I have a MY04 with 1800 miles and first time I put the top down today. I noticed that there is a burning smell which I thought was coming from another car. When I stop and parked the car I noticed that it is coming from my car. I tried to sniff around the car and it seems that it is coming from the wheel wells.. but also from the exaust. I tried touching the calipers and rotors but it is not hot. It is like the smell of some really hot metal. Have anybody experienced this?

 

Did you by chance leave your parking brake up a couple of clicks? That could be it.

 

Its not burning brakes nor clutch.. I know the smell... Its not coming from the wheel well as I have previously stated.. Its coming from the engine bay...

 

I have experienced (and continue to experience) the same smell in MY2004. It seems to happen after I drive fast on a winding road. It DOES seem to come from the wheel wells, so I thought it was the brake pads. When I first noticed it I asked about it at the dealership but they didn't seem to know what it was. Now you are saying it actually comes from the engine bay? and you know what it is? What is it? I have got the same problem, I think, and I would like to know.
Tonino.

 

It only smells when the engine has been running for sometime.. I still cannot pinpoint the origin of the burning smell but I would assume something is getting in contact with the exhaust manifold or the exaust pipes itself because that is the only part of the engine that would be really hot. You can only smell it inside once you make a turn.... that is why you thought that it only happens in winding roads..

 

I had that too but since then I have change my tires and it seem to have went away. Or maybe I got used to it?

 

I have the exact same thing on my MY05. I have only 800 miles on mine, and every time I take it out, VTEC or not, I get that smell. Actually I only ever park in my garage and the smell can be a little overwhelming. The dealership told me it was the chemicals they put on the engine and would be gone in a couple more hundred miles. It smells exactly the same as the MR2 Turbo I had, so I am assuming its just a fairly normal thing. It doesn't bother me too much so I am relaxing about it. Let us know if you pin point the origin of the smell.

James

 

I just spoke with a service representative from the dealer and she said that its a chemical that honda sprays for the undercoating... somehow it got sprayed on the exhaust pipes.. when it heats up the chemical emits a smell.. she told me the name of the chemical but I did not write it down.. I remember now that I also had this in a civic that I used to own so she may be right.. I just hope that it goes away soon.

 

YES, i thought i was the only one, i have the exact thing happen to me, when i "smash" it before i come home to my garage i smell this nasty brungin smell, i start to panic but eveentually i got used to it. I have another question, have your car ever smelt like fish??? mines did, but i think i kinda rev high on the clutch up hill meaning "burn" the clutch alittle, but it was irriataed fish smell.

 

I just read a post titled something like "engine bogs on launch". Someone mentioned a nasty smell from a burned clutch, after a slow release of the clutch launching at 4000 RPM and up. I presume that's the "fishy" smell?
I have also noticed that the smell that seems to come from the wheel wells after a fast drive on a winding road (some use of brakes) now is definitely less. The car is a year old and has 13K miles.
Tonino.