Burning Plastic Smell After Shutdown

[G Man 02 Z06]

Help.... Yesterday, I noticed a burning "plastic" smell coming from the car after I shutdown. It is not the smell of burning rubber. Last night, I looked under the car for anything I may have picked up and found nothing. I opened the hood and found nothing there either.

Today, I took her out for a short test drive and still smell it. BTW, I did not drive it hard nor very fast. IMO, it seems the smell is coming from somewhere in the rear wheel wells (the fronts don't smell).

All fluids and temperatures are normal. Nothing is leaking. Everything seems normal when driving. The car is 7 months old with 3700 miles.

Anyone out there experience this??? Thanks in advance for your input.

Greg

 

[WhalePirot]

Put her up and sniff and look. Hopefully you picked up a plastic grocery bag which is burning on your hot exhaust.

You will want to know, and soon!

If you have no way to lift the car and get under, go to a garage that can. The cost will be nil or minimal.

Mike

 

[G Man 02 Z06]

I think I may have found something. I didn't find any pieces of plastic hanging anywhere but did see some brownish/blackish spots in different places on the exhaust pipes.

Does anyone know if these spots are something from the factory or did a piece of plastic get wrapped around the pipes and burn? If they are burn marks, what would be the best way to get them off? Scoth-Brite, chemical, etc.? Or should I just bring it to the dealer so they can confirm if they are burn marks and hopefully clean it off?

Greg

 

[MsSchroder]

welcome to the CAC, G Man.
I'm sorry, I don't know what should be used to clean the exhaust pipes.

 

[NavyPhrog]

I had the same thing happen but the smell was coming from the passenger side of the engine compartment. After inspection from under the car, I noticed that the wires coming from the starter and encased in a wire loom (black) and it was being melted by the exhaust manifold. Apparently the wires were a bit short, the dealer extended the wires and repaired the melted looming. No more burning plastic smell.
Give that area a look.
Jim

 

[G Man 02 Z06]

Problem Resolved! My suspicions were right. I took the car over to the dealer and once they lifted it, you could see remnants of plastic that burned on different parts of the exhaust pipes. They cleaned it off and charged me $25.

Thanks everybody for your input.

Greg

 

[Ctfoodguy2000]

Glad to hear the problem solved very inexpensively!

 

[bitmunger]

I have noticed a similiar smell

03 Z Silver/Red/Blk < 1000 miles
I have noticed a similar smell. On occasion I have sometimes smelled tires too. Thing was, I had not be pushing the car hard. I could understand the smell if I had repeated hot starts or such. But this was not the case.
I have also noticed when I come to a stop light and I decide to let the clutch out, with the car in neutral, the damn car sounds like an old style washing machine.
I have also heard this annoying knock. At least that's what it most sounded like to me. It sounded like valve chatter. Or as described in another forum as "Jingle" or "tingle";
Oh, I was not aware of the "CAGs" or the forced 1st to 4th shift thing.
Requested, someone ride with me and that would most easy demonstrate the problems. Ok, so now the Service Manager feeds me to a tech type, not sure of his function. But, I did observe, he was not greasy. Went for a short ride and was able to dup the jingle and the problem of not being able to shift to 2nd from 1st. Tech type told me "that's the nature of the beast" and the "jingle" is from the exhaust system "and Chevy sass its acceptable.
Known the less, I left my baby with the Dealer. A couple of days later, I get a call from the dealership telling me to come pick up my baby. Upon arriving I was nothing was wrong was found. 1. Because I said the jingle sounded like valve noise the Service Manager to me nothing was wrong with the engine (I had learned it was the exhaust before I left the car for repair). Also they could not find any thing wrong with the shifting and provided me with a tech bulletin explaining the 1 to 4 shifts. I had also complained of what sounded to paper in the heater fan motor. The dealer replaced the fan motor.
Eventually, I discovered the clutch was the cause of the noise I had identified as the heater.
Hi:JHo:JHI:JHO:J it off to the Dealer I go.
I will update this tread with outcome…
:argue