Do You Smell Something Burning In Your Car? Here’s What to Do Next!

However, the smell of a car alerts you to some sort of caution or just intimation about certain issues. A burning smell inside your vehicle or under the hood surely informs you of something serious that needs urgent attention.

Generally, a burning smell is always a result of two surfaces rubbing together. However, if you are noticing any burning smell, there is a list of possible causes. Take a look at these points to update you so that you can take immediate action and safeguard vehicles.

Your car’s overheated compressor might be burning.

Usually, a burning smell after you turn on your air conditioner is a sign of a severe compressor problem. However, a compressor may be entirely locked up or partially moving. As it is belt-driven, there is enough chance of friction of the belt if it is completely jammed. When you press the switch on the button and it tries to engage with the engine via a belt. The belt starts to rotate while it rubs with the compressor pulley and eventually starts producing heat.

Besides, a partially moving compressor can create necessary friction or there might be enough collision internally so that heat comes out eventually. A burning smell is not something to ignore as it might result in substantial damage or even worse, such as an engine fire. Therefore, a proactive approach might help you avoid such incidents when you can take advantage of car AC repair at Service My Car.

A clutch might produce a burning smell.

Sometimes, your clutch emits a burning smell. This might happen when you shift gears. This unique form of burning is similar to the burning of paper. In essence, as the clutch slips, the face of the clutch burns off. Because the surface of the clutch is made of a substance resembling paper, it has a papery smell.

However, such issues occur due to incorrect clutch handling, especially when you rest your foot on the clutch too much. And, if you do not correct this habit in time, you end up needing a clutch replacement sooner than normal.

Your car’s heater might be a prime suspect of producing a burning smell.

Since a car’s heater has the sole purpose of producing heat, there might be enough possibilities to emit a burning smell. The most obvious instance of a burning smell is the presence of debris inside vents that eventually end up burning. The debris is collected inside the vents when you do not use the heater for a long time.

In some cases, the engine finds some sort of plastic nearby, and it does not get any grant under the hood due to excess heat. Besides, the heater may be broken, which would allow the burning smell to come from antifreeze leakage into the heater vents. If the heater starts to smell really bad and the engine is clean, there should be no delay in a visit to the professional mechanic at Service My Car.

The brakes – stuck ones

Brakes rely on friction to slow down a vehicle. However, there are several causes when a brake starts to burn. Normally, a parking brake puts your vehicle under pressure when it does not work properly. Once you release it after an engagement, it might not get released properly and eventually create a lot of friction with a burning smell.

If the brakes get hot enough, they might catch fire and lose their braking effectiveness. However, a mechanical issue need not be present simply because your brakes are burning. You might be operating your vehicle improperly or you might have unintentionally left the parking brake engaged.

Besides, your car speaks in burning smell when you accidentally put your foot on the brake pedal. However, it might be an odd condition for your car, especially on a declined surface, when brakes come into action naturally. And prolonged use ends up in overheating with a burning smell.

Electric short burns wire

Sometimes an electric short circuit is unavoidable, and when it does, a burning smell is noticeable.This smell will be produced when the plastic covering the wires, connections, or fuses melts or burns. However, if there is an electric short, you might start to experience some serious problems like headlight failure, starting issues, etc.

The best course of action is to have a mechanic handle the repairs because they can connect your car to a computer for car scanning and diagnostics, which will quickly inform the operator of the electrical issue. Your vehicle serves you at its best until you start to ignore it. Ignoring any signs, especially burning smells, is not good behavior for your car. As mentioned above, the issues might be serious as well as moderate, but all problems need timely attention and proper remedy.

Service My Car assists you in giving your vehicle the best care in terms of car maintenance. You will never be disappointed by our car service, but you can book one or order a car repair quote on our website or app anytime.