hey guys my wife has a 2000 nissan pathfinder (even though i tried to talk her out of it) and it has started making a burnning smell that smells like a smoldering candle wick but 10 times stronger it only does it every once and a while and im not sure if it does it with out the heat or ac on because one or the other is allways on ive checked to see if something was burning in the engine capartment and couldnt find anything i did notice that the foam around the top of the radiator looked as if it had melted if any one could help me with this it would be great (she is driving me crazy)
its prolly the heater just burning the trash out thats just my two cents!
well it has been doing it since first of summer
My wife's van had a strange smell from the vents. It didn't smell like anti freeze, but that is what it turned out to be. The heater core was leaking a fine little mist. She had added some of that "all color compatible" junk, so that is what disguized the odor.
Check the carpet for dampness. Most Nissan cores ore in teh center of the dash just above the hump.
Leaking heater core, Regis; final answer.
It's a nissan thing...I've had an Altima and a friend had a Maxima that did the same thing. Never mattered whether the heat, a/c, or vent was on. I think it's something they use in the ductwork that deteriorates over time and puts off an odor. Always seemed to be stronger for me when the vehicle was stopped. Smells kindof like a burning pencil eraser, right?
In all the years on Nissan boards, I have never heard of that problem.
You should do a google search on it. There are tons of Nissan boards. Surely someone has written a thread on it.
601cherokee Wrote:It's a nissan thing...I've had an Altima and a friend had a Maxima that did the same thing. Never mattered whether the heat, a/c, or vent was on. I think it's something they use in the ductwork that deteriorates over time and puts off an odor. Always seemed to be stronger for me when the vehicle was stopped. Smells kindof like a burning pencil eraser, right?
yea its the same way with this one
I have had the Altima for 7 years, and it has done the smelly thing for 6...nothing blown up of burned up yet. I didn't think my '01 Altima had a CAF, but just looked it up, and voila!!! there is one... I guess I'll try replacing that in the next week or so. Maw-in-law should be happy about that.
my h core was going out on mine when i sold it