Rx400h strong electric burning smell in cabin and noise from engine

[RJWolvo]

Hoping someone can help me with some thoughts or advice...

 

Tonight, 30 miles into a 50 mile journey the cabin filled with a strong chemical/electrical smell which disappeared with the air con on. 

I got it home, lifted the bonnet and when I rev the engine I can hear a knocking or clicking sound from within the engine. 

The cam belt was changed recently and also the water pump (approx 4000 miles ago). The engine is still hot but the coolant level still looks very low- is this normal when the engine is still warm?  Could there be a leak on the new water pump that was fitted?

 

Any thoughts before I can get into the garage in the morning?

[rayaans]

Best thing to do is top up the coolant with some water just so it goes between minimum and maximum. Then check to see if it goes down really quickly.

Also, check for leaks under the car - essentially, if you see one, put a tub under it and collect the fluid to see what it is.

 

[DanD]

Probably a silly question, but are you sure the smell was from the car and did not get sucked in from outside? - I am just surprised that if it came from the car, it should disappear...

[RJWolvo]

21 hours ago, rayaans said:

Best thing to do is top up the coolant with some water just so it goes between minimum and maximum. Then check to see if it goes down really quickly.

Also, check for leaks under the car - essentially, if you see one, put a tub under it and collect the fluid to see what it is.

 

Thanks Rayaans.  Did this early today as coolant reservoir was almost empty. No signs of any leaks or water loss after short drive to reach normal engine temps, smell was evident.   Gave in and drove to Lexus who could not find any problem at all they suggested I may have picked something up off the road which had stuck to the exhaust creating the smell, I asked why had the coolant dropped then and they suggested an air block. I must admit I have lost a little confidence in Lexus service which is a shame as I have owned several Lexus cars over the years.  Any way back home and coolant level seems to be normal.  Strange. I will check tomorrow. Thanks again

[ISJason]

Let us know of any updates.. thanks

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[sorcerer]

17 hours ago, RJWolvo said:

Gave in and drove to Lexus who could not find any problem at all they suggested I may have picked something up off the road which had stuck to the exhaust creating the smell

Very plausible. I once had the misfortune to have a gust of wind blow an errant carrier bag under the car once as I was driving along. It obviously got caught on the exhaust and melted causing a right stink. If I ever see one blowing about now and it looks to be coming my way, I'll do all I can to avoid it - only when it's safe to do so though!

[DanD]

This reminds me of a prank some friends played on me some years ago: they attached a kipper to the exhaust box of my car... now that was bad... It took me a little while to realize that the smell came from my car and by then the kipper had fused to the box and could not get peeled off. Thankfully it rained a couple of days later and driving through puddles cleaned it off.

Who needs friends!? :-)

[PCM]

16 hours ago, sorcerer said:

Very plausible. I once had the misfortune to have a gust of wind blow an errant carrier bag under the car once as I was driving along. It obviously got caught on the exhaust and melted causing a right stink. If I ever see one blowing about now and it looks to be coming my way, I'll do all I can to avoid it - only when it's safe to do so though!

Same thing happened to me.

Drove over a plastic bag - couldn't avoid it.

It stuck to the hot exhaust.

Gosh, the smell! 

 

[RJWolvo]

Hi. Thanks for all the replies  

Today Saturday just checked the tank level and it has lost an amount on coolant around 150ml. The car has been standing since driving back from Lexus Thursday evening.  There has to be a leak be it a small one. There is no sign at all of liquid on my drive.  Would a hair line crack or leak on the recently fitted water pump be the cause?  Just to state Lexus dealer who fitted the pump could not find any leak

Thanks Rob

[ChrisKaye]

Hi Rob,

Bad seal on the water pump would be my first guess too!

Usually quite hard to ascertain where a leak is in a busy engine bay. When I had my timing belt done at 108k, I supplied a Toyota water pump and got them to change it at the same time and an autopsy of the old part showed that the pump was in excellent condition (and could of done another 100k in my opinion) but the metal gasket seal was corroded on the bottom half and was allowing tiny dribbles of coolant to leak. On the same year Celica I own (with the same type of gasket) it is also leaking in exactly the same way and is losing small amounts of coolant at 78k miles. Don't know exactly what the gasket is made from but is a definite weak spot...!

Chris

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[ChrisKaye]

After several months of very light topping up of coolant on the Celica, I noticed a slight pinky/white-ish residue of dribbles under the pump in the engine bay...

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[brendangeorge]

Hi Rob

I am having a look at this thread because I am thinking about a RX450h - I have a very old LS430 so am usually on that forum - and spotted this topic.

The plastic water tank you see under the bonnet is an expansion tank and is not used to top up the system.  The colling system is sealed and should have no leaks and never need topping up.

The expansion tank is needed when the thermostat is closed after a cold start - otherwise your water pump will have no where to circulate the coolant.  Thermostat is a misnomer because it is not used to regulate the temperature of your engine but make it warm up as quickly as possible from cold.  You will go nuts if you keep looking at the coolant level in the ET.  If you car has no visible leaks - warms up quickly and the temp gague stay rock steady you will be fine.

I fill my 430 up to the max line and it settles at just below min after a run - I played this game for a month or two and gave up.

It is always good to be cautious after some maintenance - trust no one.

Good luck

Bren