awful burning smell

Boxwolf · Post by **Boxwolf** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 7:55 pm

I was driving with a couple friends in the car today when there was a choking burning rubber/plastic smell. There was no smoke, and when we stopped, I opened the bonnet and there seemed to be no problem in the engine compartment, and the smell was not very prominent there. When checking the front wheels, the right wheel was shrouded in this awful smell and the surface of the alloy was also very hot. The tyre looks okay to me, though it has a few cracks in the rubber and the brakes were not long changed so I have no idea what caused this, but it seemed to die down before we stopped. If it comes back while I'm driving home (at friends house right now) I'll stop the car and see if anything is obviously giving off fumes but any advice would be much appreciated.

DavidRutherford · Post by **DavidRutherford** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:00 pm

Sticky brake caliper most likely.

Boxwolf · Post by **Boxwolf** » Sat Jun 27, 2009 11:04 pm

Not again

I had to un-stick that caliper already as the lower sliding bar had siezed up causing uneven pad wear. Took bloody ages too, and I must not have done it right if it's stuck again

The gaiter split a little last time, but it was still intact, though maybe dirt has gotten in and caused it to lock up again. Before I read this reply I was thinking it might be brake pad smell as it didnt smell quite like rubber or plastic. Thanks for the quick reply.

Not sure what to do now, I tried to source a new caliper from the scrappie last time but they refused to let me have the one off their scrap BX on the grounds it was between two other cars.

DavidRutherford · Post by **DavidRutherford** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 11:41 am

Boxwolf wrote:Not again I had to un-stick that caliper already as the lower sliding bar had siezed up causing uneven pad wear. Took bloody ages too, and I must not have done it right if it's stuck again

Ah yes. Brakes. One of the best things to be fiddling with if you're not sure what you're doing.

mountainmanUK · Post by **mountainmanUK** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 7:52 pm

David R said:

Ah yes. Brakes. One of the best things to be fiddling with if you're not sure what you're doing.

Most definitely! NOT an area for guesswork, or "trying it out"!

This is one of the reasons why the very first thing I do, when I get a new (old!) car home, is to completely service the braking system, all round, MYSELF!
My reasoning is that I only trust myself with my own and my families lives, and have been caught out once or twice in the past with some total abortions of brake setup, done by previous owners.

If you aren't completely sure what you're doing.....get someone who really does. Faulty brakes really do cost lives!!!

Peugeot/Citroen Mutant · Sun Jun 28, 2009 7:57 pm

I had a problem similar to this.

It turned out to be LHM leaking all over the exhaust!

i was convinced it smelled like clutch or brakes but it was neither.

Just an idea.

Aerodynamica · Post by **Aerodynamica** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 8:27 pm

I've had 2 BXes and have also had this mystery burning twice.

Both times it was caused by bits of wiring trunking that had fallen off and down onto the exhaust.

Mind you last year after visiting a neolithic site (don't ask) up many many hills there was some burning. Turned out to be the speedo cable melting due to its PROXIMITY to the exhaust..

Check down the back of the engine for this sort of thing

Boxwolf · Post by **Boxwolf** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 10:48 pm

I don't think its wiring or anything as the smell was coming from around the wheel rather than the engine compartment, but since then it has not given off any funny smells again so I'm not sure on what caused it. I know its important not to try and fix stuff I don't know all about but the only other option is to pay a lot of money I don't have to have it fixed in a garage or to wait for someone on here to give me a hand.

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 11:16 pm

Better than being dead in a car that doesnt have fully effective brakes

Sounds like a sticking caliper, did you touch the wheel rim to see if it was hot? If it was, then its almost certainly that problem, i've had a sticky caliper which has twice now been unstuck, so when it goes one more time i'm going to put on a nice replacment.

Boxwolf · Post by **Boxwolf** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 11:37 pm

MULLEY wrote:did you touch the wheel rim to see if it was hot?

As mentioned in my first post, it was very hot. too hot to touch even.

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Sun Jun 28, 2009 11:57 pm

Sorry, didnt spot that, then its deffo a sticking caliper. 2 choices, either unstick it again, zero cost or get a replacement caliper off ebay, they turn up from time to time for sometimes less than the cost of a caliper repair kit.

Boxwolf · Post by **Boxwolf** » Mon Jun 29, 2009 12:02 am

I'll check the temperature of the wheel again soon (I'm driving the car all the time at the moment) as it might have unstuck itself (no more bad smells) *sits with fingers crossed*

Boxwolf · Post by **Boxwolf** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 7:34 pm

Well, the smell returned today after a long stretch of motorway driving and again the wheel was very hot so I guess its still sticking. Not good

MULLEY · Post by **MULLEY** » Tue Jun 30, 2009 9:35 pm

I'd be careful, you can warp the disc if it gets too hot, so then you'll not only have the expense of sorting out the caliper, replacing the pads as they will be worn out but the discs as well

Boxwolf · Post by **Boxwolf** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 10:51 pm

This is the last thing I need, just as I stop getting ALG money from college my car decides it doesnt want to work fine anymore. Those discs have only just been replaced recently too since the brake pad carved the RH one up soon after I bought the car