Results 1 to 9 of 9

Thread: Burn Smell......

  1. #1
    DX User TsubohachiLX-i's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Vehicle
    1987 Honda Accord LX-i Sedan
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Posts
    61

    Burn Smell......

    Hello 3Geez!!!


    Can someone tell me what could cause a burn smell to come from the engine bay after my LX-i reaches normal temperature at idle or while driving? I popped the hood and noticed that the smell seems to be coming from the front of the engine, around the cylinder head/exhaust manifold area......



  2. #2
    3Geez Veteran lostforawhile's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Vehicle
    86 hatchback, 1990 Lincoln Towncar
    Location
    nowhere GA
    Posts
    15,401

    Re: Burn Smell......

    Quote Originally Posted by TsubohachiLX-i View Post
    Hello 3Geez!!!


    Can someone tell me what could cause a burn smell to come from the engine bay after my LX-i reaches normal temperature at idle or while driving? I popped the hood and noticed that the smell seems to be coming from the front of the engine, around the cylinder head/exhaust manifold area......
    you most likely have one of three things, all easily fixed, and common problems, most likely is the valve cover gasket is leaking, when you get the gasket it will have a gasket and three grommets, search on here for instructions on how to replace it, second and very common, the O ring on the distributor shaft is leaking, cheap part and easy to replace, get several, every time you pull the distributor you'll have to replace it. another possibility is the power steering line is leaking, if it's this, it needs to be fixed, as it can cause an engine fire.

  3. #3
    LX User 1813mdw's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Jackson, Michigan
    Posts
    286

    Re: Burn Smell......

    my 1st guess would be oil on the exhaust manifold. does it leak from the valve cover gasket? also make sure no wires or hoses are too close to the manifold. another guess would be a small coolant leak. if you do not know the difference in smells a visual inspection comes 1st.

  4. #4
    DX User TsubohachiLX-i's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Vehicle
    1987 Honda Accord LX-i Sedan
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Posts
    61

    Re: Burn Smell......

    i looked under the car this morning and noticed that there's oil on the exhaust pipe near the flex....judging by the color it looks like engine oil.....

    what could be leaking back there?

  5. #5
    3Geez Veteran lostforawhile's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Vehicle
    86 hatchback, 1990 Lincoln Towncar
    Location
    nowhere GA
    Posts
    15,401

    Re: Burn Smell......

    Quote Originally Posted by TsubohachiLX-i View Post
    i looked under the car this morning and noticed that there's oil on the exhaust pipe near the flex....judging by the color it looks like engine oil.....

    what could be leaking back there?
    near the flex pipe? it's probably the oil filter base gasket, behind the oil filter is the thing the filter screws on to, it unbolts with a few bolts, after you take off the oil sender on top, there's a special O ring on there behind it, they go bad, and oil will leak out under pump pressure, it's a dealer item, but not expensive, the main thing, is making sure the bolts are torqued evenly, and not over torqued, or it will leak

  6. #6
    DX User TsubohachiLX-i's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Vehicle
    1987 Honda Accord LX-i Sedan
    Location
    Dallas, TX
    Posts
    61

    Re: Burn Smell......

    thanx dude i'll look into that this weekend......

  7. #7

    Dr_Snooz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Vehicle
    1989 Accord LX-i
    Location
    Fresno, California
    Posts
    10,687

    Re: Burn Smell......

    What does it smell like? Oil, coolant, wires?
    Dr_Snooz

    "I like to take hammers, and just break stuff, just break stuff." - Beavis


    1989 Honda Accord LX-i Coupe, 240k miles, MT swap, rear disc swap

    Shop manual downloads available here: CLICK TO VIEW

  8. #8
    3Geez Veteran MessyHonda's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Vehicle
    89 LX-i(5speed)
    Location
    Bay Area
    Posts
    22,201

    Re: Burn Smell......

    Quote Originally Posted by lostforawhile View Post
    near the flex pipe? it's probably the oil filter base gasket, behind the oil filter is the thing the filter screws on to, it unbolts with a few bolts, after you take off the oil sender on top, there's a special O ring on there behind it, they go bad, and oil will leak out under pump pressure, it's a dealer item, but not expensive, the main thing, is making sure the bolts are torqued evenly, and not over torqued, or it will leak
    just my guess or also the oil pan gasket...mine would leak to the downpipe

    1989 Honda Accord LX-i
    B18c1 swap since 7/2011
    175whp and 132tq
    Redzone tuned

  9. #9
    3Geez Veteran lostforawhile's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Vehicle
    86 hatchback, 1990 Lincoln Towncar
    Location
    nowhere GA
    Posts
    15,401

    Re: Burn Smell......

    Quote Originally Posted by MessyHonda View Post
    just my guess or also the oil pan gasket...mine would leak to the downpipe
    it could be but thats usually more forward, if the pan gasket is going, while it's being replaced, it's not that much more work to fix that filter base gasket, cheap insurance

Similar Threads

  1. What causes an engine to burn oil?
    By TeKKnoTeKK in forum 3geez Accords
    Replies: 9
    Last Post: 02-21-2004, 10:05 PM
  2. burn baby burn!
    By Immeraufdemhund in forum 3geez Accords
    Replies: 8
    Last Post: 10-09-2002, 07:58 PM
  3. Burn Out Pics
    By PhydeauX in forum 2geez Accords
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 08-19-2002, 09:10 AM
  4. Burn, Baby Burn...
    By 3_GENCYCO in forum Classic Honda Community Chat
    Replies: 22
    Last Post: 08-08-2002, 03:35 AM
  5. oil burn
    By 89 Accord Se-I in forum 3geez Accords
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 07-25-2002, 11:26 PM

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
This website uses cookies
We use cookies to store session information to facilitate remembering your login information, to allow you to save website preferences, to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners.
     
Links monetized by VigLink