burning smell when WOT

Warfang

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Lately I've been noticing if I get on it hard for a bit, I smell a burning smell... maybe oil? I can't quite tell. Just changed oil but still smell it. Any ideas?
 

Martin

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Did you spill oil on the exhaust manifold when you were changing the oil? I notice that I'll smell burnoff for a while after the change if I'm sloppy, and it generally gets a lot worse after driving hard and then coming to a stop. It doesn't quite smell like burning oil, though - it has more of a plasticky smell to it.
 
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Warfang

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Doesn't quite smell like burning oil... it's "smoky", but it could be just thinned out from the wind.

Martin- the smell was there before I changed the oil.
 

2001 GTS

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I had coolant leaking from one of the heater hoses and the car would smell after WOT, but it would be smoking as well at a stop.
 
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Warfang

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I had coolant leaking from one of the heater hoses and the car would smell after WOT, but it would be smoking as well at a stop.

hmmm... that might be the case. My Vipertech told me I had a very small leak and that I should start looking into getting my radiator repaired or replaced.
 

Bandit3

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Coolant has a "sweet smell", oil is just an oil smell. Have a good mechanic look around, and they/he should be able to help you.
 

Martin

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hmmm... that might be the case. My Vipertech told me I had a very small leak and that I should start looking into getting my radiator repaired or replaced.

If it were coolant, you'd smell a sickly sweet odor.

If the smell was there before the change, have you looked at the obvious things like the vent tubes coming out of the valve covers and the sealing gasket for the valve covers? When I replaced some pushrods a little while ago, I forgot to put one of the hoses back onto the valve cover and it puked oil all over the place - I could definitely smell that after I was driving hard. The valve cover gaskets can also be the culprit - the nuts holding the valve covers down are hardly torqued down at all (mine were on finger-tight) and it would be really easy for oil to leak out the bottom and drip down onto the manifolds if they loosened up over the years.
 

dave6666

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-> Open hood

-> Don vision correcting glasses if worn

-> Illuminate under hood area with brightest light available

-> Look for something burning or melted or?

You can do it! :2tu:
 

v10nut

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I have a similar problem with my car. If I get on it hard for a first to third pull I get a burning smell. Mine is my clutch. Time for an upgrade. How many miles on your car?
 
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Warfang

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-> Open hood

-> Don vision correcting glasses if worn

-> Illuminate under hood area with brightest light available

-> Look for something burning or melted or?

You can do it! :2tu:

I rarely WOT down the block and pull in the driveway... neighbors don't like that much. :p

But I'll see what I can do.
 

Dom426h

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Doesn't quite smell like burning oil... it's "smoky", but it could be just thinned out from the wind.


Malfunctioning air exhauster vents.
Shine a flashlight in your trunk and you'll likely see a few flaps stuck open. When at WOT enough exhaust is swirling around behind your viper that some gets sucked in the stuck open vent that is supposed to work as a one-way-valve only letting air out, not in.

Here is the Fix:
http://forums.viperclub.org/illustr...cs-included-bad-ones-cause-exhaust-smell.html
 
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Warfang

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Malfunctioning air exhauster vents.
Shine a flashlight in your trunk and you'll likely see a few flaps stuck open. When at WOT enough exhaust is swirling around behind your viper that some gets sucked in the stuck open vent that is supposed to work as a one-way-valve only letting air out, not in.

Here is the Fix:
http://forums.viperclub.org/illustr...cs-included-bad-ones-cause-exhaust-smell.html

That sounds right... especially when the windows are down. Will check in the morning. I actually remember reading that thread too... never occurred to me. Good timing... I was about to WOT on my neighbors. :D

Thanks!
 

dave6666

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The only "normal" smell that could be coming in the leaky rear exhausters is engine exhaust. And you aren't smelling that are you? So regardless of the condition of your exhausters, that does not seem to explain the nature of the smell does it?
 
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Warfang

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The only "normal" smell that could be coming in the leaky rear exhausters is engine exhaust. And you aren't smelling that are you? So regardless of the condition of your exhausters, that does not seem to explain the nature of the smell does it?

I think that's what I'm smelling. That's why I didn't think it smelled too much like oil or coolant. But taking the carpet off doesn't look too hard and I'll try looking under the hood too for good measure.
 

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