burnt plastic smell-- steering rack?

[Doyt W. Echelberger]

This happened to my 87 5kcstq a year ago. Terribly strong odor like hot 
boiling charring differential lube, or burning plastic, or something 
organic. No other symptoms. Never did sort it out. But I did consider that 
it was extra-terrestrial....er, I mean from a source alien to my car.

Because you have no evidence of a failed circuit, lost electrical function, 
or blown fuse, you are forced to consider that the odor is from plastic or 
organic material melting and charring  due to other-than-electrical heat 
sources and other-than-automotive origin......although in-car sources are 
not totally impossible.

Paper or plastic, sir?

Alternative scenario: You are driving along in the city and the wind is 
blowing lightweight debris around.......newspapers, dust, candy wrappers, 
plastic grocery bags.  Your car runs over the plastic grocery bag and it 
touches the hot shield around the cat, or maybe the downpipe leading to the 
cat, or the exhaust manifold itself.  The bag melts. The smell is blown 
around by the radiator fan.

Owner gets out and notices smell of melted charred plastic grocery bag, 
jammed up under the car in a place no one can see without a lift and a 
flashlight.

Owner thinks ".......my car is burning.!"

Fact is......plastic from somewhere else is charring and melting.

Owner needs to get out and get under, to rule out such events.

Other ideas: Heat up some power steering fluid (or other suspects such as 
garbage bags or grocery bags) ) in a pan outside the house, and see if it 
smells like the mystery odor. Or maybe a rubber exhaust donut got next to 
the hot exhaust pipe and is being roasted. Or maybe an engine mount is 
cooking.......What is in those hydraulic engine mounts?

Doyt Echelberger



 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
At 07:46 PM 1/27/01 -0600, you wrote:
OK, still haven't tracked down my burning plastic smell coming from the
engine compartment.  (can't smell it in the car, only outside).

Maybe it is PS fluid dripping on the exhaust manifold?  Someone suggested
this.  DOES PS fluid smell like burning plastic when it burns?

Thought it was my blower motor (which is dying), but after unplugging both
the blower controller, and the blower, I still did get the smell.

Reminder: no burnt fuses, no apparent electrical problems, just this smell
when I get out of the car.  Smells like burnt plastic.

Any other ideas?

88 5ksq
Austin, TX
----
88 5ksq
Matthew Caprio
Austin, TX