weird, burning smell?

[clintondane]

hey guys, we've got an '01 blitzen sedan and just recently i've noticed when i stop after a decent run at normal speeds there's a weird burning type smell coming from the engine bay. there's no smoke, nothing dripping etc. only thing i can think of is a while back the radiator hose blew off thanks to a dickhead mechanic and the engine bay was splattered good and proper with coolant. i thought of steam cleaning it but was advised against that? the thing is, coolant generally has a sweet, heavy smell whereas this smell is more like rubber or plastic burning. weird? any help or suggestions appreciated.

[zarnah]

have you had a good look around under it? could be something touching an exhaust manifold somewhere? does it do it everytime its nice and hot or just some of the time?

[clintondane]

seems to be a bit of an on and off thing. i can't get under the car at home so can't really check ifanything's touching exhaust etc.

[DRFVDR]

not a belt slipping ????

oil leaks at the tappet covers ????

[clintondane]

no slipping belts and no oil that i can see ay. just doesn't smell at all like burning oil. hmm, the mystery continues ???

[Guest S T E Y E]

yea ull only tell by sussing it out/ looking at it...

the only rubber/plastic i can think of is either ur o2 wiring on the exhaust or a vac hose on the exhaust or the fan wiring on the x pipe by the radiator???

[clintondane]

hmmm come to think of it i had a sniff the other day and coulda sworn the smell was stronges near or around the radiaor. taking the car in for oil change and service this week so will get them to check it then. not affecting the car so not panicking, thanks for the help.

[subieboy]

a steam clean and or degreaser (the stuff from Supercr@p et al works).

Then keep an eye open for what may be new leaks etc

[subaru-mania]

Mine had something similar to This happen , I just got some soapy water and a brush and gave it a good clean.. Worked Well, Note: If your do this cover up anything electric and or were any water could get in.

[clintondane]

i was warned not to steam clean the engine bay?

[nztintin]

could be small hole in radiator\hose pissing coolant onto the exhaust, i had this when o put a new radiator in my car, took ages to find the issue, it was the drain plug in the end, very fine spray coming out and hitting the exhaust

[subaru-mania]

my old legacy got steamed cleaned and it fucked it.. Fryed the electrics.. thats why i just use hot soapy water..

[clintondane]

hmmmm, come to think of it i have checked the coolant level and it's dropped but only a fraction and i haven't worried about it. will definitely get mechanics to check it out. cheers. as for the steam cleaning i figured the steam may stuff the electrics.

[1989RS]

on my car one of the hoses going to the water pump has a small weep. this drops onto the headers but gets burnt off almost instantly could be where the coolant smell is coming from. also if your radiator has been replaced water pumps are prone to start to leak. just a thought

[clintondane]

we actually had the top tank replaced when the radiator top hose blew. definitely gonna get it checked when the car is serviced.

[clintondane]

got the car back from serviceing and turns out the odd burning smell is coming from a split inner cv boot leaking grease onto the exhaust :-\ gotta book it back in to southern subaru, quoted $145 for parts and labour. sound like a good price or worth shopping around?

[ClubSub Mum]

 clintondane said:

got the car back from serviceing and turns out the odd burning smell is coming from a split inner cv boot leaking grease onto the exhaust :-\ gotta book it back in to southern subaru, quoted $145 for parts and labour. sound like a good price or worth shopping around?

Not bad price for Subaru. I just brought two new inner cv boot kits a couple of weeks ago from Ripco and they were nearly $30 a kit ($60 total). Was lucky though that there was a welly member prepared to put them on for me.

[1989RS]

has anyone tried getting cv boots and such from ADL. They are a really good parts shop that specialise in drive-line. pretty cheap as well.

[clintondane]

thinking i may just bite the bullet and get the subi mechanics to fix it and get it over adn done with. can't take non existent riches with me when i die