Strange one - anybody run over a plastic bag?
Discussion
I admit this is not the usual post but I have a plastic burning smell coming from my car when I accelerate hard.
I've looked for a plastic bag trapped around the exhaust and there isn't one there. I've also checked if anything is touching the manifolds and no.
I've then thought back and rememberd that I cut a plastic tie about a week ago that I thought dropped into the engine bay and onto the floor. I guess that it didn't and is somewhere on the manifolds and when they get very hot under hard acceleration, it melts the tie and it smells.
I can't find a plastic tie on the manifolds but it could be hidden anywhere.
If anyone has run over a plastic bag, can you let me know how long it took to eventually melt away, it's starting to get on my nerves.
I've looked for a plastic bag trapped around the exhaust and there isn't one there. I've also checked if anything is touching the manifolds and no.
I've then thought back and rememberd that I cut a plastic tie about a week ago that I thought dropped into the engine bay and onto the floor. I guess that it didn't and is somewhere on the manifolds and when they get very hot under hard acceleration, it melts the tie and it smells.
I can't find a plastic tie on the manifolds but it could be hidden anywhere.
If anyone has run over a plastic bag, can you let me know how long it took to eventually melt away, it's starting to get on my nerves.
I had a horrible smell of plastic and smoke pouring out from under the bonnet at 130 mph on a track day.
Turned out that when I had been looking in the engine bay earlier I had left the battery powered LED inspection light behind when I shut the bonnet, and it had taken up residence on the exhaust manifold .....
...... It was by then an ex-parrotinspection light
Turned out that when I had been looking in the engine bay earlier I had left the battery powered LED inspection light behind when I shut the bonnet, and it had taken up residence on the exhaust manifold .....
...... It was by then an ex-
If it's in the engine bay and you can smell it you should be able to see the smoke, if it is what you think it is. Get it indoors with no wind and aim a spotlight across the engine. I used to have a burning plastic smell in mine, it was the main beam on the N/S headlight arcing out and melting the wiring
When you accelerate hard....... 
..........so something like the alternator producing too much power, or the heater control unit melting its wiring (known fault and in the dash top)?
What else can we think of that is plastic and get hotter when accelerating hard? The smell of nylon brown trousers melting?
..........so something like the alternator producing too much power, or the heater control unit melting its wiring (known fault and in the dash top)?What else can we think of that is plastic and get hotter when accelerating hard? The smell of nylon brown trousers melting?
Can you smell it as you're accelerating or after? There's no way that something would heat up from the engine bay and you get a whiff of it in the time it takes to get from 2-4k rpm. I used to turn my lights on and it would take 30 seconds for the melty smell of the wiring/fuse board to reach my nostrils, I would then still stink for a couple minutes after.
When I wrapped a bag around the centre section of the exhaust on my old 5 series bmw it would just smell all of the time.
When I wrapped a bag around the centre section of the exhaust on my old 5 series bmw it would just smell all of the time.
After.
For about 15 seconds or so.
Which is why I'm thinking plastic tie on/near the manifolds and when they get very hot under hard acceleration, it melts.
15 seconds later, the manifold cools (relatively to the higher temps under full blast acceleration) and the smell disappears.
For about 15 seconds or so.
Which is why I'm thinking plastic tie on/near the manifolds and when they get very hot under hard acceleration, it melts.
15 seconds later, the manifold cools (relatively to the higher temps under full blast acceleration) and the smell disappears.
Edited by A900ss on Monday 21st April 19:46
They're hot enough to melt plastic all of the time, the amount of abuse you give the engine would have little effect on the manifolds plastic melting abilities IMO. Either you're tripping out and imaging smells or somethings not touching the manifold all of the time, if it is even coming from there 
You really worried yet?
You really worried yet?
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