Here's my deal:

I havn't boosted for 3 weeks since my fuel pump was broken. I installed a new pump on Friday, and boosted this weekend (5psi).

At the same time, I painted my exhaust manifold silver, with ultra hi-temp 1500 degree paint.

The issue: When I boost hard, I can smell something funny inside the car. Not exactly a burning smell, but almost like a simmering..odd smell. It isn't strong at all, it is very faint, but it is there when I boost hard. Im hoping it is merely the paint burning off of the exhaust manifold as it gets hotter and hotter...however I have popped the hood after the drive, and put my nose right next to the exhaust manifold and I smell nothing. There is absolutely no smoke coming from my engine bay or my muffler...yet once I did see a very small amount of smoke coming from my vents, but not since. My performance is not affected at all, and tehre are no strange noises from the engine bay...any ideas, thoughts? This is really odd, and until I figure it out, I'm going to stay off boost.

I bet its the paint. The exhaust manifold must get close to the 1500 deg limit of the paint when you boost it hard.

It's the paint, has a sweet melting smell to it. That means it's curing. I painted my downpipe and charge pipe for my turbo before I put it on and I still get that smell when I really beat on it. Smokes like crazy for the first 50 or so miles.

Could also be your clutch starting to slip.

Okay......the problem has escalated a bit to where I'm afraid to even drive. On the way home from class today, I did't boost at all, and I pulled up to a light, before I stopped at the light there was smoke coming from under the dash a little, then as I stopped an idled a lot of smoke poured out from underneath the driverside dash. I quickly stopped the car and looked under there, I couldnt find out where the smoke was coming from, but it has to be near there. I immediately popped the hood and check the exhaust manifold, and enigne. There is not a trace of smoke under the hood, it's all coming from under the dash Im guessing.....The smell is really bad, something is definately burning...

Could a slipping clutch cause smoke to fill under my dash, but not under the hood? This is really pissing me off and something is seriously wrong....any help is appreciated....my car is going to go up in flames if I can't figure this out...

Edit: Also there is a quiet hissing noise coming from under there,near the steering boot -- almost like the sound of gas leaking, or something like that -- anything down tehre that could do that and could be related to this? PLEASE HELPP

Sounds scary....
Check along the firewall for burnt wires, also check under the dash. Does it smell like burning plastic or something close to it? The paint has a distinctly different smell and the smoke is sometimes transparent. I would only see it with the headlights on and watch the smoke pour out from around the lens (yes it was that bad at first)

I checked all the wires and they are all fine...with the car dileing and I can hear this hissing noise coming from under there the whole time. It does not smell like burning plastic, and the smoke is somehwat transparent, but it is not from the paint, I know that for sure because I would no doubt be able to smell it with my noise an inch away from the manifold after running it.

A hissing noise seems to be coming from where the clutch thing goes through the firewall....what the hell is going on - anyone? Any other ideas...this is terrible...

if you cant figure it out, pull that dame dash and go drive it like a mad man for a bit...


Michael 99gs
HRC Stage 2
Stage 3 process begins anyone got a 420a block thats not spun/head for sale?

http://www.dreamwater.net/purplebeast

You sure its not your clutch going and the smoke blowing right into the vents for the car, its the smoke coming out the vents only

its the smoke coming out the pass or driver side?

Heater core??
Oil leak dropping on downpipe when boosting?
Tranny leak again burning on downpipe?

Ive seen the smoke come from the center vents, but never from the side vents. The smoke is usually under the drivers side, tho I just drove to a import shop and it didn't smoke at all. The guy told me it could be my heater core...

Would my heater core smoke even if I wasn't using the heat? BEcause last time it smoked, the heat was not on...

Any idea about the faint high pitched noise I hear from down there?

that really seems like you have a wire cut open touching the ground causing it to spark a power wire or something if your hearing a hissing noise, that might be the wire touching when you drive? does it only do it when you drive,? there is alot of computer shit in the dash, i saw turn the car on idle and listen to it closely

How about your LED's that you have mouted behind there?

