Burning smell when I test drove a car...

DublinWriter

I was test driving a car I was interested in buying today.

It's an 01 Primara, 2L Diesel. 65K on the clock.

I noticed a burning smell about half-way through the drive. It went pretty quickly and I put it down to maybe something in the air.

Brought the car back to the garage and noticed the same smell again, definatly coming from the car.

The smell was something like tar-mac being laid, faint, but present.

Mentioned it to the seller and he said it was probably because I was riding the clutch (which I was doing) and that the engine would have a lot of torque.

Opinions anyone? Car seems clean otherwise.

mike65

Sounds like the clutch plate/wheel/whatever material is being fried.

Mike.

AMurphy

If you were "riding" the clutch as in resting your foot on the pedal as opposed to "slipping" the clutch as in having it ¼~½ pressed while parked on a hill of something like that. I'd now expect a burning smell from the former, but may from the latter.

Burning clutch smells like burnign brakes.

It coudl also be oil drips on the exhaust. I get that and stinks the car while waiting at a long traffic light and/or smoke from under the hood.

Wolverine_1999

What exactly is "riding the clutch"?

Apparently I used to do this when learning to drive as noted by my driving instructor... I still don't know exactly what I was doing.

MarkR

Using the clutch to slow down rather than only using the clutch to change gear I suppose.

Anan1

Wolverine_1999 wrote:

What exactly is "riding the clutch"?

Apparently I used to do this when learning to drive as noted by my driving instructor... I still don't know exactly what I was doing.

The classic example would be using the clutch reather than the handbrake to hold the car on a hill.

mike65

Pervert!

Mike.

AMurphy

For me, "Riding the clutch" means resting your foot on the pedal, putting some, but very little pressure on it. Thus it is unlikely to slip, but keeps the thrust bearing against the release pawls, thus wearing out the bearing, as it only rotates when in contact with the pawls, which in turn happens only when pressing or "riding" the clutch.
And/or you may fatigure the pawls as well. They are essentially springs.
I have seen people do this quiet a lot with no great problems.

"Slipping" the clutch is "riding" to the point is slips under load, equally bad but worse as you are now wearing out the clutch, bearing, plate, pressure plate and flywheel. This is a time limited excersize, as the clutch will fail quickly.

Now I have come across another type of driver and I suppose you could call then "Cronic Clutch Riders" (CCR's). On approaching any turn, rather than changing down they will press the clutch, drift around the bend, let the clutch in and labor off into the sunset, wrong gear, wrong RPM, wrong use of the clutch.... and sat in 1st gear at traffic lights, clutch fully depressed for the entire 2~4 minutes, handbrake on, etc.
The first example of this was in Ireland, an English guy, learned to drive in the US, returned to Irl. to live.

Victor

Did the salesman accompany you?

Was it a sulphuous smell? Seeing as they are all going to hell anyway?

DublinWriter

Victor wrote:

Did the salesman accompany you?

Was it a sulphuous smell? Seeing as they are all going to hell anyway?

Yes he did, but he said it was probably down to my clutch riding.

It wasn't so much suphuous/acrid, as I said, the best way to decribe it was if someone was laying tarmac somewhere (and no, they weren't!, after parking up, the smell was definately coming from the car).

AMurphy

Yes he did, but he said it was probably down to my clutch riding.

Take it for another test drive, this time, dont bother to use the clutch...see if it is still there on return.