Privacy

my car shifts great and runs awesome as the day I got it
but when I shift into reverse I can smell a burning rubber smell, there is no problem or hesitation, just a burning rubber smell...

what could this be?
no CEL lights
its been doing this for a few months
only when in reverse
car is smooth as could be

smell comes through the a/c system, and when i stop the car from under the hood

no burning oil, no sludge, no problems at all

ByTor

Mine smells like that all the time. No CEL, or any driveability problems either. The smell does not come through the A/C, but you can smell it when you get out of the car.
No clue what it is either.

lexus114

Burning rubber smell in reverse huh? that one beats all.

Lexmex

I'd try to have someone outside the vehicle pinpoint the smell when you put it in reverse.

sktn77a

iTrader: (2)

After you smell it in the car, remove the transmission fluid dipstick and see if it smells burnt - unlikely, but hey, this is a new one!?

Privacy

tranny oil doesnt smell burnt..

i have tried with people and they cant pinpoint the smell

no clue what it is
its not strong but you CAN smell it...
only comes through the a/c when the air is NOT set to recirc so it pulls in the smell from the engine area naturally...

salimshah

Little out of the box thinking here ...
Maybe the smell in reverse has to do with the movement of observer ... the source is always there, but it is sensed as the observer moves in the path.

To eliminate the above ... how about engaging the reverse gear and with the foot on the brake; go nowhere.

Or better still:
Have the RX on lift and check with wheels turning in reverse.


Salim

Privacy

i just tried that actually...handbrake on..in reverse....you can smell it yes...very faintly... it doesnt do it in drive..just reverse...

Privacy

figured out what makes it do the smell..anytime the rx is on any incline up or down more then a few degrees I get that smell..what could that be?... Its from the engine bay area.

Nad1370

Could be your reverse band in the tranny thats starting to slip but not felt when driving in reverse.
The highest psi fluid flow in the transmission is in reverse. therfore even though the smell isn't coming from the fluid itself but probably in the vent tube of the trans.

Hopefully this is not the case and you just have a lot of power to the wheels and your roasting your tires. Lol

Privacy

lovely..

I was hoping that would not be the case, I was hoping that the car would last 200K or at least 150K on the stock tranny...

Now here is the interesting part, The other day I parked my car on a hill facing down so the back end of the car is up and the front is down..and put it in park..left it running for 5 minutes...and I still got the smell.

What could that be?...on level surfaces, I get nothing smell wise and it drives like a dream regardless of terrain or incline

thomas1

Mine is having the same issue after some hard driving...does it on level. I guess it will rear its ugly head sometime. I cant quite understand the rubber smell though..I thought the bands had more brake type material on them.

hypervish

Have you drained and filled your differential lately? It's not that costly and its worth a shot to see if it will stop the smell.

Privacy

yes, i got all new fluids about 4K miles ago.. and new oil 2K ago

hypervish

What weight did you use?