"Hot" Smell From Back of Engine (Driver Side)

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timzim

timzim

10 Year
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
Threads
7
Messages
51
Hi Everyone,

I picked up a 99 LC with 165K miles on it a few months ago. So far, I really like it, and I think it's in good mechanical shape. Of the couple of quirks I've noticed is that there's a "hot" smell from the back of the engine bay on the driver's side after driving it for a few minutes. The temp guage in the cab gets up to right in the middle (or just a hair above) once it gets warmed up, but never any higher, no matter how long I drive it. The longest I've driven it is about 100 miles without stopping, but I haven't noticed the operation to be impacted in either event.

I was poking around a bit on the forum -- possibly T-clamps? They're certainly original and so they need to be changed, but I was planning to wait on that for a few more months until I bring it in for the second TB/WP change around 175K miles. (And to be fair, it would be the first change of the WP; the prior owner did the TB at 85K miles but skipped the WP for some reason.) Would that be a bad plan? Any other thoughts?

Thanks!
 
Take it from a guy who literally JUST dealt with a thermometer problem. I wasn't with the car while it was idling for a little more than 30 minutes (no need to tell me, it was stupid) and when I came back to it there was white smoke billowing from the engine. Turns out I cracked the radiator, blew 2 hoses, and broke the thermometer. You do NOT want this to happen to you, it's a $1000 fix that could've been much smaller had I noticed the engine overheating before it became a big problem. This being said, I have no idea what it could be but I wish you luck :)
 
The temp gauge staying in the middle after warmin up is normal

Toyota (and pretty much every car i know of) temp gauges have a margin where, whenever the temps are in that margin, which are considered normal operating temps, it will stay smack in the middle of the gauge. Only when the temps go above or below that margin will it give the "accurate" reading.

If my memory serves me there is a mod that allows the temp gauge to tell you the accurate reading all the time, but im not sure if i saw it here or somewhere else.
 
Thanks guys. I have no idea; I thought radiator initially as well, but the radiator smells and looks fine; definitely something near the back of the engine bay (but I know nothing about mechanics, so who knows).
 
I think that mod is for the 80 series...would be cool if we had that available too...
 
FlammableFishie said:
Take it from a guy who literally JUST dealt with a thermometer problem. I wasn't with the car while it was idling for a little more than 30 minutes (no need to tell me, it was stupid) and when I came back to it there was white smoke billowing from the engine. Turns out I cracked the radiator, blew 2 hoses, and broke the thermometer. You do NOT want this to happen to you, it's a $1000 fix that could've been much smaller had I noticed the engine overheating before it became a big problem. This being said, I have no idea what it could be but I wish you luck :)
Click to expand...

Are you talking about a bad thermostat, sounds like it. I have seen some older 100s blow the radiator top when thermostat goes bad. I'm replacing mine next service as preventative maintenance. I try to replace the thermostat on all my vehicles around 100k, because it will go bad eventually. Easy thing to do to possibly save money and peace of mind.
 
Mikeacs -- did you have any advance warning about your T-clamps busting or did it just happen?

dynamohm -- is that a common problem? Any easy way to check or should I just bring it to the shop?
 
What does the "hot" smell, smell like? Rubber burning, oil burning, coolant burning, metal burning, exhaust gasses, etc...?
 
I'm not honestly sure. If I had to guess, I would say oil or coolant. Like I said, I'm no mechanic.
 
timzim said:
Mikeacs -- did you have any advance warning about your T-clamps busting or did it just happen?


My radiator was a little down on water for a few days, and I could smell the distinctive odor of hot antifreeze, then...boom....coolant everywhere, and I'm in traffic with a 25' boat behind me..They are not hard to change, but no Toyota dealers around here had them in stock, which blew my mind...anyway, I'd get some on order because if you don't need them now, you will soon.
Mike...
Click to expand...
 
Take a good look at those T's and accompanying clamps. Maybe one is slightly cracked allowing a small amount of coolant to leak out.
 
TXLX100 said:
Are you talking about a bad thermostat, sounds like it. I have seen some older 100s blow the radiator top when thermostat goes bad. I'm replacing mine next service as preventative maintenance. I try to replace the thermostat on all my vehicles around 100k, because it will go bad eventually. Easy thing to do to possibly save money and peace of mind.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I'm talking about, wish I had replaced it earlier as preventative maintenance. Could've used that money for mods or other repairs...
 
dynamohm said:
check your valve cover gaskets could be oil leaking onto exhaust manifold will cause a burning smell
Click to expand...

Another vote for this. Mine were finger loose. Tighten those babies up a little and it might solve your smell

Sent from my iPhone. Clumsy fingers may contribute to mistakes.
 
Thanks everybody. I'm sufficiently convinced there's something there that needs looked at -- I took it on a 200-mie roundtrip to the mountains this weekend and it was smelling more like burning oil when I came back (and I had a momentary drop in the temperature gauge after about 50 miles -- very strange). I don't have a local mechanic that I've used before -- any good recommendations for a mechanic in the Denver area? I live up near 144th and I-25 if that helps.
 
I thought about them. I read in a few other threads that they're a bit pricy. Would that be pricier than a local mechanic or pricier than a Toyota dealership? I don't mind paying more than a local mechanic for good service but more than a Toyota dealership might be a bit steep.
 
Reading your description makes me still suspect the valve cover bolts. Mine always smelled like burning oil and this fixed the problem. Look at the area around your coil packs and spark plugs and along the valve cover seam. If you see wet oil there, tighten the cover bolts on both sides.

Sent from my iPhone. Clumsy fingers may contribute to mistakes.
 
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