91LS400LEX

Hi guys. Well, if its not one problem, then its another. After work tonight I had to run some errands - I drove out to the mall, over to a supermarket and started back home. About 1/4 way back, my mom called me and asked if I would stop at a pharmacy and get her some medicine. I had passed one up about .5 of a mile when she called, so I made a turn and went back. I pulled in and got out and went by the front of the car (gen 1 LS400) and I got a whiff of something that smelled like "hot electrical components" (not wires), but it was as strange smell and hard to describe, kinda like "raw burning" kerosene or diesel. I thought it was the car next to mine, but I went back to kill the curiosity and it was coming from under MY hood! I raised it up and tracked the smell down to the battery area. If I smelled between the battery and where the washer fluid goes it, it was the strongest there. It was pretty strong too, but there was no smoke. I went on in to get the medicine and came back out. I called my dad and told him what the car was doing and that I did not trust it coming home. He came (9 miles) and looked at it, but by then, the smell had went away. I drove it on home and never smelled it again (I stopped a couple of times on the way to check it). I got home and smelled it again right when I raised the hood, but it went away. Its windy and it hard to track the smell down. I noticed there was some oil on the driverside valve cover gasket that was smoking, but it had a different smell from the smell around the battery. I took off the underhood fuse box cover, thinking the smell may be from there, but its not and all fuses are fine. I do not think a hot/boiling battery would smell like this. I know there are alot of wires in that area, so do not know what to think now. Everything looks OK though. I do have that leaking power steering fluid leaking possibly into the alternator issue, but the smell was not coming from the alternator area, but may be a problem stemming from that, or? I am clueless and discouraged.

I am hesitant to drive the car now, because I do not know what caused that, or if it will do it again. I am even thinking of maybe disconnecting the battery tonight incase something is shorting out, it will not catch our garage/othe cars on fire. I have been back for about 90 minutes and went out and sniffed and its gone.

I never imagined I would have an electrical problem such as this on a "Toyota" vehicle, because of all of the cars I have owned, Toyotas (and Hondas and believe it or not, Mercedes) have had the best electrical systems.

Thanks for any advice.

link13

If you have a power steering leak and it's getting involved with the alternator, you need to fix that asap. Maybe even now. Nothing good comes from deferred maintenance.

avalon42

iTrader: (1)

Is out only when you're driving? I would try to let the engine warm up and see what's cooking underneath the hood.

91LS400LEX

Yes, tonight was the first night it has ever happened... and its clearly coming from that area between the fender and battery. Its not coming from the fuse box, etc. While I set there for awhile in the parking lot, the smell went away.

I went ahead and drive the car 10 miles home and never smelled it again- only faintly when I got home and sniffed in that area. I went out about an hour later and the smell was completely gone.

I am beginning to think that perhaps my leaking PS pump is getting into my alternator and causing something to overheat. The smell is strange - it smells like overheated metal or something, not wires.



She is parked for awhile I guess - maybe forever - I may have it crushed.

91LS400LEX

False alarm... turns out it was a speck of "clumped" oil from the leaky valvecover that fell on the manifold causing the smell.

I drove it twice today for a total of about 110 miles and no smells/issues.

Still getting that PS leak fixed ASAP and valve cover gaskets.