Strong Smell From Engine

[Alan C]

I a new to this list and wanted to know if anyone else has experienced this problem.

My 93 LS 400 has an unusual burning smell from the engine. I especially notice it when I first open my door to get out of the car. At first I thought it was maybe a little oil that dripped onto the manifold after I got the oil changed, but the smell has persisted.

Any ideas of what it could be?

Anyone had any similar issues?

Thank you for your time!

Alan C

Lovin' my LS!

[lenore]

Maybe one of the drive belts are slipping, other than that I would make sure there are no oil leaks.

[RFeldes]

Check the PS pump and put your hand underneath it looking for a leak.

[blake918]

If you think it smells like burnt oil, then take a look at your valve covers to see if they are leaking.

[Alan C]

Check the PS pump and put your hand underneath it looking for a leak.

I assume your're meaning the Power Steering pump?

[Alan C]

Maybe one of the drive belts are slipping, other than that I would make sure there are no oil leaks.

HELP!!

Where is the PS pump?

[RFeldes]

Check the PS pump and put your hand underneath it looking for a leak.

I assume your're meaning the Power Steering pump?

Correct.

[branshew]

Before we send you on a wild goose chase through your engine bay it would help to know what the smell actually smells like:

Burn't Oil = oil leak or sloppy refill at oil change

Burnt/Coolant (kind of a sweet smell) = coolant leak

Burnt Dexron = PS leak or transmission fluid leak

Burnt Rubber/Plastic = rubber/plastic rubbing against a moving part of the engine or touching a hot part of the engine, maybe slipping belt.

It could be any number of things, but it's hard to speculate w/o more info. Any spots on your driveway?

[Alan C]

Before we send you on a wild goose chase through your engine bay it would help to know what the smell actually smells like:

Burn't Oil = oil leak or sloppy refill at oil change

Burnt/Coolant (kind of a sweet smell) = coolant leak

Burnt Dexron = PS leak or transmission fluid leak

Burnt Rubber/Plastic = rubber/plastic rubbing against a moving part of the engine or touching a hot part of the engine, maybe slipping belt.

It could be any number of things, but it's hard to speculate w/o more info. Any spots on your driveway?

Yeah, a wild goose chase under the hood of a car could be fatal for me! I know "squat" about cars! (After all, thats' why I'm here!)

Thank you all for your input. You guys are really great!

I ended up calling the Lexus dealership yesterday and told them the problem, and they told me to come in immediately. I didn't because I wanted to do some more research on my own. They just called my cell phone AGAIN 10 minutes ago asking me to set up an appointment.

From what I've read on here, I think I'll stay away from the "stealership".

So today I went to see a friend of mine who is a technician at an independant shop and he said that the smell was that of burnt coolant. He said that it is a very minor leak, and if it were him, he wouldn't worry about it. He said that I should keep an eye on the coolant level and also on the heat condenser/regulator ? (it's right up by the windshield), something that regulates the heat and A/C. He noticed some signs of leakage around that area.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again!

Alan C.