Burning Rubber Smell??? :S

[colinr5779]

Have any you guys experienced this after hard acceleration ? quite worried :|

[127.0.0.1]

Originally Posted by colinr5779

Have any you guys experienced this after hard acceleration ? quite worried :|

standard ? automatic ? troll ? what ?

umm, yes I -have- smelled burning rubber after hard accel in my Vette, but not the Yaris.

[YarisSedan]

Maybe your dumping the clutch a little too fast in first from a stop and breaking traction a bit?

[why?]

it is really easy to get the front wheels spinning in the yaris.

[djct_watt]

Releasing the clutch too late and slamming the gas too early is usually the culprit for burning the clutch in higher gears than first.

I suggest you slow down your shifts before you start trying to shift fast and furious style (if that is indeed what you are doing).

[sherlock]

Originally Posted by djct_watt

Releasing the clutch too late and slamming the gas too early is usually the culprit for burning the clutch in higher gears than first.

I suggest you slow down your shifts before you start trying to shift fast and furious style (if that is indeed what you are doing).

I've been feeling the same smell when pushing hard, and it's been over two years now. It's usually in higher gears and it doesn't have anything to do with wheel spinning. I used to think it has to do with RPMs, and general engine heat, as I was in those cases pushing above 6k, but it could actually be clutch related as you say, as I would often feel the smell when trying to accelerate fast through several gears, i.e. when entering highway.

My question is, how does burned out clutch manifest itself, and is there anything I should check in the near future? I'm only asking that because I've been noticing that smell from time to time for over two years now, and maybe I've pushed it too hard.

Also to double check that recomendation about not holding the clutch for too long, I'm guessing that's related to the half way released clutch, not fully pressed clutch, as I don't think there's a problem with holding a fully pressed clutch. When driving around town I actually hold the clutch half way through for much longer when starting, to avoid wheel spin when accelerating fast, and I don't remember feeling that small at all, I think it's only from 2/3 gear up, and maybe the smell is actually more related to slamming the gas too early as you say? Maybe in that case I need to be more careful with the gas *until* the clutch is fully released, and then it should be ok to press it hard?

Thanks.

[djct_watt]

Even when racing, I can shift quickly without doing a half shift. IMO, you should always completely depress the clutch when shifting. . . it's just a matter of timing. Full throttle should come on only AFTER the clutch is fully engaged. When you shift, you drop out of the powerband, but if you do not completely release the gas or get on it to early, you're back in the power band and the clutch slips until the revs catch up.

Just slow down your shifts for now.

Also, perform a clutch test to see if you've damaged your clutch. Park with the parking brake fully engaged. Shift into 5th and slowly release the clutch without any gas. If the car stalls, you are good. If it does not stall, your clutch is starting to go. Try 4th gear and then 3rd. If you do not stall in 3rd, you need a new clutch asap.

Another practice that wears down clutches is resting your left foot on the clutch and/or holding the clutch when stopped.

You may also have a bad pressure plate. . . but IMO, these clutches are pretty robust and can take a beating. I'd wager it's just your shift timing. The car only makes 100 or so HP, it's not designed to shift aggressively and will shift/burn if rush things too much. That and the revs do not drop very quickly which exacerbate the problem.

[sherlock]

Thanks man!, very useful advices, I'll do those tests and will definitely try to change some of my habits.

[colinr5779]

Originally Posted by djct_watt

Even when racing, I can shift quickly without doing a half shift. IMO, you should always completely depress the clutch when shifting. . . it's just a matter of timing. Full throttle should come on only AFTER the clutch is fully engaged. When you shift, you drop out of the powerband, but if you do not completely release the gas or get on it to early, you're back in the power band and the clutch slips until the revs catch up.

Just slow down your shifts for now.

Also, perform a clutch test to see if you've damaged your clutch. Park with the parking brake fully engaged. Shift into 5th and slowly release the clutch without any gas. If the car stalls, you are good. If it does not stall, your clutch is starting to go. Try 4th gear and then 3rd. If you do not stall in 3rd, you need a new clutch asap.

Another practice that wears down clutches is resting your left foot on the clutch and/or holding the clutch when stopped.

You may also have a bad pressure plate. . . but IMO, these clutches are pretty robust and can take a beating. I'd wager it's just your shift timing. The car only makes 100 or so HP, it's not designed to shift aggressively and will shift/burn if rush things too much. That and the revs do not drop very quickly which exacerbate the problem.

Thanks for the advice !!

[expo2]

I notice the burning smell when I push it going up a steep mountain in 4th gear in the rpm sweet spot ~4k. I have a good clutch. I always thought it was oil coming from the crankcase breather.

[djct_watt]

Burning smells are not normal... If it smells like tires it's often the clutch since
they smell similar. Burning oil has a distinct sweet smell. Did you over fill your oil?

[colinr5779]

I didnt over fill it with oil, i'm pretty sure it was the clutch

[mojoyaris]

Originally Posted by expo2

I notice the burning smell when I push it going up a steep mountain in 4th gear in the rpm sweet spot ~4k. I have a good clutch. I always thought it was oil coming from the crankcase breather.

I have the same problem and noticed it this winter after a hard drive back from the mountains. 4th gear @ over 4k rpm then the rubber like burning smell comes in.

It can't be the clutch (stage 2 clutch and it grabs pretty good still). No engine leaks, but I'm thinking it could be the seals. That or the CAT's blown. I've melted the cat during a hot day at track.

I'll be doing a compression test on the car soon to see what's up and put it up on a hoist to do a visual and check the CAT. I've heard of people blowing out their CAT or melting the innards which can create this type of smell.

Hope it's the CAT so I can get a free flowing one now.