Jeeeze, this ain't rocket science. Turn off the StabiliTrack, and drive how you drive when you get the smell. Thenpost back on what happens. It will continually report that it is off, until you turn it back on, or shut off the key...On... is the default setting. This will take out a potential cause and let's start from there and see what happens.

 

Hi Doc Olds,

thanks for the reply, whats a StabiliTrack ? Did not understand the rest you said either.?

Please advise

 

Jogi: I was suggesting to shut off a potential cause of the smell. If you turn off the StabiliTrack system on your H3, and the smell goes away, then you know there is no problem. StabiliTrack uses your antilock brake system, like traction control does, to apply brake to any free moving wheel to shift power to wheels with traction. READ YOUR MANUAL re: StabiliTrack and how to shut it off. While the engine is running, you hold the button to the right of 4hi/4lo..........the one with the squilly lines...hold it for 5 seconds and your dash will display that "stabilitrack system off". Now drive. If your smell dissappears=no problem.When you shut off the key, the StabiliTrack will turn back on automatically, in other words, you have to manually shut it off because the H3 computer default setting tells the StabiliTrack to stay ON, everytime all the time.

This is the long way of saying you guys did not [sm=icon_rtfm.gif]. You are smelling brakes!

 

I sure am glad for some of these posts sometimes but other times nothing is really resolved. I never paid much attention to this post until the other day when this happened to me. I was driving my 2007 H3 with less than 4000 miles on it home, A/C on MAX (This is FLA) and kids in truck. All of a sudden it smelled like burning plastic coming through the vents. No smoke, just a nasty burning smell that quickly disappeared as quick as it came. A thousand things ran through my head as to what it could be...Hot wire, factory coatings burning off, stuff inside the heated core, who knows what...Being mechanically inclined I know if it were a serious electrical problem I'd have a burnt fuse but all are well in their little box. I guess I'll just let this issue ride until it either breaks or goes away. That's unless some of you have a better idea, I'm listening.

 

Doc Olds, thanks for the time you took to explain a possible solution. I was sniffing inside the F...Manual and found nothing.O.K. Back to reality.
No way these are the brakes or related to the Stabi Trak on or off. The smell comes on when you accelerate a lot like passing a slower vehicle or going uphill where you need more torque. Hard to describe the smell, not really a burning smell, more like a mix of plastic and some windshield wiper fluid or so. Currently I'm also looking for a new smartphone, maybe they might come up soon with a smellphone !!! I could sent you a SMS (Smell Message System)[:'(] lol

I'll post it here if I have news, please do so too. In the meantime watch out for H3's passing you, check the driver side and when a head with a funny face is sticking out, you'll know that I'm not alone.

 

Now that would be funny, post up a smell jpeg and we'll all check it out!!! Post a smellpeg??

Yep that's what I'm talking bout. You are hard on the accellerator and the stabilitrack false senses perceived wheel spin, applies brake drag, and travisimo .............. funky electrichot sorta burningsmell. Has absolutely nothing to do with the driver using any brake. That's my theory. I've had ABS malfuntions before thatcause a funky smell related to caliper failure, almost always a front wheel, causing underhood smell. Not this exact problem, but a similar funky smell?

I can't test it cause I can't make mine smell/stink. I'd post ya up a smellpeg of nothing if I could! So if yours does it often, humor me, turn off the StabiliTrack and HAMMERthe throttlea few times. Then post up a SMS.

 

OK, so I experienced this yesterday in my Alpha. Only thing is, I was at a gas station filling up. I started the truck after filling up and, just as I released the brake and started to idle away from the pump, this strong acrid smell came through the ventilation system. My windshield defroster was on and the smell hit me right in the face and then it was just as quickly gone. I would describe it the same way RealJeep did above. I also though of a burning wire because my heated seats have popped a couple of 10 amp fuses recently until I subbed in a 15 amp fuse. I immediately thought of a burned wire/short or burning plastic mixed with chemicals. I could smell the odor a little outside of the car when I returned home, mostly from the rear. Now, it's been snowing/icing here and the salt is heavy on the roads. In fact, I got caught behind a truck dumping rock salt for a few seconds on the way to the gas station just before the smell occurred.

This is the first time this has occurred since I bought the vehicle in October. None of the driving conditions such as sudden acceleration,Stabilitrak engagementor hill-cimbingassociated with the other instances detailed in this thread were connected with my experience - I simply started the truck, put it in gear and suddenly that acrid smell.

Seems this spans the line of H3's. Anyone else had a recent occurence/reoccurence?

 

Hehe [sm=funnypostabove.gif]

H34me

 

I got the same thing last weekend!!! I shifted into 4lo and towed a trailer upa hill when it was snowing out. Btw, people with AWD equinoxs were getting stuck on the way up. SO I roll by with a 3500lb trailer full of sheetrock, and I decide that for the sake of the incline of the hill, 4lo would be a good idea. I switch into 4lo, .5 mile later I get this 'burning' smell through my vents. Best I can place it is trans fluid getting hot, it smells exactly like that but weak. I got out of the car and my transfer casewas smoking a little bit at the joint, just a little though and it might well have been just condensation because the dew point was so low that day(it was a warm snowshower). Havent smelled it since, but it did happen once! Id be interested to know if you ever find out what it was, I'll keep you posted too if mine turns into anything. Trans fluid looks fine though, just like it only has 6k miles on it.

 

You said it was coming thru the vents maybe it's the heater core starting to go. Or maybe something is stuck in the intake.