535iM 1991 - rubber smell occasionally

[Thanos]

I am frankly afraid of asking this question...but I have noticed that there is faint rubber smell when I get out of the car. When I look into the engine bay nothing looks amiss and I do not see any smoke.
I am hoping that it is just a rubbber tube touching something hot, but I fear that I am naively optimistic!
Thank you in advance,
Thanos

[scott540]

Hey, I've had the same thing for about 4 years now. Can't tell where it coming from either

[AllanS]

Same car, same deal- I've always assumed that it was the tires.

[Thanos]

would a damaged clutch smell like this? it doesn't seem abnormal...

[Jason]

had the car on a lift on sat and couldnt find anything weird

[MikeV]

I am frankly afraid of asking this question...but I have noticed that there is faint rubber smell when I get out of the car. When I look into the engine bay nothing looks amiss and I do not see any smoke.
I am hoping that it is just a rubbber tube touching something hot, but I fear that I am naively optimistic!
Thank you in advance,
Thanos

Slipping clutch? Sticking brakes (carefully touch each wheel next time you smell this)?

[632 Regal]

that clutch cars sometimes emit a rubber like smell from the clutch, tends to get worse if the clutch is weak. One suggestion is to replace all them clutch cars with automatics.


(I'll pay for this one)

:p

[AllanS]

rear of the car, exactly

[AllanS]

Clutch on mine is just about perfect and it still smells.

[Thanos]

That's good news. Boy, I do love this car...but that earlier thread about the money pit they can be continues to rattle me and I fear every little whiff! I cross my fingers. One thing in my favor is that I only drive the thing about 6k miles a year (with 125k on it). So maybe I can continue to dodge some bullets.

[AllanS]

Same here- not much commute, and it has almost the same mileage. The clutch shows no signs of age or wear, and I'm pretty (ok not really) easy on it most of the time. I can't find any service records of it ever having been changed either, but I'm sure it was, since it has over 100k on it.

[Thanos]

Sticking brakes (carefully touch each wheel next time you smell this).

Could you please be more specific? Where would I touch and what would I be looking for?

[kiNGMak]

could be coming apart.. the rubber smell is usually from my tires and brakes.. oh how i love this car :)

[MikeV]

Sticking brakes (carefully touch each wheel next time you smell this).

Could you please be more specific? Where would I touch and what would I be looking for?

Yeah - if one or more wheels is HOT, it's probably from excess friction - and it could mean what you smell is burning brake pads.

[AllanS]

just fyi, I had the smell before and after I changed my brake calipers and pads, front and rear.

[Thanos]

Well...I have to get my yearly state insepction within a month, and I am pretty sure that I will have to have the rotors/pads/sensoors replaced, so I guess I will see if this takes care of it. Thanks.

[Bill R.]

slipping to the point where you might be smelling them... Do you every hear a squeal from the belts on startup or when you turn the airconditioning on?







Well...I have to get my yearly state insepction within a month, and I am pretty sure that I will have to have the rotors/pads/sensoors replaced, so I guess I will see if this takes care of it. Thanks.

[Thanos]

No sqeals, but good thought. Will check them.

[Warren N.CA]

This is a good application for consumer credit (credit card). Let's say the sky falls, and the car needs a $5000 repair. This could be a major inconvenience to pay that out in cash, and some folks simply might not have it lying around. But credit card payment allows the pain to be spread out over time, so that it can be more manageable. I do NOT suggest using credit for "upgrades" or mods. Having a sound older car repaired for several thousand seems much better to me, than replacing the car with a REALLY big installment loan for a new Honda, or whatever.

When my 3-year old Corvette needed a valve job (about $2500 in today's money), I traded the car in, because there was no such thing as a credit card back then, and I couldn't see my way clear to spend that much on a car repair at that time. But I could easily afford the relatively small monthly payment for the new car. Maybe I would have kept the 'Vette, if I could have financed the repair with a credit card.

Maintain the car fastidiously, and chances are your major repairs will be modest and few. But you will have them, so you need to be prepared emotionally, psychologically, and fiscally, to deal with the situation.



That's good news. Boy, I do love this car...but that earlier thread about the money pit they can be continues to rattle me and I fear every little whiff! I cross my fingers. One thing in my favor is that I only drive the thing about 6k miles a year (with 125k on it). So maybe I can continue to dodge some bullets.

[TimGinCentralNJ]

I am frankly afraid of asking this question...but I have noticed that there is faint rubber smell when I get out of the car. When I look into the engine bay nothing looks amiss and I do not see any smoke.
I am hoping that it is just a rubbber tube touching something hot, but I fear that I am naively optimistic!
Thank you in advance,
Thanos

[TimGinCentralNJ]

Meant to mention I had this, too, when I switched to my E38 multi-spokes shod with 225/50-R16 Goodyears (bleck!) w/ out using the 5MM spacers. Inside of tire was rubbing ever-so-slightly against front strut housing. Oops!

Just a thought.

Tim G.
'91 535iM w/ 17" 'nekked' T-stars


I am frankly afraid of asking this question...but I have noticed that there is faint rubber smell when I get out of the car. When I look into the engine bay nothing looks amiss and I do not see any smoke.
I am hoping that it is just a rubbber tube touching something hot, but I fear that I am naively optimistic!
Thank you in advance,
Thanos

[Thanos]

I think it is all stock. Nothing big and wide, that is for sure.

[Marshy]

Is it possibly just part of that "hot" smell cars get when given a good sound thraping? My E38 730i would do it, my TVR did it, my current 540i does it. If I drive it gently, no smell. If I give it the berries, it smells. I wonder if exhaust mounts get extra hot or something, accounting for the rubbery smell?

If it sits on the drive pinging away and stinking when you turn it off, it's a sign it's had a good workout anyway :)

[John 535is (Sydney)]

I was starting to think of either the rear shock or one of the rear mounts may have gone. I have a noise under braking thats just started, but not all the time so its hard to determine. This is new and about the same time the smell started, keep looking.

John 535is 1989

[black_bird_blue]

I notice if I, er, exercise the car that there is a very distinctive smell from the rear quarter. When I look underneath, as far as I can tell it is the road dirt sitting on the silencer box; on my car the catalyst is a long way back from the engine (i.e. not close coupled) and it clearly runs very hot. If I, er, really exercise the car then it smokes gently - I can clearly see that I'm scorching the road dirt on the outside of the muffler box. It has a distinctive ozone tang to it that most people associate with rubber. I keep meaning to get under there and give the box a really good clean to see if it goes away to prove or disprove my suspicion. But life's too short and there are other priorities...

Damian

[Thanos]

Thanks. I certainly don't drive this car hard very often (child in the back!), but I DID see a little blue smoke coming from the box that is in the exhaust chain, a few feet back from where the pipe starts; is this the catalytic converter? So...maybe I shouldn't worry too much.

[John 535is (Sydney)]

Come to think of it, this smell is worse after some spirited exercise, but the gut feel is that I'm going to find something more a miss than some dirt on the muffler.
Good thought though -

John 535is

[winfred]

a lot of manual tranny cars have a small leak from the shifter seal and this blows onto the cat and burns off.

[John 535is (Sydney)]

Thanks Winfred you might be on to something there, I noticed all the responses were from manual gearboxes. I'll climb under mine tomorrow for a look.

John 535is

[Thanos]

I think this could be it! I just looked at my last repair job, and the shop said that at the next visit I should think of dealing with a shifter seal leak.

Is this a make work project for them...or is it something that I should actually do?

Thanks