Burning rubber smell & smoke from under the hood

koleos25 · 10th April 2024, 04:34

Hi, I am writing this passage to enquire about the aforementioned "burning rubber" smell from my 2013 Renault Koleos 2.0 diesel.

It belongs to my father, who bought it in 2013 and has since taken care of it like a part of his own soul, before passing it down to me, for use in my college, about 3 months back.

I am by no means a rash or overexcited driver; I do admit to the occasional stamp on the accelerator, but I doubt that doing so would be detrimental to this beloved car of ours, to this extent.

I have been noticing that after drives that are around an hour long, and not related to the time of the day, I can very clearly smell a burning odour that I can only describe as being the closest to burning rubber, and varying amounts of smoke from under the hood. I feel it's necessary to point out that it's actually random, to the best of my knowledge, because I regularly travel 80 kms a day between my college and place of posting, and there is no such thing happening on those times, even when the temperature outside is fairly hot (30-35 C). As a result, I have reduced my usage of the car, but mechanics in my area haven't been able to give me clear answer besides "we have to take apart the engine bay and check". I understand that it's the surefire way of diagnosis, but a little knowledge before shiuld be useful.

If it is relevant, I want to point out that the AC of my car hasn't been working for around a month, and I suspect it to be an issue in the compressor, because whenever the activation and deactivation of the AC is always accompanied by a sort of metallic grind, which lasts about half a second. Could it be the serpentine belt being subjected to friction?

Any advice and insight is wholeheartedly welcome. I have only recently started to get invested in the car culture and I want to expand my knowledge base beyond the absolute superficial. Please advise, and thank you for your time. I hope everyone reading this gets the utmost joy and satisfaction in life. Thank you.

PS- The latest episode of this symptom was today, and it was a level of smoke and smell that I haven't seen before, even though the issue has been present for as long as I have gotten the car. I fear that it's going to be very major problem which might lead me to retire the car for good.

svsantosh · 10th April 2024, 11:10

Some general tips to start troubleshooting.

1st begin by checking if the clutch is slipping. If Manual car and done lots of Kms then it can be a fading clutch, it can smell bad and emit smoke too.

Then move on to...

Moving/Dynamic Plastics/Rubber - Radiator Fan & Serpentine Belt

Static Rubber/Plastic - lots of panels, pipes, hoses & rubber hoses for coolant

Oil leak/Sludge leak on hot panels - EGR joints, engine block leaks, hardened fuel residue accumulation - all these semi solids when they fall on a exhaust manifold, silencer or any hot part - can also yield a funny smoke & burning smell.

A Car can be liked by looking at it from distance, A car can be understood when you put your head inside the hood and also lift the car and go underneath it.

Send some detailed pics here to begin with. Please remove the fancy panels over the engine/covers and take pics.

Jeroen · 10th April 2024, 12:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by koleos25

Hi, I am writing this passage to enquire about the aforementioned "burning rubber" smell from my 2013 Renault Koleos 2.0 diesel.

If it is relevant, I want to point out that the AC of my car hasn't been working for around a month, and I suspect it to be an issue in the compressor, because whenever the activation and deactivation of the AC is always accompanied by a sort of metallic grind, which lasts about half a second. Could it be the serpentine belt being subjected to friction?
.

Random problems are always difficult to trouble shoot..
svsantosh Has given some good pointers.

I don’t think the AC has anything to do with it. The noise you hear could be anything to just the clutch engaging, to the belt slipping or a bearing. As I found out on my Jeep it turned out to be the bearing of the alternator. As the clutch and extra AC fan kick in at the same time, it causes a short peak load on the alternator which made the bearing screech.

The AC Should be easy to trouble shoot for any decent mechanic though.
On the intermittent smoke problem. When it happens stop, pop the hood and see if you can at least get an idea of the general area where it appears to be coming from.

Good luck

Jeroen

10th April 2024, 04:34	#1
koleos25 Newbie Join Date: Feb 2024 Location: Delhi Posts: 1 Thanked: Once	Burning rubber smell & smoke from under the hood Hi, I am writing this passage to enquire about the aforementioned "burning rubber" smell from my 2013 Renault Koleos 2.0 diesel. It belongs to my father, who bought it in 2013 and has since taken care of it like a part of his own soul, before passing it down to me, for use in my college, about 3 months back. I am by no means a rash or overexcited driver; I do admit to the occasional stamp on the accelerator, but I doubt that doing so would be detrimental to this beloved car of ours, to this extent. I have been noticing that after drives that are around an hour long, and not related to the time of the day, I can very clearly smell a burning odour that I can only describe as being the closest to burning rubber, and varying amounts of smoke from under the hood. I feel it's necessary to point out that it's actually random, to the best of my knowledge, because I regularly travel 80 kms a day between my college and place of posting, and there is no such thing happening on those times, even when the temperature outside is fairly hot (30-35 C). As a result, I have reduced my usage of the car, but mechanics in my area haven't been able to give me clear answer besides "we have to take apart the engine bay and check". I understand that it's the surefire way of diagnosis, but a little knowledge before shiuld be useful. If it is relevant, I want to point out that the AC of my car hasn't been working for around a month, and I suspect it to be an issue in the compressor, because whenever the activation and deactivation of the AC is always accompanied by a sort of metallic grind, which lasts about half a second. Could it be the serpentine belt being subjected to friction? Any advice and insight is wholeheartedly welcome. I have only recently started to get invested in the car culture and I want to expand my knowledge base beyond the absolute superficial. Please advise, and thank you for your time. I hope everyone reading this gets the utmost joy and satisfaction in life. Thank you. PS- The latest episode of this symptom was today, and it was a level of smoke and smell that I haven't seen before, even though the issue has been present for as long as I have gotten the car. I fear that it's going to be very major problem which might lead me to retire the car for good.
	(1) Thanks

10th April 2024, 11:10	#2
svsantosh Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Dubai Posts: 4,283 Thanked: 8,044 Times View My Garage	Re: Burning rubber smell & smoke from under the hood Some general tips to start troubleshooting. 1st begin by checking if the clutch is slipping. If Manual car and done lots of Kms then it can be a fading clutch, it can smell bad and emit smoke too. Then move on to... Moving/Dynamic Plastics/Rubber - Radiator Fan & Serpentine Belt Static Rubber/Plastic - lots of panels, pipes, hoses & rubber hoses for coolant Oil leak/Sludge leak on hot panels - EGR joints, engine block leaks, hardened fuel residue accumulation - all these semi solids when they fall on a exhaust manifold, silencer or any hot part - can also yield a funny smoke & burning smell. A Car can be liked by looking at it from distance, A car can be understood when you put your head inside the hood and also lift the car and go underneath it. Send some detailed pics here to begin with. Please remove the fancy panels over the engine/covers and take pics. Last edited by svsantosh : 10th April 2024 at 11:14.
	(4) Thanks