luvlake

A friend of mine called and ask that I put this on the forum. He has an 08 coupe and tonight he was running the car with the heater on and noticed a strong burnt rubber smell. He bought the car in the summer and this is the first time he used the heater. Has anyone else noticed anything similar to this? Any ideas I can pass on. Thanks

keyplyr

Always dispose of your rubbers properly. Burning them is bad... very bad

Gary '09 C6

...is coolant low, after circulating through the heater core ?
what was coolant temp ?

luvlake

Temp and all fluids were checked and ok.

Gary '09 C6

I notice with many vehicles that there is a slight odor emanating from the HVAC system when using "heat" after the same has not been used for quite some time...

maybe some residual coolant traces being flushed from the heater core ? not usually as strong a smell as burnt rubber...

Chevy Cust Svc

luvlake,
Gary 09 has a good point. Sometimes there is some residual coolant. I'd recommend calling your shop and setting up an appointment to have your HVAC system.

Chevrolet Customer Service,
Justin

KneeDragr

I smell burnt rubber when I step out of the car at the top of the mountain when I take a break, lol.

Corby

Go lighter on the right foot.

Gearhead Jim

We sometimes get a very slight "burning" smell when the heater is used for the first time in the Fall. Similar to what happens with our home furnace.

Or, driving with parking brake on?

Or, some plastic/rubber item got melted by his exhaust?

Stockcar Axeman

When I got my car it had 14k on it and was owned by a older couple. It was like new and still is. For the first few days I got this smell like a cross between a shorted wire and/or burning rubber. It was the stereo and after the first week it went away. BTW I crank the stereo alot and it must have burned off whatever it was. Maybe run this by him. I was concerned at first but it all worked out with zero problems. Now I need to get a real stereo in that thing!

SilverC6

I was just at the track yesterday (12-18-11). I noticed a burning scent when I turned the heater on today. I'm assuming its dust/rubber particles I collected at the track. My car is running well and has no apparent damage. Ideas?

Jimmy W1

I remember back in the 60s, a buddy of mine ordered a new 1965 Impala SS. But when he drove it, he couldn't use the heater or the AC because it stunk so bad. He finally took it back to the dealer and they tore out all of the duct work on the car. And someone at the factory had put a big chunk of limburger cheese in the heater duct. I'll never forget that.

vintagez

dead rodent in the heater box?

torquetube

The C6 can emit a strong musty odor from the HVAC system. Sometimes the smell can be mistaken for something melting in the engine compartment. There's a TSB on clearing it up.

Landru

Might be the reason the car was sold? Hate to say missing a check of the heater in Summer is an easy mistake to make. Too late, now.

Is it constant? Has the cabin filter been cleaned/replaced? Could it be something subsiding with usage?

If it's continuous, a complete disassemby may be the only solution.
Wouldn't be an inexpensive proposition, that.