Prius (2001-03) :: Burning Smell Of Electronics / Car Won't Start
Apr 11, 2016
Last week I was driving our 2001 Prius, and I noticed a mild burning smell. I was in town, it was very faint, and I wasn't even sure it was coming from my car, so I headed for home and figured I'd check again there. Everything seemed fine until, going 60mph on the level highway, the engine died and the dash lights lit up. I was about to turn off the highway and begin descending toward my town, so I made the turn and coasted for the remaining 7 downhill miles until I got home (to avoid a giant towing bill) .
When I got home, I popped the hood and smelled the scent of burning electronics. The smell was strongest over to the right of the hybrid system, but it didn't seem to be coming from the hybrid system. The smell was definitely not as strong to the left side of the hybrid system. I checked the fuse box (fusible link box no. 1) and didn't find any fuses blown.
My dad (an electrical engineer) came over and checked it out. At first he thought a wire may have shorted under the hood, but we looked and couldn't find any melted insulation, char marks, or the like. I jacked the car up and looked from beneath; again, nothing. The smell did linger for a while though, and was quite noticeable even the next day after having the hood shut overnight.
View 12 Replies
Advertisement
Vehicle:
01 Santa Fe LX 2.7 AWD w/112k miles
Symptoms:
- Slow Start (when cranking takes 2 full seconds before it will turn over and you can hear the engine cranking slower, use to turn over right away)
- Very Strong Burning Rubber Smell
History:
Last January it got down to -20 here in Albuquerque and I would have to go to work at that time. About a week later (when it was still getting down to about 0) I was driving home from work when I smelled a slight smell of burning rubber. I thought it was the car in front of me. The next day I had the same thing. It continued for about a month till the temps rose a bit and then went away. I could never find the cause. I then went all spring, summer, and fall without any problems on my Santa Fe.
As the temps begun to drop over the past 6 weeks we started to smell the burning rubber again, at first only when I would start the car till it warmed up. About 2 weeks ago the car started cranking slower and would take longer to turn over and within the past week I can smell the burning rubber smell even when I had the engine at temp. There's not any idiot lights on. The car is running fine except for what was mentioned, gets up to temp and stays there (a little below the middle on the gauge like normal). I pop the hood and looked at the belt, looked good (no cracks). Checked all the fluids and the only thing that's low is the coolant.
View 4 Replies
Resurrecting this 2001 2.7l, I noticed the horrible gas mileage.
I'm thinking o2 sensor, but it doesn't throw a code... Anywhere else I should look? I've changed Crank Position Sensor, Fuel Pressure Regulator, plugs, and brakes.
One note, when the a/c is turned on, I can smell a burning kinda smell. Maybe the clutch on the compressor is going out, causing some parasitic type of power loss? idk. Car seems pretty peppy now that it has a new CPS.
View 9 Replies
So I noticed the smell of burning coolant a day after I got an oil change. My car wasn't overheating and my thermostat didn't jump at all. I open the hood and there's a little bit of smoke. I take it to a mechanic and they do a pressure check. They see dried coolant under the upper hose connecting the engine to the radiator. They tell me its the flange connecting that hose to the engine that's leaking low levels of coolant and it will cost 150 to fix.(not a gasket) I say go ahead. They're in the process of fixing it today and they call me saying "We got the part, and we're going to fix it but we think the thermostat isn't fully opening or closing which is causing the problem and it will be another 150 to fix". Now I looked up this mechanic and they have 12 1 star reviews on Yelp of people saying they were overpriced and the mechanics often piled on things once they got on.
My issue is essentially the mechanic said "This problem could happen again if you don't replace the thermostat" but he also said they're not sure if its a bad thermostat. Couldn't they check the thermostat easily??? Like I said I said besides the leak in the flange I haven't had any issues. The car warms up fine and the temperature NEVER spikes (I had a different car overheat and blow a gasket two years ago cause I didn't notice the temp gauge for 2 miles and I LEARNED MY LESSON) I always keep a careful eye on the gauge.
My question is isn't there an easy way to check the thermostat? The mechanic keeps pressuring me to fix it. Just to be safe I am just having them fix the flange and taking it to a mechanic I trust. (I couldn't take it to him before cause he's on the other side of town and I was paranoid my car wouldn't make it)
View 16 Replies
'01 Dodge Caravan smells like something is burned or burning when the heater is on. Both heater motors run fine on all speeds, no noises, but doesn't seem to be heating like it should.
View 6 Replies
VW Passat Wagon - When I drive, every once in a while, I get a smell like burning rubber that last for about 2 minutes and goes away....what's the symptom? Is my exhaust system starting to go?
View 1 Replies
2002 Santa Fe V6
Ran the AC yesterday for the first time after a long cold winter. Seemed fine for about 15 miles but then I came to a stop and all of the sudden smelled burning plastic/electrical... white smoke started blowing out of the vents. Pulled over, popped the hood. The smoke appeared to be coming from the passenger/rear side of the engine.