I checked all the wires, there are no open connections, everything looks fine. The sound isn't a sizzeling sound, it sounds like a leak of some sort, right where either the clutch stuff or brake stuff goes through the firewall...and you can hear it if the engine is running at all times. It may not smoke, but as soon as the car starts you can hear it, faintly....I dunno this is weird

Is it a sweet smell? It could be your heater core. And yes, they will smoke even if you dont have the heat on, as coolant is always circulating through it. If the smell is of something burning, then its not the heater core. Heater cores usually last quite some time befor they can leak and go bad, usually around 10 years or so...It would be odd if it went bad with that new of car. Remeber, the air intake for the vents is in the window cowling, so if something is smoking under the hood, it can be sucked into the air intake for the interior of the car. Ever drive behind a car that is burning mad amounts of oil? Even with the windows rolled up, you can smell that crap almost right away. Could be an oil leak getting on the hot exaust manifold or piping, but thats a pretty strong destinct smell. Does your A/C still work good? I wouldnt rule that out either, as freon can smell too, and it will smoke as it comes out the vents because when freon is released into the open atmosphere, it gets damn cold.

The shop I went to today suggested it may be the heater core, and to just keep an eye on it. I don't think it is anything under the hood, because not once have I ever seen smoke under the hood. And when I say 'smoke', it isn't a black smoke, it's a transparent mist almost.

Also, if it were something leaking onto the downpipe or exhaust, the smoke would appear under the hood also right? Not just in the car...Any other ideas are welcome....

off topic: when you said your fuel pump was broken, what company/ brand was it. is it the stock fp, or was it from hahn?

It was the one Hahn sends with their kits. The Accel Inline fuel pump I believe. I bought an MSD 125psi Inline fuel pump off ebay, which looks almost identical to it, yet a tad bigger and will be sending the broken one back to Hahn under warranty. They will send me a new, working one, and I will be selling it.

how did you wire up the fuel pump? Maybe its drawing too much current and burning/melting wires.

Hmm, yeah, maybe if nothing else you could increase the ga. wire that runs to your pump.



Jon

1997 Eclipse RS

14.21@101mph 10/4/02

MODS: 8.8:1 JE Pistons / Eagle rods / Stage 1 Hahn turbocharger / Melling Oil Pump / Autometer 5" tach / 2 JL 12" W0 subwoofers / JL Audio 500/1 amp / Clarion 230w amp / short shifter mod / GReddy EVO exhaust / custom 2 1/2" downpipe / no cat con / CM Stage 1 / 30lb Mustang injectors / TurboXS MBC / 1G SMIC / Eibach Sportline springs / KYB GR-2 struts / GReddy 52mm EGT

i had a similar problem. I had smoke coming out from under the drivers side dash. and it only seemed to happen when i had the lights on. so finally i figured out that one of the wires for my gauges had gotten pinched in the spring that is connected to the clutch pedal. might want to check around that area

It has nothing to do with my wiring for the fuel pump. The fuel pump itself is at the rear of the car, the smoke is coming from under the dash....only possibly thing could be the actual wire burning, but I've checked them all, I don't see how change wire gauges is going to solve my problem.

I am going to check all the wire around that spring tho Optimus. It's ood, today I drove and ran it really hard just to see what was 'going on'. Ran perfect, no smoke at all. I am positive no that the problem is not engine, or boost related...We'll see if it happens again...

Question: When your car is running, at idle - if you put your head down right next to your pedals and look up at where the pedals go through the firewall, can you hear a faint whistling...or leaking noise? Make sure the surroundings are quiet and your radio and such is off so you can hear well, it's very faint..

Brake booster? or the booster vac line? Does it do it with the engine off and the key turned to ACC?

Stumped and without actually seeing it, I can't be much help. I have a sound like a ballon that someone is letting the air out if (high pitched eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee sound) but only when I turn on the igntion and it drives me nuts.

Well, today I checked once again the area down there. With the car on and all lights on, I pressed the clutch in with my hand as I watched everything. A wire sparked.....so I'm like "hmmm". Then I pressed it again, and some other wires sparked that were caught in my spring near my clutch....so I turned the car off immediately, and re-wired the whole area so there is no 'debris'. I think that takes care of my smoke problem...thank god......it could have been MUCH worse.

However, the sound is still there, and I can only hear it with the engine running, not with the key in ACC position..

Thanks everyone for your help....over 20 replies, This is a great forum.

Im still curious what the sound is, and if it's normal...anyone else ever hear a faint leaking noise coming from down there?

looks like you get the prize optimus! lol.. :)