alirov

So I recently bought a 2006 AT TSX with ~61k miles on it. I've been extremely happy and have had no major problems with it. I took it up to the mountains to go snowboarding two weekends ago. During the trip, I noticed a burning rubber smell. I wasn't sure if it was my car or not. At that point, I blamed it on driving with tire chains on and my VSA kicking in. I've actually never driven with chains on before so I don't know if that was a decent assumption or a bad one.

So ever since coming back from the trip, I still get that smell coming from my car. I only smell it after coming to a stop. I assume while driving at high speeds, it gets ventilated out. When I come to a stop, the smell comes through the ventilation system. I've searched through forums and inspected my car but can't locate the problem. I don't think it's my brakes or calipers seizing up...all 4 wheels seem pretty cool to the touch after driving. All four tires smell fine. I checked under the car but can't locate any debris stuck anywhere that could be causing it. Every time I get out of my car, I open the hood and sniff around to locate where the smell was coming from. I basically couldn't figure it out because the engine pretty much smelled normal. Last night, I finally found the approximate area that it smelled the strongest. I have circled it in yellow in the following pic:



As a disclaimer, that's not my car. I got that pic off of google because i figured it would be easier. The engine looks identical to my car though.

Oh, and on a side note, no clue if this is related or not but I did find a fairly thick branch (maybe 2 inches in diameter and 4-5 inches long) jammed somewhere around my axle. I pulled it out thinking it would fix the smell (and of course I'm pretty sure a branch lodged under the car doesn't beling there ) but the smell is still there.

Does anyone know what could be causing the smell in this area? I haven't had a chance to probe deeper into the engine bay (I found this last night and it was dark) so the smell could be coming in from deeper in the car, but it definitely smells strongest in this area.

alirov

I wanted to add that I have checked all fluid levels and can't find any leaks anywhere. Fluid levels are normal. The branch was lodged near the front left wheel approximately under where the smell seems to be coming from. Oh, and sorry for the typo, a branch doesn't belong under a car...not "beling".

SoCaliTrojan

I just want to make sure that you meant to say that you used tire cables and not tire chains. The owner's manual package includes a card that says to use cables only, not chains. I think the chains could possibly hit stuff underneath. Maybe check your brake lines?

I can't imagine what that smell could be. Do you re-circulate the air, or do you have the car draw air from the outside?

Did you check to see if the branch possibly caused damage as it got stuck, or while it was stuck?

alirov

You're right, I used tire cables. I got so used to calling everything that you put on wheels "chains" as a kid that it has become my first reaction when talking about them.


The air is not being recirculated and coming from outside.


The branch seemed to be lodged between two pieces of solid metal. I have not gotten a chance to get under the car to check for any damage. Living in an apartment, I really don't have a place to jack the car up. I might try to do that this weekend if I can get access to my gf's family's garage.

kvan2007

alirov: that looks just like my car! I was actually studying the pic to see if it's mine. Haha. Anyway, this might not apply to you, but just in case...

On three or four different occasions, I smelled a burning rubber or something similar to a burning oil smell. It, each time, was my high-pressure PS feed hose (big, black hose bolted with a bracket to the cylinder head cover, which is the black plastic with the Acura emblem on it) leaking fluid slowly leaking onto the exhaust manifold (the metal area directly behind the cylinder cover). This is covered by a recall. Check out the sticky thread that is first on the 1st Gen TSX page entitled "Stop sale/recall on 04-08 TSXs - Power steering hose leak." Your car appears to be recalled, based on it being an '06.

Here are my suggestions:
1) If you aren't sure if the recall was performed, call Acura and provide your VIN. They'll tell you. If not, get it in soon. It can be a safety hazard.

2) If it is the leak, one good way to find out is to drive your car till the engine is very warm. During that time, make large turns or U-turns, where you have the steering wheel going to the far right and far left--do that a few times (5 or 6). Then, pull over, turn the car off, pop the hood, and look to see if you see steam or smoke (kinda faint) emanating from the back of the engine cylinder cover/ex. man. area.

3) Check/tighten the brass-colored bracket that connects the aforementioned hose to the cylinder cover.

4) If that's not the cause, get a really good flashlight, and a few damp rags, then clean all the visible hoses and areas you can see and reach in the engine bay. Areas where there are gray "chunks" or "hairball"-type buildup can indicate fluid leakage that has attracted dust. If you don't find anything during the cleaning, go driving and try to re-create the smell, then re-inspect engine for leakage.

5) Check your radiator grill (and maybe wheel wells?) for a plastic bag or debris from the roadway that may have gotten stuck.

6) Another thing it could be is spilled oil on the intake manifold from a sloppy oil change.

Admittedly, none of these is anywhere near the area circled in the photo, but I've done a lot of "investigative hunting" in my engine, and this has been my experience.

One thing to note: the PS fluid in my case, leaked so slowly that it cooked and steamed on my ex. man., so there was little evidence of a leak--nothing on the garage floor, fluid level within normal range, etc.

kvan2007

Ooh, I just had a thought (those are rare in my head). The area you have circled in the photo is near the front strut/suspension. Perhaps you can peek at the driver's side strut/spring (just take a flashlight and look inside the wheel well--better if you have the wheel turned, so you can see more). Perhaps the branch tore did something in there. Maybe check all the little boots (CV, driveshaft--basically all the rubber coverings around where your wheel meets the car)--perhaps the branch tore one?

Just some spit-balling here...

odannyboi

Off topic but..OP, I see you are in San Diego... which mountain did you go to for snowboarding? How long did it take to get there?

I'm about 60% sure I'll move there this summer (school) but I also like to ski.

alirov

There's plenty of ski resorts about 130-140 miles away or so East of Los Angeles. Driving there, it takes about 1.5 - 2 hours or so. I usually make a day trip out of it and get in 3-5 hours of runs. I just started to go more often this year (I started 2 years ago going only once a year) so have been going to Snow Valley. It's cheap for me, a bit closer, and the run difficulties are more than enough for me while I'm still learning. There's plenty of other resorts that might be better for more experienced riders in the same area around Big Bear (Bear Mountain, Snow Summit, Mt. High is around there too). These might be an extra 10-20 miles of driving.

The main road up there (Hwy 330 I think...) collapsed in December so they're fixing it this year. Until then, you have to take Hwy 18 up there. It's not a big difference distance wise (maybe 15 miles or so) but the road is narrower and more windy (curvy...not gusty!). Last time I went, the roads were icy and I'm pretty sure that 15 miles took 2 hours with the traffic. And there was a school bus that was failing miserably making it up the mountain.

I'm hoping Hwy 330 will reopen in time for the next season. What school are you planning on (60%) attending?

alirov

Thanks for all the ideas. I really appreciate everything! I know the P/S hose recall has been performed on the car already. I don't see any leaks or smoke coming out. No oil change recently (last one was about 3k miles ago) but I'm going to be doing one this week. Can't find any tears on anything in the wheel well. I had my front left tire replaced 2 weekends ago (due to a bubble) and I got to examine the area really well with the tire gone. Everything looked good to me as far as I could tell.

I've actually not been noticing the smell the past few days so I'm hoping that it was a bag or something stuck somewhere and I was too blind to see it. I'll keep monitoring the car though to see if it comes back.

tsxykid105

if you dont recirculate your air you could of cought a smell from outside being blown into the cabin

VQPower37

is there a plastic bag stuck to the exhaust? ... that could be what your smelling it has happened to me in the past