Drove it another 15 miles home (had to) but with no AC or even fan on... made it and noticed the smell and smoke but only very little.
This morning I started it up .. got under the hood and clearly can smell it coming from the same area. That is the alternator at the back of the engine passenger side right? Voltages read fine... seems to be charging ok as well.
The only indicator that it is going bad is of course the smell and smoke... I can feel it is getting very hot.. too hot to touch after only a few minutes running. Spun bearings in it maybe? Just thought I'd put that out there before I start tearing it apart.
View 9 Replies
I was driving around running errands when my AC stopped blowing cool air, a funny kind of "metallic" burning smell was coming from the engine, and there was a slight knocking noise that was apparently coming from the engine and would go faster as I accelerated.
My car is still under warranty so I know stuff will be covered. My question is : what the heck is going on with my Santa Fe? I need to know whether I should call into work or drive it anyways.
View 1 Replies
Well, I have the dreaded transfer case leak on my 112000 mile 03 2.7 santa fe. I have just returned from a 12,000 mile trip through Canada, Alaska and then back to Colorado. During that trip I was smelling a burning oil smell and after I came back I traced it to the transfer case. I think it is leaking both from where it mates to the drive train and a one inch seam along the transfer case plate.
It has leaked there for some time(and I had been diligent about filling it up), but this extended trip it has has been more bothersome. I called the local Hyundai shop and they want $1100 and won't guarantee a fix. Is there some product I could use on that one inch seam externally to stop the leak (I know that wouldn't seal the circular seam around the drive shaft)? I kept very accurate gas records and averaged 25.6 MPG for the whole 12k trip running from 55 to 65 MPH.
View 20 Replies
2004 V6 XLE Power Steering Leak *pics* ... The problem now? Car doesn't start. I've done all the 'usual' checks and I am totally baffled.
So I was dropping my friends off at night. When I had the car in reverse to get out of the parking spot, turned off my AC and drove to park my car on the road. My ears heard something 'different' from my engine, like a 'wurrrrr' noise. I first thought it was my power steering pump was making noise (see my previous thread why). I pulled on the side of the road this is what happened.
I open my hood to determined my fluid for PS was OK. I noticed a 'burning' smell like something rubber was burning or metal getting super hot. I turned my car off and restarted the engine. The car cranked but it crank very slowly, lights dim and it started almost like a weak battery. Maybe battery? The 'wurrr'/buzz noise was coming from the belts area and was RPM related. Car did rev fine without any hesitation. [URL] ....
As I had the car on for a minute to take a video (below), I was in my car when I noticed light smoke coming from the right side (drive belt) area. I immediately turned off my car and attempted to see where the smoke was coming from.
After 10 minutes, I wanted to see if it would still start. Nope. Just rapid clicking of starter (See : [URL] ....)
It was dark so I couldn't do much (iPhone w/ flash light app), but I did check all what I could above and below the engine. I didn't see any burn wires or grounding either. So I was thinking...
-If AC or Alternator seized up/locked up, the car would still start but belts would burn, right? Same with power steering?
-Timing belt torn or tensioner sized? If belt torn, engine would crank freely though? Tensioner would usually just make a bad noise, right? Wouldn't really account for the 'weak' starting prior I think?
-Electrical problem such as a short within alternator/ac compressor....
View 4 Replies
I have a 99 B5 v6 Passat TIP. Was doing a lot of driving around today, in & out of stores. Last store of the day go get in the Passat and now it wont start. I did smell a brief electrical burn but was unable to locate the source.
When I try & start the car nothing happens, no crank. The windows locks radio all function.
I am able to lock the car and unlock the car with the key in the door. The alarm arms & disarms without issue.
I have checked the fuses as well as the relays and they seem fine. I have replaced the ignition switch and still the same issue.
I have tried starting the car in neutral as well and no luck there either.
What is the best way to test the switch to make sure my new one isnt bad. Any way to use a jumper wire to attempt to start the car?
View 2 Replies
Had the head gasket replaced and metal machined due to HG failure. 2001 Forester, 120K miles. After I got it back, a bad oil smell. Cleaned and sprayed it, still there, though less; seems to be on drivers side. Comes into cabin from the air vents below windshield when stopped.
Could it be the line from manifold vacuum to brake master cylinder ie servo amplifier? Or something else?Should I worry? The car seems to get about 15 mpg, used to get 18 mpg, and the check engine MIL is on.
View 1 Replies
I have a 2001 Pathfinder w/ ~190K mile on it. It has been used regularly until this past winter. It has been sitting for about 3.5 months and I'm just now getting it back on the road. The battery has been draining due to non-use but I charge it and the car will start. Today I started it and after running for about 2 minutes the engine quit. When I got in the car I noticed the strong smell of electrical burning but no smoke. I did not notice this outside of the car. Upon trying to restart the car the engine just cranks with no sign of trying to start (as if there's no spark). I suspect something (probably electrical) has failed while it was idling but what it could be.
