AC Smell

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Ben Hoffman

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So, this weekend, when we stopped at a stoplight, we started smelling something like plastic burning. When we started, with the AC running, it went away. When I stop and get out, I can smell it also for a minute or so but I can see no smoke, nothing leaking or anything of that sort.

Any ideas? It was a random and sudden event that has not gone away. been fine since I got the car a month ago. Not sure if it is a small coolant leak or something like that but thought I would check with everyone.

Thanks in advance.
 

bobmbx

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Check your brake pads for binding. Be careful...they get can red hot. Carefully touch the area the lug nuts. It should be cool or slightly warmer than your hand. It should not be hot after normal driving.
 

1970Maverick

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Did you drive over any plastic bags that may be melting on the engine/exhaust system?
Does it smell with the A/C on normal and/or recirculate?
 
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Ben Hoffman

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I thought that about the bag. I did not check the brakes but it was doing it whether recirculated or not. I noticed the Thermostat was spiking high when driving and then dropping when I came to a stoplight to so something is happening with the cooling system. There are no visible leaks.
 

99WhiteC5Coupe

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So, this weekend, when we stopped at a stoplight, we started smelling something like plastic burning. When we started, with the AC running, it went away. When I stop and get out, I can smell it also for a minute or so but I can see no smoke, nothing leaking or anything of that sort.

Any ideas? It was a random and sudden event that has not gone away. been fine since I got the car a month ago. Not sure if it is a small coolant leak or something like that but thought I would check with everyone.

Thanks in advance.


Year, make, model would be helpful.

Check your engine coolant level.

Check the front of the a/c condenser (and underneath), so see if some type of debris blew behind the radiator grill and is blocking the airflow.
 

GITanker

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I had the same smell in my 2013 last Nov. A few days later my front heated seats stopped working. When I would press the button for the heated seat, the light would come on for a second and go out. Turn out it was the ground wire in a connector going to the computer that controls the heater seats under the front passenger seat. Found a youtube video on how to fix this issue and pickup the part and it took about an hour to replace the connector.
 

JamaicaJoe

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Did you drive over any plastic bags that may be melting on the engine/exhaust system?
Does it smell with the A/C on normal and/or recirculate?
Funny, I just test drove a 2017 and stopped to look under the hood and found two plastic shopping bags caught up above the valve covers. Also some dealer paperwork jammed in under the ABS system. I think the landscapers blew all that crap up into the engine compartment. Surprised it did not catch fire during my test drive.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
 

2010ELExpy4x4

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As far as outside smells check for trans fluid leak at bulkhead connector,is a very slight leak right on exhaust, just enough to smell not enough to show on ground. Interior could be blower motor resistor front or rear getting hot, ours smelled like (and this is going to sound funny) fresh band-aid.
 
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