Burning smell from the car got you worried?
Burning smells occur when two surfaces rub excessively together, or when a flammable agent meets heat. Your car has many parts that can create those conditions, and they’ll produce different types of burning smells.
The bottom line is — you shouldn’t ignore it.
Let’s dive in to know more.
This Article Contains
- Burning Smell from the Car? Here Are 10 Likely Reasons
- Can I Drive My Car if It Smells Like It’s Burning?
- Other Unusual Smells (And What They Mean)
Burning Smell from the Car? Here Are 10 Likely Reasons
An unpleasant smell in your car is rarely ever a good sign, especially when tinged with a fiery, charred aroma. Here are 10 possible culprits for a burning smell:
1. Oil Leaks
Noticed the unpleasant smell of burning oil in your car?
A burning oil smell likely points to an oil leak in the engine.
When an oil leak comes into contact with hot engine parts, like the exhaust pipe, it burns and produces smoke. This burnt oil smell can originate from different sources, like the valve cover, drain plugs, or seals.
Of course, it might also result from a careless oil change, and the burning oil smell is merely droplets that have dripped onto hot spots. Regardless of what kind of oil change it was, engine oil, transmission fluid, or brake fluid touching hot parts will all produce a burning odor.
2. Engine Overheating
An overheated engine may produce a burning smell, possibly accompanied by smoke from the engine bay, and the check engine light pops on. However, you might not notice any burning odor until you open the engine bay to check.
Engine overheating can happen for many reasons, such as a coolant leak, a malfunctioning thermostat, a damaged radiator, or low engine oil. It’s a severe issue that can lead to costly engine repair, so pull over if it happens to let the car cool down.
3. Burnt Clutch Lining
If you drive a manual car and notice the smell of burning paper, pay attention if it happens when you’re changing gears. If your clutch slips, the clutch face burns, producing a burnt paper odor because the clutch surface is a paper composite.
Clutch slippage can be caused by:
- Riding the clutch or stepping on it too frequently while driving
- Not fully releasing the clutch pedal between switching gears
To prevent this, don’t ride the clutch.
4. Overheating Brakes
Does your car smell of burnt carpet?
You might have overheated brakes, and in some cases, they’ll smoke. This happens if you brake too hard or brake constantly — like when going downhill. If it’s a very steep hill and the burning carpet smell appears occasionally, it’s OK. Try engine braking to slow your vehicle on steep descents.
However, if the aroma of burnt carpet follows you around even during normal driving, you might be experiencing brake drag, where the brake pads don’t fully disengage. This indicates a mechanical issue, like a seized caliper.
But first, check your parking brake — you might have forgotten to disengage it, and that’s creating the burning carpet odor.
5. Electrical Wiring Shorts
If your car smells of burning plastic, it could indicate an electrical wiring short.
Shorts can fry the plastic around wires or fuses, resulting in a burning plastic smell, and is a serious issue that you should remedy ASAP. Unfortunately, there’s often no early warning, thus the burning plastic smell.
Electrical wiring issues can result from improper installation of non-factory electrical gear like stereos or alarms, or sometimes a rodent enters your engine bay and chews off a wire. In the latter case, you might not only get the scent of burning plastic but also a rotten egg smell from the decomposing rodent.
6. Heater Problems
If you haven’t used the heater for some time, dust could have gathered in the vents and produced a burning plastic smell as it burned off. Debris lodged in the engine bay, such as plastic bags, leaves, or pine needles could toast there and emit the burning smell. Clearing the engine debris should solve that issue.
If the heater core melts, it’ll also produce the smell of burning. However, if your heater core cracks, leaking coolant may enter the vents and release steam with a sweet smell. The steam can cloud your windshield and obstruct vision, which is especially dangerous.
7. Faulty AC Compressor
A faulty AC compressor could seize (such as from low compressor oil), but its drive belt will keep running and heat up from belt drag — resulting in a burning rubber smell.
