vents.

A bad heater might have antifreeze leaking into it. Burning antifreeze smells like plastic. Look for the leak in the heater or coolant lines.

In the worst-case scenario, one or more heater parts might have burned out or melted. You might have to replace the entire heater.

Electrical Shorts

An electrical short can burn or melt parts like connectors, fuses, and plastic wire coating. You need to track down the electrical part that shorted out and replace it.

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Burning Coolant

You can tell the burning coolant smell apart from the others because it smells sweet. Avoid breathing it in because it contains ethylene glycol, a substance that is toxic to humans.

The burning coolant smell usually comes from a leak in the cooling system that releases the fluid into the HVAC. Check the heater core, head gasket, and coolant hose for signs of a leak. Replace the faulty part to eliminate the burning coolant smell.

Burning Oil

A burning oil smell is the most serious of the smells that you can detect. Consider bringing your vehicle to a trusted auto repair expert if you lack sufficient DIY car repair experience to identify and fix the problem.

Old Engine Oil and Worn-Out Oil Filter

If you smell burning oil, leave your car safely parked with the engine running and check the exhaust from the tailpipes. Smoke with a bluish tint indicates old engine oil and a worn-out oil filter that burns excessive engine lubricant.

It’s time to change the oil and the oil filter. Consult your owner’s manual for the recommended schedule. An oil change and a new filter will improve your vehicle’s performance.

Engine Oil Leaks

What if the exhaust smoke is white? It still indicates that engine oil is leaking out and burning. The main difference is that the oil is relatively fresh instead of old.

Engine parts like the head gaskets, hoses, and oil filters expand and contract in volume according to their temperature. Eventually, the aging parts might form cracks that engine oil can leak out of. When the leaking oil hits a heated part, it will burn up and produce white smoke.

Avoid driving your vehicle if it has a burning oil smell and releases white exhaust smoke. Instead, you must locate the engine oil leak and take the appropriate steps to fix the problem, usually by replacing the faulty part.

Incorrect Oil Change

Usually, oil changes restore the engine’s performance. However, an improperly performed oil change can create leaks.

Loose Oil Filter

Is there a puddle of oil under your vehicle? The oil filter might have come loose because of improper installation or driving on rough roads.

Faulty Oil Drain Plug

Alternatively, the oil puddle could be due to a damaged oil drain plug. Also called an oil plug, it keeps the oil pan’s drain hole closed. A faulty oil drain plug can leak oil into the exhaust system and the ground under the vehicle, creating an oil puddle.

Burning Carpet Smell

That’s not a burning carpet you’re smelling. That’s the brakes dragging or engaging too hard. When you step on the brake pedal hard or a caliper piston freezes, the brake pads get so hot that they might smell like a burning carpet.

Regularly check the brake pads, caliper pistons, and other brake parts. Additionally, flush the brake fluids regularly.

Refrain from hitting the brakes hard and often by maintaining a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of you and avoiding driving at high speeds outside highways.