Electrical Burning smell

tuscan_thunder · Post by **tuscan_thunder** » Mon May 21, 2007 9:35 am

Guys,

A few weeks ago, after some shameful inactivity, when I started the car, there was some smoke from the engine - coming out of the 'bonnet' vents. It smelt electrical. It seemed to be from in front of the manifold, beside the heat shielding. I put it down to dust burning off.

Clutching fire extinguisher, I drove on and the smoke seemed to stop, the smell disappeared and there were no ill effects.

Now it's happening quite regularly - I don't see smoke but I DO smell electrical burning. Very definitely smells like burning wiring/etc. I have looked all over the car but can't find the source/problem nor can I see any evidence of anything melting/melted.

Strangely, when the time I saw smoke it was coming from the engine, the smell is stronger when the fan (heater/blower) is on.

Any thoughts?
thanks
John

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon May 21, 2007 9:40 am

Fan blower on it's way out? Could explain the burning smell, the intakes for the interior are in the crash structure so any burning smell in the cabin is probably fan related (If the roofs on at least!)

Smoke could well be steam as the heatshield soaks up water

tuscan_thunder · Post by **tuscan_thunder** » Mon May 21, 2007 9:55 am

Hmm..wondered about it being the fan but that doesn't explain what was definitely smoke coming from beside the manifold. Unless the two things are unrelated.

the rear window was out for a time and that made the smell stronger than with it in. roof on, roof off makes little difference.

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon May 21, 2007 10:09 am

2 things are unrelated I would bet. Water in the heatsheild will steam like mad for quite a while and quite probably stink too. Fan will give leccky burning smell as the fan resistors get pretty hot and burn out. IIRC that is....

Does the fan work in all positions and is it actually different speeds? Listen to it. The resistors are easy to get to on an S1 as is the fan.

tuscan_thunder · Post by **tuscan_thunder** » Mon May 21, 2007 10:16 am

yes, it works at all speeds and there is a change on both noise and flow at all speeds.

maybe the car just needs some rough love.....but I'm scared to go too nuts in case it turns itself into a barbecue.........

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon May 21, 2007 10:18 am