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Burning Smell?

49K views 27 replies 17 participants last post by  ronnie948  
#1 ·
Hello again everyone
When driving on the highway (75-80 mph) everything is fine, however, if I floor it to pass someone I get a "burning" smell from the front of the car. It doesn't smell like gasoline or anything in particular.
I expressed my concerns at my local dealer when I got the oil changed and they said that they didn't see anything but to keep an eye on it.
So have any of you guys experienced anything similar or have any idea what it might be?
 
#5 ·
It's the oil going into the engine from the valve hose thing on the passenger side. Very hard and aggressive driving did that to mine. The solution is to get the oil catch can and the problem stops. Also if auto it's the transmission kinda burning a little lol just my experience.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Mine don't have any smell at all

I'm wondering if you may have a slight exhaust leak. It will be fine around town but when you are up in the high RPM the extra pressure allows the exhaust to escape at a connecting point causing the smell you describe.

Ronnie
 
#9 ·
Your transmission has a problem.

If your having that problem something is very wrong. The transmissions in our 3.7 Mustangs are the exact same one's they use in the GT's, And The Roush stage three also uses this automatic if you order it. It is a very sturdy transmission and really hard to mess up.

You may have hurt it when you had your accident a while back.

Ronnie
 
#13 ·
Wow I definitely wasn't expecting this many replies! I'm glad that I'm not the only one that's experiencing it
I didn't consider it being oil haha
It definitely only happens when I push it hard, and it usually goes away within a minute or two.
My car is fairly new. I got it at the end of May, so it's not brand new but it's not old
 
#17 ·
I have the 3.7 V6, and automatic transmission. I drive 300 to 450 miles a week on my Mustang, and I have no oil smelling issues. I drive at constant highway speeds, and "push it" to pass vehicles. Again, no oil or other smells when I do this. I too have a catch can, but even before that was installed, I did not experience these smells.

I'd inspect the area around the oil filter for spills. That filter likes to spill off oil when it's removed (you know this if you do your own oil changes). Perhaps there's some oil on the frame, or engine in this area that's burning a bit when the engine is warm.
 
#20 ·
Well also check your coolant guys, when I checked mine last after this little incident, my top reservoir was bone dry and it took 1 whole bottle to fill it back up. Now my car runs correctly and also no burning smell. It wasn't oil, but to me was a weird material like burning but with all that I did at the same time; the new modifications
 
#27 ·
Check around your water pump, radiator and surge tank. I little coolant can go a long way with a smell. I would also check for any leaks around valve covers.
You also can smell a Catalytic Converter as it cleans itself out under acceleration.
 
#28 ·
99% of the time it is coming from the Cat.
It is harmless,
Mine is a 2012 and still does it when I run the car hard
Ronnie