Why Does My Car Smell Like Burning Rubber?

Various car parts surrounding a vehicle's engine have a rubber covering protection. This rubber cover endures high temperatures, protecting the component from overheating. The engine is extremely hot, and surrounding parts can have severe temperatures. So, if somehow a rubber covering from a different component misplaces and falls into any overheating part, it'll burn and produce a smell.

Protective rubber covering and heat shield burning on hot exhaust manifolds can cause a burning rubber odor in the engine bay. In this case, an inspection showed that excess movement from broken engine mounts was pulling the harness out of position.

Many protective coverings can cause burning odors. Hence, part of the inspection is to check for excessive movement from broken engine and transmission mounts.

Broken mounts allow the engine block to pull harnesses and other rubber hose protections. Additionally, faulty coolant hoses might cause overheating. Then, without support brackets, components will touch hot engine parts.

A technician will check for clues to burning rubber parts under the hood. Then, they'll look for damages in the mountings while the car is on the lift.

In this case, bent suspension components were rubbing against the tires, forcing excess friction and causing the smell. To fix this issue, the shop must make measurements, repairs, and a wheel alignment.

The damage above results from some type of impact. Modern vehicles with power steering may mask damages around that part. But, with an alignment machine, mechanics diagnose those areas precisely.

The technician will check for any out-of-place car components that might create friction. Note that this is an example: burning smells don't necessarily come from the engine compartment.

The center support bearing often incorporates rubber components, including the bearing mount, which is made of rubber. These rubber parts help absorb vibrations and reduce noise transmitted from the driveshaft to the vehicle's body. Over time, the rubber components within the center support bearing can melt due to heat generated by nearby parts like the drivetrain.

The inspection shows that the center support bearing has traces of burnt rubber. Also, the technician spotted telltale orange rust dust of a failed bearing; both factors took part in the noticeable burning rubber smell.

Some issues are tough to detect. For instance, you'll need to lift the car for an in-depth inspection to spot a lousy center support bearing. Moreover, whether the car is all-wheel, 4-wheel, or rear-wheel drive, high temperatures on lousy components lead to burning smells.

The tensioner, also known as a serpentine belt tensioner, is an engine component. This belt-like component runs between engine gears and rotates them simultaneously in a timed interval. This whole process helps in combustion and mechanical movements that make the car work.

An in-depth inspection can identify if a tensioner is damaged and causing engine internal components to fail. In the example image, the failing tensioner was causing burning odors. The bad smell is possibly due to the tensioner loosening and rubbing against overheated components, burning itself.

In the example case, the serpentine belt's edges had damage, becoming an inspection clue. Then, the mechanic found that a bearing failure was changing the belt's alignment, preventing it from running straight.

Surprisingly, the failed serpentine belt pulley wasn't making a more noticeable noise, which would be common. Still, a quick look at the crooked tensioner pulley revealed the failed bearing, which was causing the belt to rub, producing a burning smell.

The timing cover is a component that works adjacent to the engine, acting as a protective housing. The timing cover protects the timing belt, a sort of chain that rotates with gears and synchronizes engine components to run the combustion process.

The timing belt cover is typically made of metal or plastic and works close to extreme temperatures. Over time, the timing cover can weaken and start melting, producing a burning rubber or plastic smell.

This is a "silent" type of issue since the smell doesn't accompany noises. In the example above, the only symptom noticed by the driver was the strange odor. Unfortunately, tracking this type of problem isn't easy; the best approach is to take your car for an inspection.

Letting this progress would have cost the car's engine. Fortunately, the client was quick to visit an auto shop.