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Warm Rubber Smell !!!!!!

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 9:47 pm
by SPARKYSSS
HI, just wondered if anyone has any ideas please? I seem to be getting a burning rubbery types smell coming from the passenger side (near the sliding door). Temp guage reads fine. when i get out of the van after a drive and go round to the sliding door the smell is def there?????

Re: Warm Rubber Smell !!!!!!

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 9:56 pm
by You've Been Bongod
have you lifted the front seats to see if anythin is catching or any pipes rubbin on the engine

Re: Warm Rubber Smell !!!!!!

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 10:38 pm
by Diplomat
Warm Rubber Smell !!!!!!

I've noticed that from time to time in the region of the back seat, when parked in a secluded spot!

Frank

(Sorry about this indiscretion, I've been sampling Crabbie's, which I recently found out about, thanks to numerous testimonials on this site)

Re: Warm Rubber Smell !!!!!!

Posted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:20 pm
by nfn
Do your alternator or A/C belts make any noise? Perhaps the smell could be from a slipping belt.

A more likely possibility is that a brake caliper is sticking. Try touching each of the brake discs when you smell burning -- if one is much hotter than the others, then that's likely to be your problem. Better still, point an infrared thermometer at the brake discs instead of touching them with a finger.

Re: Warm Rubber Smell !!!!!!

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 11:46 am
by mikeonb4c
I think this one's come up before (more than once, or at least something similar involving hot/buring smells) with V6s. Can't remember the details or the eventual cure but worth having a search on here if not done already.

Re: Warm Rubber Smell !!!!!!

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 1:44 pm
by g8dhe
There can be a Hot Oil smell, because the engine is mounted slightly sloping towards the rear any oil that leaks / drips out runs down the engine to the rear and then drops onto the very hot exhaust pipe, its not quite hot enough to smoke but does make a pong but its not exactly a burning hot rubber smell. The most common source of the oil is a leaking cam shaft seal at the very front of the engine. We get it most often pausing at junctions / lights etc. when the vehicle stops and the exhaust has heated up on short journeys, on longer journeys it burns off altogether and is fine for several days after that.

Re: Warm Rubber Smell !!!!!!

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 3:39 pm
by You've Been Bongod
nfn wrote:Do your alternator or A/C belts make any noise? Perhaps the smell could be from a slipping belt.

A more likely possibility is that a brake caliper is sticking. Try touching each of the brake discs when you smell burning -- if one is much hotter than the others, then that's likely to be your problem. Better still, point an infrared thermometer at the brake discs instead of touching them with a finger.

i have done this before and burnt my fingers and boy oh boy did it hurt :cry:

Re: Warm Rubber Smell !!!!!!

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 7:06 pm
by wishmaster
mikeonb4c wrote:I think this one's come up before (more than once, or at least something similar involving hot/buring smells) with V6s. Can't remember the details or the eventual cure but worth having a search on here if not done already.
Mike's on the right tracks here, we had the dreaded V6 smell :? turned out to be the cam seals leaking as 'Geoff' has said, we had these replaced recently when we had the timing belt changed :) bad smell gone :wink:

Re: Warm Rubber Smell !!!!!!

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 7:16 pm
by francophile1947
You've Been Bongod wrote:
nfn wrote:Do your alternator or A/C belts make any noise? Perhaps the smell could be from a slipping belt.

A more likely possibility is that a brake caliper is sticking. Try touching each of the brake discs when you smell burning -- if one is much hotter than the others, then that's likely to be your problem. Better still, point an infrared thermometer at the brake discs instead of touching them with a finger.

i have done this before and burnt my fingers and boy oh boy did it hurt :cry:

:lol: :lol: :lol: You're not alone there Carl :oops: Never ever touch a brake disc in use - the pain is far from exquisite, as is the crust of dead skin left on your fingertips :lol:

Re: Warm Rubber Smell !!!!!!

Posted: Mon Dec 27, 2010 10:51 pm
by nfn
The advice not to touch the discs is probably good advice! I had a sticking rear caliper on my volvo 240 and used the touch method. Three of the discs were hot (especially the fronts), but not hot enough to burn my finger with a quick touch. The disc with a sticking caliper was so hot that even the wheel attached to it was extremely hot.