That’s not all.
A fault in the compressor’s internal components can also give off a burning rubber smell. This unusual smell may come from the AC compressor clutch or a misaligned pulley.
8. Drive Belt Burn
Getting a burnt rubber smell from your engine?
It could be from the drive belt (single serpentine belt or several fan belts).
The drive belt doesn’t just drive the AC compressor. It transmits power from the crankshaft to other engine accessories, like the water pump and alternator. If a pulley on any of these accessories stops turning, the drive belt will keep running and heat up, producing the burnt rubber smell.
9. Exhaust System Leaks
Exhaust fumes are supposed to exit the vehicle. If you smell exhaust fumes in your cabin, roll down the windows, pull over, and exit the car. These fumes contain carbon monoxide, which is detrimental to your health.
A common reason for exhaust leaks is a failing exhaust manifold gasket, or the exhaust manifold can crack, too. Holes in poorly sealed exhaust systems (typically in older cars) or even badly positioned exhaust exit points (which can happen in older or modified cars) can cause exhaust smells to seep into the cabin.
A specific smell from the exhaust could mean other things:
- A burning oil smell from the exhaust could be an oil leak
- A burning plastic smell could be from a plastic bag stuck to your exhaust pipe
10. Misaligned Tires
No matter how hot your car gets, your tires should never emit a burning odor or rubber smell.
If they do, you’ll want to look for damage to your suspension system or possible wheel misalignment, which could produce a burning rubber smell.
Now, whether it’s a burnt rubber or burning oil smell, should you keep driving?
Can I Drive My Car if It Smells Like It’s Burning?
Technically, yes. But you really shouldn’t.
No matter how small, any cause of a burning car smell can potentially turn into something serious. More often than not, a burning smell, when ignored, could even start a fire, which is pretty dangerous — and could lead to a costly car repair.
It’s best to contact an auto repair professional to inspect your car for any unusual smell, especially if it’s unidentifiable.
Other Unusual Smells (And What They Mean)
The unpleasant smell of burning isn’t the only scent indicating a problem in your car.
Here are some others you should pay attention to:
1. Sweet Smell
While hot coolant doesn’t burn, it does produce a distinct sweet maple syrup smell, often accompanied by steam.
The smell of hot, leaking coolant can occur in many locations, as coolant is routed through many places in your car. A coolant leak from a blown head gasket will produce white smoke from the exhaust. Other typical problem locations are the radiator or heater hose.
2. Fuel Smell
A fuel smell will likely come from one of two things — either a fuel leak or the lingering smell after refueling. In the latter case, the smell should dissipate. But if the smell persists, you should get a car care expert to check the issue, as fuel is highly flammable. Fuel leaks can be from damaged fuel lines to improperly sealed fuel injectors.
3. Rotten Egg Smell
A clogged catalytic converter doesn’t produce quite a burning smell but rather the smell of rotten eggs. This happens if your catalytic converter is overheating and it will melt if you don’t do something about it.
The catalytic converter isn’t the only source of rotten egg smells. A leaking battery can also give off this odor, from its sulfuric acid solution.
4. Musty Smell
Musty smells are usually the result of water collecting and not drying off properly, and poor ventilation then allows mold and fungus to grow. Check for damaged seals at the window or doors, which can let water seep in, especially during rainy days.
Ensure a Safe and Smell-Free Ride with AutoNation Mobile Service
A burning smell from your vehicle is never a good sign. The bad odor could be caused by several things, from an oily fluid leak dripping on hot car parts to burning rubber on misaligned tires. Don’t ignore other unusual smells, either.
If you need expert help to figure out that odd car smell, contact AutoNation Mobile Service.
We’re a mobile auto maintenance and repair solution available seven days a week. We offer an easy online booking process, and for your peace of mind, a 12-month | 12,000-mile warranty covers all car maintenance and repairs.
Contact us, and our mechanics will drop by to fix that burning smell right from your driveway!