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1997 Toyota 4Runner Limited
3.4L V6 (5VZ-FE)
4 Speed Automatic Transmission
4WD
249,000 MilesI am making this post with the intention to get some direction this odd smell I’ve been trying to diagnose with this aforementioned 4Runner. This car is not one that is regularly driven by me, and so I do not have much first hand experience with the issue. I guess from what I understand if the car is left to idle for a bit, then it will begin to exhibit a weird smell from the vents. I only experienced this a little bit once, but it has evaded me ever since. Is there any direction I can go with this as I am kinda stumped.
Thanks!
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When you say burnt smell..
Are you trying to describe coolant, electrical, exhaust, oil???
Tough to even begin to sense what direction to point you in with out a better understanding of what your attempting to describe.You’ll need to verify if the smell is indeed coming from within the car. Many times if vents are open, you can smell odors from the engine compartment coming up through the outside vents and into the car. If the smell is electrical, on the interior I would start by looking at the ignition switch mechanism and blower motor. In the engine compartment, look at alternator, AC compressor…but really it could be anything.
I was told that it smells like oil, and I have smelled a wif or two inside the engine bay as well. I’m thinking it’s MAYBE an oil leak somewhere?
Likely valve cover(s) leaking engine oil on the hot exhaust. A mechanic could ID that pretty quickly.
Is there a way to tell whether the valve covers are leaking or not? There was some oily buildup around them that I had cleaned off recently… the exhaust manifolds are directly below the valve cover so that could be an issue… I’m not entirely sure though…
If you see oil build up on the edge of the valve cover and below it, I would say so. On a vehicle of this age (especially if the gaskets have never been replaced), it is almost a certainty. You can try to snug the valve cover bolts (don’t over tighten) and degrease the engine and see where that gets you.
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