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Vehicle Smells - Nthefastlane
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"Vehicle Smells"

Smells can tell you a lot of things that are goin on with a vehicle.

It's important not to ignore them as it could catch a problem early on.

Gas Smells
This one is pretty much self explanatory, if it smells like gas well, it's gas. But the key is to look for it and track down where the strongest sent of it is. Once you find the location look carefully for any signs of dampness, your going to want to touch it and give it another smell. If you confirmed that it is indeed gas, then find out which part it's coming from and repair it or replace it. let's say you found gas coming out of the fuel rail where the injector goes in, well that doesn't necessarily mean you have to replace the injector, it may be the injectors O-ring seal which is penny's on the dollar. It's always important to troubleshoot first ,then work your way up the price scale of parts being least to greatest.

My Vehicle Smells Like Pancakes
If it smells like pancakes then it's going to be "Antifreeze".. check every hose, radiator connection, over fill bottle, water pump, thermostat, cylinder head & block for leaks. A lot of time it's as cheap as some rtv, a bad hose clamp or a dry rotted coolant hose. Any local auto parts store should have the part you're looking for.

Burnt Oil Smell
Common reasons oil burns are
⦁    Bad valve cover gasket, leaking on to the exhaust manifold
⦁    Bad oil pan gasket leaking
⦁    Clogged pcv valve causing crank case pressure
⦁    Bad valve stem seals or guides
⦁    Worn piston rings
⦁    Turbocharger going bad allowing oil out the turbine or compressor

Something Burning On The Stove Top Smell
Usually this smell will consist of the following problems below and can give you a good reference as to where to look.
⦁    Clutch plate going bad,this would have signs of slipping under acceleration or if you tend to ride the clutch a lot.
⦁    Brakes being used too harshly,over heating or even completely worn out.

Burnt Plastic/Electrical Smell
This smell can consist of electrical wires or even fuses.
⦁    Check your battery cables for burnt or melted wires.
⦁    Fuses can over heat an blow,but before they do, sometimes they melt the plastic casing.
⦁    lighting, in some cases leaving a dome light on for an extended period of time can cause the plastic to soften giving   off a burnt plastic smell, inspect and make sure it's not melting. Newer vehicles tend to not have this problem because they use led lighting.
⦁    Short circuit, same as a burnt out wire but it will have a break in the wire at some point, a continuity test can find out where the problem lies.
⦁    Relays can go bad at any point in time and will give off a burnt plastic or electrical smell.

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