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  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech

Smells like something is burning!

  • Thread starter Thread starter GregGTStang
  • Start date Start date Jun 12, 2004
G

GregGTStang

New Member
Oct 17, 2003
240
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0
Jun 12, 2004
#1
  • Jun 12, 2004
  • #1
After I ride my car, even for like 3-5 minutes, when I get out it smells like something is burning. I checked the oil, but it was okay. Maybe from the brakes? I looked under the hood and everything looked good. Idk what the heck is smelling like that! The gauge on the oil is almost at the oil drip. You know how it shows the picture of the boat and the oil dripping, the needle almost touches the drip. Is the needle to far? I rubbed my finger on the tip on the inside of the tailpipe and it was black, but that's normal? Anyone know? ::
 

DarkHorse02GT

Member
Feb 12, 2004
156
0
16
Tuscaloosa/Mobile, AL
Jun 12, 2004
#2
  • Jun 12, 2004
  • #2
I had a similar problem and thought it might be my clutch or the oil, had it checkled out and they couldn't find anything so they checked the brakes and did an oil change and it went away... never found out what it was.
 

sveet

Founding Member
Jun 8, 2002
703
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0
Snow Belt!
Jun 12, 2004
#3
  • Jun 12, 2004
  • #3
The valve covers tend to seep alittle oil on our cars.

Mine sits thru the winter and I start it up monthly. When I let it run in the garage I always get a smell of burning oil. I tracked it down with a mirror and at the back bottom corner of each valve cover there is a single drip of oil ready to fall onto the exhaust piping.

During the summer I never notice it, but if I idle it after it has sat a while, a drop must fall onto the exhaust and I can smell it. It was the same on both sides, and I have talked to others with the exact same observations.
 
G

GregGTStang

New Member
Oct 17, 2003
240
0
0
Jun 12, 2004
#4
  • Jun 12, 2004
  • #4
Ohh....I hate how it smells like that. Old POS cars smell like that. I'm gonna take it to Ford and have them check it out.
 
B

btolenti

Member
Jun 10, 2003
277
0
16
Gilroy, CA
Jun 13, 2004
#5
  • Jun 13, 2004
  • #5
mine smelled like that for the first few hundred miles.....I think it was the exhaust. It finally went away around 500 miles or so.
 
H

huesmann

Founding Member
Jun 21, 2002
332
0
16
Jun 13, 2004
#6
  • Jun 13, 2004
  • #6
Yeah, new exhaust will have a burning smell for a little while.
 

Stallion

Banned
Dec 16, 2002
86
0
0
home, finnally
Jun 13, 2004
#7
  • Jun 13, 2004
  • #7
did he ever drive the car and forget to realease the Ebrake?? I had a escort once that a friend thought it would be funny to pull the brake while i was in mid-turn. it slowed us down but it never worked right after that and i lost gas milage. I was kinda pissed so i chewed him out. He never did it again, but i never figured out how to fix it.

p.s. it always smelled like it was burning some thing. i figure it was the brakes.
 
G

GregGTStang

New Member
Oct 17, 2003
240
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0
Jun 13, 2004
#8
  • Jun 13, 2004
  • #8
No I always made sure the e brake was down.....it smells like burnt oil.....
 

Stallion

Banned
Dec 16, 2002
86
0
0
home, finnally
Jun 14, 2004
#9
  • Jun 14, 2004
  • #9
GregGTStang said:
No I always made sure the e brake was down.....it smells like burnt oil.....
Click to expand...
Well Hhhmmm, oil could be geting in to the combustion chamber or it could be leaking on to the exaust manifold and burning there. usually a gasket replacement.
 

Carl

Founding Member
Aug 7, 2000
613
0
0
Johnson City, TN
Jun 14, 2004
#10
  • Jun 14, 2004
  • #10
I had that problem a few weeks ago. It turns out that I ran over a piece of thin styrofoam packing material on the road and it rapped around my exhaust and instantly melted to it. So it didn't look like anything was on it, but those melted chemicals were stuck to it and it must of been a month before it finally wore off and didn't smell like something was on fire everytime I drove it.
 

CTGrey02

Founding Member
May 22, 2002
1,403
0
0
Bristol, CT
Jun 14, 2004
#11
  • Jun 14, 2004
  • #11
Check and make sure the bolt cut outs in the valve cover on the passenger side doesnt have oil sitting in them. I had a problem where oil was seeping out of the hose on the PCV valve and collecting/burning off the valve cover when the car warmed up. I ended up putting a hose clamp on it and havent had a problem since.
 

mike2858

Founding Member
Jul 10, 2002
1,456
0
36
West Long Branch Jersey.
Jun 14, 2004
#12
  • Jun 14, 2004
  • #12
sometimes my car smells like a hot glue gun- at first i thought it was the exhaust but its been on for about 2 months.
 
G

GregGTStang

New Member
Oct 17, 2003
240
0
0
Jun 14, 2004
#13
  • Jun 14, 2004
  • #13
Much like the burning during urination...
 
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