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[mar892ree]

Evening !
I know this may sound and read a bit starnge, but please bear with me !

OK i have noticed lately ( maybe because weather is hot ) that the car smells hot !!
Quite an odd thing to say, but i'm sure most of you will know what i mean !

Temp gauge operates within normal parameters, with fan cutting in and out etc !

But i have noticed when i stop, or open the bonner after a decent run, you get that HOT smell over coming you ! There's plenty of coolant in the system etc, could it be just the age of the rubber hoses etc !

Cheers

Mark

[tunnie]

humm strange one!!

As I read your post I thought it maybe the pollen filter, but since you mention the smell also comes from the engine bay that confuses things.

Someone more technical will be along soon, but can we have a few more details? Such as the year of the car and what engine it has.

[Admin]

Hmm, it does sound weird...  :-/

Have you checked the spark plug wells?

Also check the coolant hoses (when cold!!) and see how they feel.
If they feel flimsy then replace them pronto.

I would also check the pollen filter as tunnie suggested.

Oh, and is the engine a little...well... less than clean?

[mar892ree]

Urmmmmmmm, have you never smelt this before !! Its certainly not an oil smell, engine is oil tight bar a teeny weeny drip on the oil filter housing !

Egine is very clean too, but i'll certainly try the hoses when cold Dave ! Its a 2000 2.2 by the way

Mark

[mar892ree]

Bugger forgot to mention, smell isnt coming inside of car, no no noooooooooooooo, just you can smell it if you get near the engine after its up to operating temp !!

[tunnie]

I have a 2000 2.2 X Plate myself, so this is very odd  :-?

Just to narrow things down, have you tryed running the car with the climate on "Off". (Hard in this weather i know)

Do you get the same smell?

[mar892ree]

Yes mate, tried it today coming back from Derby on the M1, i nearly melted !!!

[tunnie]

Yes mate, tried it today coming back from Derby on the M1, i nearly melted !!!

ouch!! in this heat... hummmm  :-?

Never really heard of this before, I take it you inspected the engine bay for any random items that should not be there, maybe a dead rabbit or something hiding?  

If you have run the climate off and still get the smell, then all air-con parts are out....

Have you smelt the coolant? and Oil?

[Admin]

Yes mate, tried it today coming back from Derby on the M1, i nearly melted !!!

You were in my part of the world and never mentioned it!  

[zoltron]

I did have a wierd smell coming from the engine a few weeks before the HBV failed, I later found out it was coolant burning off on the exhaust manifold and CAT. Just be sure its not the HBV just starting to leak, this smell has since gone when the HBV was replaced

[shn7]

I had a similar hot smell that took a while to trace recently.  Turned out to be overheating handbrake shoe/drum.

[tunnie]

I did have a wierd smell coming from the engine a few weeks before the HBV failed, I later found out it was coolant burning off on the exhaust manifold and CAT. Just be sure its not the HBV just starting to leak, this smell has since gone when the HBV was replaced

They don't tend to go on the 4pot 2.2's, as shn7 say maybe check the handbrake shoe/drum

[mar892ree]

Sorry Dave, i was in a megga rush trying to get to somewhere near Derby to view a car for my lad, and get back home again !!!

Smell is Definately coming from engine bay, its the kinda smell you get with an engine thats bloody hot , if you know what i mean, no oily smells, etc etc !

Coolant level is bang on, temp is bang on, i might get the missus to go outside today and clean the engine with a tooth brush !!!

Only downside with my car is it ha a very miniscule leak ( oil ) from the filter housing ! I will inverstigate soon, as its either the gasket that seals the oil cooler housing off from the top part of the filter, or a leak from the actual oil pump casting to the block ! I'm not sure if this joint has a gasket or not !
However its the smallest leak you ever did see, or not see !
Covers the sump in a film of oil eventually, so maybe that might add to the smell being experianced !!
Wouldnt have thought sump would get that hot though !!!

Cheers

Mark

[nixoro]

Its not a heat and exhaust fume smell only a fwe threads back you needed to get the exhausrt manifold sorted.

HTH

[SMS01]

I am probably off the mark here, but I noticed as soon as I had my 2.5cdx and certainly noticed that the 3.0 elite seems to run hotter than the 2.0 versions. Nothing obvious on the temp gauges but I am often assaulted by hot air coming from under the car when I open my door following a run (when engine up to temperature). Almost feels like there is a hot air blower operating from under the car. I have always put it down to the catalysts running hot and dispersing heat by the front door areas.

If I open the bonnet immediately afterwards, again a massive heat blast hits you in the face along with what I would describe as a 'hot smell'. No obvious smell, just that the heat radiated off the engine bay affects your nostrils. You certainly wouldn't want to be working under the bonnet for an hour or so otherwise you would cook your hands.

If it is a smell (oil, antifreeze etc) then chances are it is down to a leak at a gasket or pipe joint, if not, it could just be elevated running temps in this weather and a perception of smell being due to a very hot hardworking engine.