Hello, everybody!

I have an issue with my 8...

when I start the car and drive about 20km, i start to feel a wierd smell.
it smells like a burning tyres or clutch, though if I look at tyres they are ok (i do not rush) and clutch is working perfectly.
I feel this smell inside the car when I set air to come from the outside (if I disable getting air from the outside there will be no smell), or if I shut the car down and get out.
i have tried to find the source where the smell comes from - please take a look at the attached picture.

i have also noticed that i start feeling this smell sooner if i go in high RPM.
this makes me think that something happens when the engine gets warm...

generally the car operation is good, engine power does not seem to be decreased. i have only 8200km (nearly 5000 miles) on it. no engine flood ever happened to my car.

if somebody can help me recognize the source of the problem, please do

i have been in my Mazda dealer (i'm from Russia, Moscow), though they was not of much help... their conclusion was that since this car goes in higher RPM than other regular cars, i will get this smell from clutch anyway (in other words, every RX8 should produce such a smell?! ridiculous!). i think that was just their answer to get rid of me...

thank you!

 

So you are one of them there Synesthesetics? http://www.bu.edu/neuropsychology/synvc.html Hearing tastes and feeling smells. Sounds kinda fishy to me.

 

i am sorry, but i do not quite understand you.

i apologize if i have used "feel & smell" incorrectly. English is not my native language, and i would appreciate if you correct my mistakes.

 

Yeah, sorry. Was having fun. Unfortunately, this issue is going to be very hard to isolate over the internet. I will say that your dealer is full of фекально. The high rpms should not be the cause of your problem; however, a bad pressure plate and/or clutch disk might. There is a TSB on pressure plate bolt torque. I suppose if your pressure plate bolts were not tight enough you could get the clutch to slip and the smell could come into the car via the vent (below the windsheild.) Find the TSB on this site, print it and show it to the dealer.

Also, give some more detail on your car. Year, build date, bought when?, new? used? Mods?

 

I should have said your dealer was full of экскремент. Maybe that makes more sense?

Also, please note that brakes, clutches, tires, even burning plastic, can make similar, though distinct smells. Can you tell them appart? Do you have experience with this?

Does the smell go away once it starts?

This might sound weird, but can you start the car moving in third gear? If the clutch is slipping, it is often easier to start in third, but nearly impossible with a good clutch.

 

thank you for suggestion
i will search for TSB on this website...

the smell appears only when i drive for a while (20km, or even less when driving in high RPMs).

my 8 is 2005, bought last summer (2006) new (with discount since it have been standing on sale for almost an year).
i started to notice this smell issue about a month or two ago. first idea was that this is tires issue, so i didn't raise the question at that time...

hm... yes, i can start moving in 3rd gear. actually when I just bought the car, i started moving in 6th gear once (accidentally put 6th instead of rear ). do you think this must be the clue?

 

wanted to add that the dealer also inspected my exhausted system and told that it was clear (so this is not some kind of a plastic bag issue which is discussed in this forum http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...arx8club%2ecom)

 

what revs are you doing when you release the clutch in 1st gear before moving ?

 

usually not more than 2000 rpm.
and even less (1500) when moving in traffic jams.

 

my driving experience is not that big (2.5-3 years for now), but all cars i have been driving so far were with manual transmission, and i didn't ever had any issues with the clutch on any of them. and i do not think that i burn it on my 8...

 

just found the discussion related to my issue:

https://www.rx8club.com/series-i-tech-garage-22/nasty-smell-82016/

i suppose i have to get the car to dealer once again (omg, have been there just yesterday! ) to check cat converter bolts and seals...

 

Mine smells when I spill a little oil after topping it off, or after I change the oil filter. It may not be the clutch.

 

I add my word to this discussion started my colleague in Moscow. I noticed that I have that smell too, but, that is the point - its appears after 10-15 minutes driving till engine completely warming up (no matter RPM), and then disappears!
My first suggestion was to change coils and wires(sparks is new) as its may be misfiring, but now I convinced there are one more reason for this smell with both of us: we have small invisible oil leaking (I checked everything around engine but in vain, its leak somewhere in clutch section, smell is from there) when engine is cold and then after warming it start evaporate and we feel it or smell it, as one "comrade" above have had the fun about Vofka8 Synesthesetic capabilities. o
There are one more option for us exist but I don't understand whe we feel from engine/clutch section - our clogged cats, as quality of gas here stay far from good even at the respected gas stations. May be there are some unburned oil left when its cold but how it find the way outside?

So to summarize it and left aside needless discussion: its oil evaporizing under high temperature unpleasant smell, its not the clutch itself, I know the smell of both cases, its 20 years motorcycling racing and cars driving, and its not a spill after refill up or changing filter, I did it for example last October and started to feel smell month ago or smt.

The question is simple: where it from or what is the reason of it? I also check TSB

P.S. Vofka8, don't makes attempt to start at third, with your small experience with that kind you end up your clutch. Угробишь, по нашенски

 

Yusik, thanks for posting!

i agree that this is not likely to be a clutch issue.

we had a really good snow yesterday in Moscow, so after work I went to have some fun driving and drifting on snow outside the public roads. i was rushing the car and redlined several times, though never filled this nasty smell!
this is rather confusing - sometimes it smells, sometimes don't.
the only difference between my usual car operation and yesterday's is that usually have DSC enabled, but yesterday i turned it off. maybe this is the key?

i will try driving with and without DSC and then post here if i find something.

p.s. of course, i'm not starting from the third

 

I have noticed this too.. and for lack of a better description on the smell, i would almost suggest burning hair? (like if you singe your hair on a cigarette or whatever).
It doesnt last long, a minute or two, and then its gone.. and not every time. I notice it while driving, not stopped, I'm in any gear and moving.

I had this issue with a past car *a Chevrolet* and complained about it for years... nothing ever found or fixed. Then I got a recall for the ignition relay, apparently the ignition can start on fire in that model Chev. I got the recall done, and no more smell.

So now it is something I will mention to my dealer, since its not just me going crazy *ha*. I'll be back checking for more info to see if anyone has any more ideas.

So glad you posted this!

 

We are not alone in Moscow noticed this unpleasant smell!
Canada's RX owners do that too!

Let see if anybody posted they experience with oil' burning smell, may be there is a more ideas of it. Hope some of super puper moderators has some ideas what to check.

Anyway I ordered coils and wires from Mazsport to be sure its not the reason of this smell, its just I don't know for sure when it comes, boys from there is so slow with orders, we see what to do next then.
Lets keep this matter posted to find proper solution. Mazda dealers won't help with it, that is obvious.

Vofka8, you won't feel the smell with DCS disabled because as you said about redlined sometimes, you pass thru evaporating oil smell faster than usual, - when we used to stay in traffic for long times on idle. That is my experience with this matter observation.

 

i have been driving for about 150km non-stop (nearly 100 miles) this weekend on average speed of 120-130km/h (75-80mph), but i didn't ever smelled anything ( this even made me think that maybe it depends on the outside temperature, air moisture, etc. haha just joking ).

yes, it seems that DSC is the thing completely not involved in this case. my observations on this weekend did not show any dependence on DSC.