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Burnt Plastic Smell?

greenzee

New Member
Joined
Aug 28, 2006
Messages
6
Hey guys.  First real post here.  I've had my 2007 SOM II Av for about 2200 miles now, and a couple of times in the past 3 weeks I noticed a pretty hot plastic melting/burning smell coming from somewhere.  It's noticeable but not overwhelming in the cab, but outside you can get a good whiff of it.  No smoke or anything to speak of.  All temps and gauges read normal.  No towing, just normal  city driving.  I peeked under the belly of the truck this am and notice what appears to be something kind of sticky that has dripped down onto the exhaust at the o2 sensor, near the front of the cab.  It looks like something may have melted onto that, but I can't be sure that is true, or if it is what's causing this smell. 

Any 2007 owners out there that have experienced this?  I plan on calling the dealer to have them take a look.

Thanks.

JB
 
Actually, I test drove an '07 last Monday.  It only had 15 miles on it, so it was NEW.  When I came back to the dealer, I was talking to the dealer while it was idling.  I thought I smelled something too.  I didn't pay it too much mind. 

I have no idea what it was, but I can confirm I smelled something and it wasn't the tires smoking from my 'acceleration' test. :p
 
Yup, each one I test drove had a burning smell, and then the one I bought had that smell for the next few days.  All the new fluids and what not.

After 2000 miles though, you shouldn't be smelling anything burning.
 
After sleeping on it, I have a theory.  I took the truck through a car wash Friday night, and noticed a couple of those long plastic baggies the car wash sticks on windshield wipers blowing around in the bay at the "blow dry" section of the wash.  Looking underneath my truck at the spot on the exhaust that clearly has something that melted all over it, I think one of those bags got blown underneath, kind of wrapped on the OS sensor or wire, and quickly stuck to the hot exhaust.  There's no definite leftovers of a baggie or anything, but the relatively small amount of black stuff on the exhaust, and where it's located, my CSI skills just got me thinking that's what it was.

That's my theory today, anyway.  I'll still make a stop by the dealer though.  The smell is much less than it was a day or two ago, so I think it's just burning off, and nothing that is a constant (ie fluids or something).
 
AVCSI update...................It's possible that either you ran over one of those plastic Hondo Ridavalan'tas on your way home from the car wash and it stuck to the AV's under-carrage or the curiosity of a Hondo Ridavalan'ta owner decked out in a synthetic rain poncho got the best of them and While you were in the car wash bay they kinda slipped under your AV to get a looky see of what a real AV's power train is suppose to look like.............Inquiring minds may never know! The evidence apparently went up in smoke. You might close the case quicker by stopping by your local Hondo Dealership and asking if they have filed any missing employee reports with the "With-out a Trace" team..........."Lord fogive me for I have sinned again" >:D
 
I had the same smell for the first week or two after I bought mine.  However, if you still smelling it after 2200 miles I would run it past the dealership.  This way if anything does happen atleast they have it on record that you brought the truck in.  Let us know if they tell you what it was. 

Dan
 
Rather than possibly be on the hook for diagnosing something that wouldn't really be warranty-related, grab some sandpaper or a wire brush and remove the potentially offensive stuff from the pipe on your own.
 
I have 1700 mile on my AV. I did notice that plastic burnt smell when im driving my AV. I just recently installed a GM Vent visor on my AV. I was in the impression that the plastic smell is comming out from those visor. But I'll check under my hood and under  my truck to see if there's anything burning on my truck.
 
I ntoiced that smell on the few AVY's I test drove and on mine shortly after I purchased it.  Now my brother who bought one after me has that smell after putting on 4,000 miles.
 
Mine has it too ... every now and then ..

Dont care myself.  When something fries, Chevy can deal with it.
 
03whitediamond said:
AVCSI update...................It's possible that either you ran over one of those plastic Hondo Ridavalan'tas on your way home from the car wash and it stuck to the AV's under-carrage or the curiosity of a Hondo Ridavalan'ta owner decked out in a synthetic rain poncho got the best of them and While you were in the car wash bay they kinda slipped under your AV to get a looky see of what a real AV's power train is suppose to look like.............Inquiring minds may never know! The evidence apparently went up in smoke. You might close the case quicker by stopping by your local Hondo Dealership and asking if they have filed any missing employee reports with the "With-out a Trace" team..........."Lord fogive me for I have sinned again" >:D
:laugh:
 
Just a suggestion, check out the smell of the rubber bedliner in your AV.  Mine kind of smells like burnt plastic or rubber.  I was amazed that it had that much of a smell.

Don
 
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