weird smell from vents
 

Hey.

ok so another problem with my rx 8...
since i bought it there is a odd smell that is almost like chemical or perhaps rubber or oil.
it comes as i drive the car just randomly and especially when i turn the heater on (cold or hot)
i think its oil burning smell but i am not sure...
has anyone had this?

Do you smell it when A/C is set to bring in air from the outside, or when you have it set to recirculate? Or does it do it on both settings?... And does it definitely smell like a chemical or oil or something, or could it possibly just be some type of mildew? Its not too hard to accidentally get mildew in your A/C system. If you have it set to get air from the outside and are running the A/C hard, if it is raining or you are going through a car wash or something it can accidently suck moisture/water in and that can make a smell if it sits a while...

its not on AC its only when i turn the vents on. and i set it to recirculate the air so its definitely from the engine.
at odd times even if its not on i will get a less stronger smell
its definitely not mildew because i know that smell for sure and its different.

Next time you smell it, pull over and take a look under the car. If could be something stuck to your exhaust or your cat failing and melting stuff around it from the heat. Pop the hood and see if you can see where it smells the strongest.

could be that your car is on fire... :rollingla
Really though. You sure that this isn't a recent problem related to your other thread?

no it cant be since that problem is fixed now (new ignition wires) and i still noticed the smell.

Has the tranny oil been changed lately?

The smell can come up thru the shifter boot, and it reeks!

You have it on recirc and think that means it's definitely coming from the engine? Recirc recycles the air inside the car and doesn't flow air in from outside, it doesn't run in out into the engine compartment and back inside.

Rubber burning has a very distinct smell, are you sure you can't tell what it is? The rubber engine mounts in the 8's are known to get too hot from the engine and deteriorate. Mine have done so to a certain degree but I don't know that I've actually ever smelled it happening and we keep our vents on outside air all of the time to prevent the mildew issue.

The only weird odor I ever smell is just from the exhaust and it's usually only on the outside of the car when it's idling. I'm not sure why it's so much more distinct on the 8 than it is on my other 2 vehicles, but it is. But it doesn't resemble rubber burning at all.

Yeah, if it is on recirculation then the air in the cabin just keeps cycling around. If it is coming from the engine then having the a/c set to bring in new air would make it the most noticeable, because that draws air in from right by the engine.

Stealth's idea about it being from the tranny sounds like a pretty good possibility based on what you're describing.

well rubber burning has a specific smell and its not that really. it resembles the smell you get from exhaust fumes. just sort of more chemical than oil or rubber.
i will pull over next time i get this smell and try to pin point where exactly its from them post back here.

stealth...
i am not aware of tranny fluid being changed. i doubt it has since its a 2008 and gone for 60000km by the time i got it.
mazda printed a copy of the reports they had and i didn't see any fluids being changed. now that i think i should have got them to give me that copy so i can double check but i can go in and try to get a print out again. although it will only show what the dealership has done and nothing outside.

My initial thought was "Hey, I've got the same problem!"

Then again, I have a breather connected to in leu of recirculating fumes/sputters into the intake. That's where my 'issue' lies...

This may sound simple but did the issue begin occurring recently after an oil change?

Problem was soon after i got the car so it may have been there for the last service which i dont know when it was. I haven't done a oil change since i owned it but will be doing that once i get the spark plugs

Sorry to revive such an old thread. Just wondering if you ever figured out your problem. My heater started smelling like something burning. It's gradually getting worse. I thought it smelled like leaves or something like that burning. My husband said it reminds him of asbestos. My smell gets worse the higher the rpms are. It's definitely coming through my heater vents. But I also smell it in my drivers side front wheel well. I've been looking for it for a week and can't figure it out.

You might have a caliper sticking heating up your brake pads.
Have you noticed any pulling or discoloration of the brake rotor?

I will check. I am taking it to my dads tomorrow so the snow can melt and the car will dry off completely, and we will check everything out Friday. It is possible, although the car doesn't seem to be pulling at all either way. I was thinking maybe it was the clutch. It doesn't slip at all and I was told it was replaced in June 2015 (I bought the car February 2016).

If you want to be sure, get the wheel off the ground, have someone sit in it while someone spins the wheel.
Press the brake while trying to spin the wheel.
When the brake is released, it should spin right away.
If it doesn't, the caliper is sticking.

Ahh!

I have had snow freeze up and lock the brake movement on one side of the car.

Then the brake keeps rubing and burning.

This started before it snowed. I am about to put it up on jack stands and see what I can find. Yesterday we noticed smoke coming out of the drivers side wheel well, between the bumper and the tire.

I searched for an hour and couldn't find anything at all. I started the car to find the smoke and found it in about 5 seconds. It was the alternator. It completely burned the plastic part that is attached to the top back of the alternator, where the wire bolts on. Ended up switching out the entire alternator and she seems to be much better! Thanks for all the suggestions, I really appreciate it!!!!

Good news!
That's an easy fix.:)
Thanks for the update.