View 8 Replies
I own a 2001 Buick Century Limited that has 208k miles on it. A couple days ago I started the car up at a friends house and noticed that it had a loud rough idle and that the check engine light came on. When I drove the car home, the CEL would flash when I accelerated and I could smell something burning. When I released the gas pedal and coasted, the flashing CEL would return back to a solid state but I could still smell the burning. When I would accelerate, the CEL would start to flash again. Whenever I was stopped at a stop sign, the flashing CEL would again be solid and there would be a loud rough idle along with the same burning smell. Am I looking at an engine replacement or an easy fix? One problem or could it be multiple problems?
View 9 Replies
Where do I start. I have a 2001 Nissan Sentra. 128,000 miles. In Aug. of last year, the engine detonated, so I had it replaced along with other parts. Shortly after that, I noticed a burning plastic smell coming from the car after driving it for a while. I confirmed that that the smell wasn't coming from a plastic bag. Fast forward to Dec 2011, my check engine light comes on. I go to Autozone, have the code read; it's the dreaded 420 code. I go to have it checked out, was told my cat went bad and probably because of the old engine and that the smell is probably coming from that.
The check engine light went off on Christmas day. Fast forward to last month, the light comes on again and I pony up the cash to have the cat replaced since inspection is coming up in June. Now, I had an engine diagnostic run right before I got the cat replaced and it came up fine. The cat was replaced on 4/20. Everything seemed fine. The burning plastic smell went a way, but lo and behold, it came back this week. I don't know what to do. I did a little search on the net and it seems that burning plastic smell indicates there is something going on with engine and possible misfire.
View 2 Replies
After my Camry XLE V6 warms up to temp it starts to smell like burning rubber - my wife states that it smells like burnt popcorn. I bought the car and I believe it had been driven for quite some time with a bad upstream rear O2 sensor - when I hooked up my scan tool to it, it showed as a bad o2 and miss on #3 and #6 cylinders - I replaced the coil pack feeding #3 and #6 and runs smooth - put a Denso OEM o2 sensor on the rear and still has a miss code but not an emissions code - still smells like burning rubber - I figured the smell was coming from the bad o2 and it running bad AF mixtures.
I figure that if the catalytic converter was plugged or needed replaced that I would get a code for it. I noticed a bit of oil around the valve cover gaskets so I gave them about a 10th of a turn down to see if it would stop the leak and steam cleaned the oil off the motor - still smells of burning rubber - car has never had the timing changed or drive belts for that matter. Drive belts look good, I will have them changed the next time serviced but I'm not sure about the timing belt...car has 218,000 miles but looks great - serviced regularly - bought from my dad and his cars last forever - what this could be?
View 5 Replies
We have a 2003 Explorer Sportrac and the fuel cap light came on. Then ck engine light came on. took it to a dealer to check it out. Said it has a fuel pressur issue. could be the cap or something in the fuel tank. it needs a pressure check they said. cleared codes and put new factory fuel cap on. 2 weeks later it happened again.
XLT model 108,000 miles on it and we are the original owners...
View 1 Replies
After the cold hit last night I turned my car on and it starts to shake a lot, also white smoke so I drove it to work while driving it takes forever to pick up speed and jumps speeds on rpm while shaking a lot and then I got off work and now its so hard to turn the wheel now(I put in steering fluid) and still shakes badly. I smelt burning kinda before work and I no I'm due for oil change so I just put oil in atm bcuz I have no time to take it any where atm since I work to full time jobs. Also the Trac off light is on and my service engine light is blinking.
View 2 Replies
Curious if this could be a normal thing from it sitting for 6 months... I have a 2007 Mitsubishi Eclipse.
Took the battery out for the Winter. Just started the car today only ran it for about 2 min when I went to close the hood after shutting it off I could smell a faint burning smell the smell resembled a burning rubber smell it was not strong but I also didnt run the car for long.
I amworried now to drive it or start it as I dont wanna cause harm what to do? I looked best I could and all the wires look fine.. no signs of chewing or anything.
Do you think its safe for me to start it and maybe just let it Idle and see if the smell fades? Im worried about it catching fire.
View 4 Replies
I've had my c for about four months/2,000 miles. I have a short city-based commute, and I drive it fairly gingerly. Since I don't drive on the highway much, it very rarely even goes into the power zone on the HSI.
This past weekend my boyfriend and I took my car to the Oregon Coast to go camping. He drove, and although he has a heavier foot than I, it's just kind of a tough drive for the little engine (though not something that it can't handle).
View 19 Replies
Noticed a burning smell while driving in 2010 prius?
View 15 Replies
