maybe an exhaust leak. I had one in my accord and if I got on it, I would smell what I can only describe as exhaust from an old truck. I replaced the exhaust manifold gasket and it did the trick. the dealership would probably have an easier time figuring out the smell.

 

is that something that could wait for thr 5k oil change? just have them take a look when the change it?

 

Its still a very young motor. It could just be the smell of metal. Or ur exhaust components

 

yea it could wait. honestly, if you tech a service tech for a ride, he'll probably be able to identify the smell right away. I would take it in and have them look at it and then schedule to have them fix it at your first service interval depending on how severe the problem is.

 

Bringing this out from dead since I have the same issue. Had the vtec burning smell since day one and now it has been more than two years. The smell never got away.
Normally, I don't sense it if the car is outside but I can smell it when I park in the garage. This morning I could even smell it in my trunk?!?
It is kind of burning rubber or metal smell. Wheels are cold on touch. Any idea how to diagnose or similar experience?

 

you should definitely have your VTEC fluid level checked, you may be a quart low

 

I am a master auto tech, the first thing I would check is if the exhaust is touching anything rubber, also you could check for exhaust smoke on a cold morning, we use a smoke machine to check for small leaks, check the back of the valve cover for oil leaking on the manifold, when i removed my muffler section to see what it sounded like I had exhaust fumes coming in my trunk and it smelled like a mixture of race fuel and rotten eggs when in VTEC. You could have a bad trunk seal, my sedan on cold mornings puts out more of a cloud behind it rather than directing the exhaust fumes strait out. Hope this helps! I'll check this tread if you have questions today

 

I've experienced something similar on my R18.

I can't quite place the smell, but it happens every time I shift at 5-6K RPM.

 

Thanks for advice. After my commute back home I will check engine bay and under the car and try to figure out where exactly does the burned ruber smell come from. Most likely it is something touching hot metal that gets really hot at high RPMs.
Luckily, no fumes smell or anything like exhaust leak that I could tell of.

 

the smell is probably you burning oil from vtec-ing...

 

you may have run over a plastic bag or something and its stuck on the exhaust and when its melting away its putting out a bad smell

 

riding the clutch?

 

Oil. K20s eat oil. I notice the smell as well, and it's always oil that I'm smelling. I seem to notice it the most if I'm downshifting, but that's just me. You'll hear a lot of guys say their K20 is losing power, then they'll notice they're a quart low on oil. Always check your oil at every fueling stop.

 

The burning smell is normal for the most part (unless its in fact something on fire!! or the clutch smell)

If you dont go WOT very often and then suddenly DO, esp if the motor isn't FULLY warmed up (a good 15 mins of driving) then the sudden pressure increase can cause oil to squeeze past the piston rings until they expand some more from the heat.

It could also be that the high RPMs and engine load has sucked up some dust and debris from the intake passage and or burning off some carbon build up from the valves, etc etc.

 

It could also be that the high RPMs and engine load has sucked up some dust and debris from the intake passage and or burning off some carbon build up from the valves, etc etc.

You nailed it. That burning smell is a mixture of very hot oil and carbon build-up burning off. It's common in Honda's high-revving engines, and more prevalent if you only dip into VTEC on rare occasions (more build-up.)

 

its the smell of vtec. i get it. lol

 

I have the same problem too, if I drive normally I don't smell anything, but if i go into vtec i get a werid smell inside the car. To me it smells like the clutch, and no i'm not riding the clutch. Never owned a new car before, so maybe this is normal :S

The car only has 400km. I've owned many vtec'd cars before and never had any kinda smell.

 

When I start the car up in the morning, I get the gasoline smell. Just makes me wanna :vtec:

 

check your vtec belt...bet thats it

 

i would assume its a carbon build up burning off or just oil burning up. I get this smell if i'm just commuting and decide to go into the higher revs. But in the mountains when the revs never fall below 6k for 5-10 minutes at a time i dont get the smell at all. nor the track.

 

I know when I burn the clutch (on a manual) and/or brake pads as the friction materials make a very distinct odor. But they seldom get into the cabin when all windows are closed with the A/C set to recirculate (which I always do).

On the other hand, the trace fumes I get inside the cabin is akin to the smell of burnt hair, for lack of a better description for it. And even when I get out, I don't get this same smell from any exterior part of the car. It's always confined within the cabin.

 

I have no idea what your smelling then.

 

It may be oil although I check my oil level ever other day and I don't loose any. Although the last time I hit vtak I was told there was some black smoke from the carbon build up haha