Bring your vehicle to our shop if your car’s engine smells funny. We are going to list the different odors below and what they generally mean. In some cases, it may be safer to have your automobile towed to our shop to avoid damaging the engine further.
Burning Electricity
For example, if you smell burning electricity in the engine or in another part of your automobile, it’s probable that the electrical system is overheating. Unfortunately, this can cause an electrical fire. It may be safer to avoid driving your vehicle.
Burning Sulfur
One of the emissions that the catalytic converter treats is hydrogen sulfide. This is found in your vehicle’s exhaust. If the catalytic converter is clogged or otherwise unable to treat the hydrogen sulfide, you may smell rotten eggs in the engine and exhaust.
Sweet/Musty Odors
You’ve got a coolant leak if you have sweet and musty odors blowing through the vents. Ethylene glycol, which is found in some coolants, smells like maple syrup. Consequently, your cooling system may be leaking, you may have a cracked head gasket, or the intake manifold may be failing.
Burning Oil
Both motor oil and transmission oil will smell like burning oil if either is low. You may also have an oil leak in the engine that drips onto the exhaust manifold or engine block. Once the motor oil makes contact with the hot engine part, it will burn away.
Musty Odors
Musty odors can be an indication that you have mildew building up inside of your vehicle’s ventilation system. You will notice these odors particularly when you are running the air conditioner. To help dry up the mildew, turn off the air conditioner and turn the fan on high.
Burning Carpet
Finally, we are going to step away from the engine for just a moment because it is important to discuss the danger of burning carpet odors. This is a sign that your brake system is overheating and the brake pads have glazed. In addition to the odors, the brakes will also squeal whenever you use them. Pull over and have your vehicle towed to our shop. Overheating brakes can fail.
We would be happy to inspect your automobile if you are detecting any of the odors discussed above. You should never smell strange odors coming from your vehicle. If you do, head straight to our shop so we can find the problem and fix it.