Bill Wagner

I've discovered an odor coming from my car. After running it a bit, the drivers side rear wheel well seems to be emitting an odor that, for lack of better words, smells like melting plastic. When I pop open the engine lid, I can't detect the odor. I need to stick my head almost into the rear wheel well (front side of it) and I can smell it.

Anyone ever run into this before? I was wondering if maybe part of the exhaust came loose and was contacting the undertray. Can these things melt or are they heat resistant?

Thanks in advance.

Adrian

Dear Bill,
Check your ballast resistor for the rear blower fan. If you have the old one still installed it may be starting to overheat. If you do not fix it or at least disconnect it you may end up with an engine fire.
This is the unit installed in the plastic plumbing on the left of the blower fan with the two spade terminals.
This may be an indication that your rear blower fan has seized as well.
Ciao,
Adrian
964C4

Arjan B.

Bill, may be you picked up a plastic piece from the road and is stuck between the heat shield and the cat.
A other thing is grease from trucks that felt on the road and you picked it up on your exhaust.

No other things in my mind for now. Sure it's no oil or friction material smell??

jenskleis

Hi Bill,

I can imgaine how worried you got when you detected the smell.

Exactly the same happened to me yesterday, only on the passenger side in my case. A distinctive smell of burned plastic, and a bit of white smoke coming out of the rear wheelarch after a brisk drive on the highway. In my case it seems to be an oil leak, dripping a bit of lube onto the exhaustpipe.

Take care

Bill Wagner

Well, I checked out the ballast resistor and the fan and both seem fine. Today the odor wasn't that bad, but as the car was warming up, I did notice that the odor was more like oil, not plastic. As the car got hot, it started smelling more like melting plastic.

Time will tell. I may get underneath and see if there are any leaks if the odor continues or gets worse.

Thanks,

Moonraker

Bill, you may want to check the base of the fan relay in the electrics box in the engine compartment. I have had a high resistance contact in the relay base cause the plastic base to get hot, discolour and produce a burning smell.