What's that smell of plastic burning?

I've got a four-door automatic 2005 Toyotal Corolla with about 16,000
miles on it, which I am very happy with.

But for the last 2 months, every time I park my car and pass by the
front grill I smell a smell that I can only describe as a plastic
burning smell. I've opened up the hood and can't locate where it's
coming from...and the car is working fine.

Anyone have an idea what it could possibly be?

On Tue, 30 May 2006 16:20:55 -0700, shempmcgurk wrote:
[color=blue]
> I've got a four-door automatic 2005 Toyotal Corolla with about 16,000
> miles on it, which I am very happy with.
>
> But for the last 2 months, every time I park my car and pass by the
> front grill I smell a smell that I can only describe as a plastic
> burning smell. I've opened up the hood and can't locate where it's
> coming from...and the car is working fine.
>
> Anyone have an idea what it could possibly be?[/color]

It's still sorta new. It will smell for a while.
At least, that has been my experience (Contrary to popular belief, I have
had a number of NEW Toyotas, too!)

I once had a thick grocery bag get stuck and melted to my exhaust pipe
on another car underneath. Even after "trying" to clean it all off, It
would still smell when hot for MONTHS.

On 30 May 2006 16:20:55 -0700, [email]shempmcgurk@netscape.net[/email] wrote:
[color=blue]
>I've got a four-door automatic 2005 Toyotal Corolla with about 16,000
>miles on it, which I am very happy with.
>
>But for the last 2 months, every time I park my car and pass by the
>front grill I smell a smell that I can only describe as a plastic
>burning smell. I've opened up the hood and can't locate where it's
>coming from...and the car is working fine.
>
>Anyone have an idea what it could possibly be?[/color]

"AntiGreed" <AntiGreed@Spamfree.life> wrote in message
news:f41q72h0nc4fo3i0rpbgiah07jrorc7sh4@4ax.com...[color=blue]
>I once had a thick grocery bag get stuck and melted to my exhaust pipe
> on another car underneath. Even after "trying" to clean it all off, It
> would still smell when hot for MONTHS.
>
> On 30 May 2006 16:20:55 -0700, [email]shempmcgurk@netscape.net[/email] wrote:
>[color=green]
>>I've got a four-door automatic 2005 Toyotal Corolla with about 16,000
>>miles on it, which I am very happy with.
>>
>>But for the last 2 months, every time I park my car and pass by the
>>front grill I smell a smell that I can only describe as a plastic
>>burning smell. I've opened up the hood and can't locate where it's
>>coming from...and the car is working fine.
>>
>>Anyone have an idea what it could possibly be?[/color]
>[/color]

Yup, check for something stuck to the exhaust and for any wires or hoses
touching any exhaust parts.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

"Ray O" <rokigawa@tristarassociatesDOTcom> wrote in message
news:1250c$447d0c59$180fead6$15347@msgid.meganewsservers.com...[color=blue]
>
> "AntiGreed" <AntiGreed@Spamfree.life> wrote in message
> news:f41q72h0nc4fo3i0rpbgiah07jrorc7sh4@4ax.com...[color=green]
>>I once had a thick grocery bag get stuck and melted to my exhaust pipe
>> on another car underneath. Even after "trying" to clean it all off, It
>> would still smell when hot for MONTHS.
>>
>> On 30 May 2006 16:20:55 -0700, [email]shempmcgurk@netscape.net[/email] wrote:
>>[color=darkred]
>>>I've got a four-door automatic 2005 Toyotal Corolla with about 16,000
>>>miles on it, which I am very happy with.
>>>
>>>But for the last 2 months, every time I park my car and pass by the
>>>front grill I smell a smell that I can only describe as a plastic
>>>burning smell. I've opened up the hood and can't locate where it's
>>>coming from...and the car is working fine.
>>>
>>>Anyone have an idea what it could possibly be?[/color]
>>[/color]
>
> Yup, check for something stuck to the exhaust and for any wires or hoses
> touching any exhaust parts.
> --
>
> Ray O
> (correct punctuation to reply)[/color]


If you have burnt plastic stuck to something, you *might* want to use a
solvent like goof-off to clean it... However, in order to work well the
plastic should be hot and sort of melty. This means the solvent will
evaporate extremely rapidly, possibly engulfing you in fumes and suffocating
you, or consuming you in a ball of fire if there is a spark or other
ignition source.

I've used it in *small* amounts with a lot of ventilation to clean melted
plastic off hot parts, sometimes it works and sometimes not (I guess it
depends on how soluble that particular type of plastic is in whatever
goof-off is made of.)

You usually still get some burnt plastic smell but it is greatly reduced and
fades pretty quickly.

Another method, if the part which has melted or burnt plastic stuck to it
can handle the heat, is to get it *really* hot with a blowtorch and burn off
all the plastic once and for all.