Ok, I will have pics of this soon. About a week ago I noticed a burning plastic smell coming from my car. When I would come to a stoplight I would smell it and when I would get out of the car I would smell it. I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but today I found out. I was sitting in my car waiting for some friends and I decided to lean over the side of the car and look under the car. The car was on by the way. When I did I was shocked by something burnt all over my exhaust pipe. On my aftermarket exhaust (Megan Racing 2.5 inch) from the catalytic converter to about 4 feet down the pipe, there was this burnt, what looked like plastic glue from a glue gun, stuff. At some parts it was even dripping down, but it had hardened, and looked just like glue from a glue gun. So obviously the exhaust pipe was heating it up and melting it, causing the smell I had been smelling. But I cannot figure out what caused this, I dont know of any fluid that could leak from your engine back to your exhaust, that hardens like plastic when its not heated. It was fully around the exhaust, most of it burnt black, covering the stainless steel exhaust. Does anyone have any clue what this could possibly be?? I was thinking that it was related to my use of my A/C, this is the first summer I have had my exhaust on. So the first time it has been introduced to heavy A/C usage. Someone please help, lol, I have no clue whats going on.
Didn't happen to run over anything plastic do you? Or maybe the Wind blew a bag or something that got caught on the exhaust.
Did you get under the car and look to see if there was anything stuck??
Ya, I'm thinkin it's probably a plastic bag.
-Seth
yep thats gotta be it,, the same thing happened to me after I lowered my car. It was such a strong burning smell 2, i looked under the car and a plastic bag was melted to my cat. I just let it burn off, it took awhile but it's fine now.
Same thing happened to me last year, turned out to be a bag i ran over. I only remembered about the bag when I finnally leaned over the side of the car while waiting for someone I was picking up and noticed the gunk hanging from my exhaust.......sound familiar?
Lol, right after I had made this post I was thinking it could of been a plastic bag that got wrapped around my exhaust. And I was hoping you guys would say it is. Ok, thats a relief, but it was one huge bag, lol, I'm not going to wait for it to burn off, it would take way too long. I think I will just clean it off today. But it's good to know nothings wrong. Thanks guys.
One more thing. I got my car new in '05. It now has almost 12,000 miles on it, and I haven't changed the coolant at all yet. And when the car is sitting still the engine starts to get hot, then it only cools back down when I get moving again. Will getting some new coolant or just adding some more help this??
What's the coolant level?
Because you shouldn't really need to mess with it. Dex Cool (the orange stuff) is ,correct me if I'm wrong, but made for extended milage/ maintance free.
If the coolant level is fine, you're fine.
It's normal for it to get pretty hot just sittin. My car goes over 195 (i think thats the mark) when i just let it sit and idle like if i'm waiting for someone but as soon as I start moving, it cools down. When your not moving, theres no air goin thru/over the radiator so it doesn't have much of a way to cool down the coolant.
-Seth
wizkiddrummer wrote:If the coolant level is fine, you're fine.
It's normal for it to get pretty hot just sittin. My car goes over 195 (i think thats the mark) when i just let it sit and idle like if i'm waiting for someone but as soon as I start moving, it cools down. When your not moving, theres no air goin thru/over the radiator so it doesn't have much of a way to cool down the coolant.
-Seth
Yeah, I know there is no air going through the radiator, but I dont remember it getting hotter and hotter when I would just let it sit. But maybe I just haven't let it sit while its been on that much, and I am just now noticing it. Ok, well I will check the coolant anyway, thanks for the info.
