Burning smell and worried (1 Viewer)

[wyattroa]

Well my lx470 gave me a bunch to worry about today. It's an 05 with 187k on it. In the past 2-3 weeks, I have noticed water on the passenger floor board after car washes. This only happens if the blower fan is on high while going thru the wash.

Come to today, on our way to hockey practice and we stop at the light, the car is already warmed up too and defrost set to high along with rear heat on. At the stop light a burning smell comes into the cab of the rig. The smell was the exact same smell you would get at a train station when the commuter train comes in and stop. Almost like burning brakes or a clutch. There were other cars around us too and I just assumed it was one of them. The heat was set to fresh air and not recirculated.

Further down the road at the next stop light, a burning smell comes thru the rig again, this time it smells more electrical then anything else and cars are still next to us. I immediately shut off the entire heat system. The smell then goes away. The system was set to fresh air and not recirculated.

Once we got to hockey and dropped the kids off, I turned everything back on and there was no smell. Ran everything on high. I am at a loss. Walked around the outside of the rig and no smell, popped the hood, no smell. But the electrical burning smell really worried me... any ideas on what to look for? I wish I could say it's not my rig, but I have a feeling it is

 

[TheForger]

Make sure there aren’t any loose wires that are obviously touching the engine block. Then trace the exhaust from the headers all the way to the tips and see if there isn’t something touching them. One time I ran over a Kroger grocery bag and it stuck to my exhaust and stunk for 2wks...

 

[MissouriLC]

It may well be your serpentine belt. I had a similar issue about 2 month ago. When stopped or reversing, I got a strong burning rubber/electrical fire smell through the vents. Looking under the hood with the engine running, the smell was strong, but I could see no smoke. The smell was clearly blowing into my face from the radiator fan. Shutting the engine off would cause the smell to immediately subside.

Here was the critical clue; I had a speed-dependent humming drone that would increase in pitch as the engine speed increased. This is the telltale sign of a failing bearing.

My belt wasn't squeaking, but drag on the outside of the belt (the non-ribbed side) typically won't cause a squeal.

I quickly traced it to the idler pulley, next to the tensioner. Being it was on a Sunday, I took a chance on a Dayco-brand idler pulley from Advanced Auto (they list both a 4" and a 3-1/2" diameter pulley; the 3-1/2" is the one I needed). To my surprise, it was identical to the pulley I pulled from the engine (which appeared to be original), even down to the Japanese NTN bearing.

The old idler pulley hadn't seized, the bearing was actually very loose from wear. The edge of the belt was nicked, and the outside surface badly glazed. It was a quick half hour fix, easily a one-banana job.

 

[Leandro]

nothing like the brake smell of the Metra train on a cold morning in the Chicago suburbs....

sorry, not related, but your comment brought some memories.