I floored the car today in first shifted to second and then when I settled down into like 4th I could smell this horrible burning smell for like 10 seconds. I definetly wasn't choking but it was very noticable since i had both windows openWhat is this?

 

the engine is still new so u will smell burning its normal..i still smell it sometimes on my car when i go crazy with it and i have 7k on my car

 

Its normal, youll still smell it even when your car has over 25k on it like mine. If you run it hard thru 1st, 2nd, and then 3rd youll just smell it. Everything gets hot and it takes it a minute to cool off.

 

Yep I have almost 30k on my 03 and everytime I get on it there's a burning smell. Pretty sure its the clutch, my clutch is also only like 5000 miles old.

 

I love the smell of burning Clutch in the morning---Its the smell of victory

 

+1 on the clutch and also don't be skipping gears.

I used to giver in 1st,2nd,3rd then skip to fifth all the time, now I get a grind in 5th when ever i shift too quickly. This is the second tranny that has done this on my Z. I was told with the new one there wouldn't be this problem with the synchros but wouldn't you know I have it again. I guess I'm what you call a slow learner. Don't let it happen to you.

 

this is my first stick car, but i dont think i shifted incorrectly. how can the burning smell be the clutch when it only has 1200 miles?

 

It's the clutch, actualy its the pressure plate you are always going to smell it upgrade the clutch and smell is gone.

 

Nobody shifts incorrectly just like EVERYONE is a good driver. Til u admit that problems may exist, they will continue to exist. Over slippage creates heat and heat burns clutchs just like it burns brakes. Simple Physics. U may not have hurt it so Chill. And dont be playin the skippin gear game or the power shift game, It aint cool and it dont show ur experienced. Just cuz u got a burned clutch smell for a couple moments doesnt mean u trashed it.

>From a guy thats meshed gears for 40 + years<

 

Im trying to figure out what i did wrong so it doesn't happen again...( if it really is a burning clutch)

 

you rode your clutch and burned it ;p

 

The smell is the Disc. If the Pressure Plate is weak either thru under engineering or weak because of excessive heat generated causing the diaphram to loose clamping force then the Flywheel is burnt and heat has wipped out the throw out Brg. Time for After Market

 

How do I ride the clutch on a shift? I just take foot off the gas, press the clutch, shift, ease off the clutch ?

 

Unless someone is riding next to u daily taking notes, that cant be answered. Im not blaming ur technics.I dont know u are to blame. If u fuc a new clutch, then ur are to blame. Just something to consider in the future.

 

Like the others said, the odor you smell is a hot clutch. It’s probably not overheating (and giving the burn smell) while you’re up-shifting unless you “…ease off the clutch…” way too slowly.
The odor comes when down-shifting and not matching the engine speed to the gear you select. It takes 10 to 15 or more seconds to heat the clutch and then have the burn-odor reach the passenger compartment. What probably happened was the clutch heated while you were down-shifting. You smelled the odor a few seconds later while up-shifting and attributed the smell to that event. It’s human nature to attribute a cause and effect relationship to events that are juxtaposed in time.

When down-shifting, try to match your engine speed to the gear you select. That doesn’t mean you need to go sequentially (4th to 3rd to 2nd, etc.) or be overly conservative and select a higher gear than you really want. You might be moving along briskly in 4th gear, and need to take a turn hard and want to do this in 2nd gear. Since your engine speed won’t match a shift to 2nd, you depress the clutch, select 2nd gear, “blip” the accelerator to increase RPMs, release the clutch and continue to apply power through the turn. If you do it correctly, you never feel any “forward-jerking.” You want your down-shifts to be just as smooth as your up-shifts, even when you drive aggressively.

--Spike

 

It smells like victory. Not it's the smell of victory...

 

Does this apply to downshifting too? Ill skip gears goin down, like 5th to 3rd depending on circumstances. Thanks for the info cause ill skip 5th sometimes and go straight to 6th out of 4th.

edit: Just read an above post about rev matching and skippin gears goin down so i suppose that answers my question.

Just to add, i do revmatch when i downshift but when i go around this certain corner on the way home and i rev match then let her go wide open till i get to the speed limit (its kinda a tight turn) i will smell somtheing burnt. I dont smell anything when i normally take off straight and even when rev match perfectly i still smell it when i get into it out of that corner. Sometimes i wonder if its the new tires i just put on..

 

My question is, for everyday driving, whats the sense ? Sometimes if Im hittin a off ramp, I may down to 5th and 4th and just neutral it til I can slip into 2nd and stop at a light. Dont be a HotDog, dont try to impress others or urself. Be one with ur machine and treat it accordingly. Friendly advice

BTW ---EDIT I dont even know what rev matching is, all I know is machines and I havent trashed a trans or a clutch in everyday driving in close to 40 years

 

Well, i bought a sportscar and sometimes i like to remind myself its one; not saying i drive dangerously or WOT it everywhere i go. I take care of my car and i dont a$$hat around in it but this particular corner (out in the country where i live) is a nice corner you can take in 2nd at 40 and wind it up to 60 then go back to cruisin in 6th (and thats not even pushing it hard at all). I understand where your coming from though and what you mean.

Also, 5th to 3rd downshift is quite common on the highway when you need to speed up to the traffic's pace. Theres this one spot where i just cruise into the gradual turn in 5th and as it straightens, rev-match to 3rd and merge with traffic then continue on. Course i could 4th it but in rush hour and the merge lane being so small, i dont fool around and expect drivers to let me in (i'v been run off the road by people being punks and not doing something as simple as merging to an empty lane to let someone in)

 

^^^ +1 ...Well-said (referring to xyberai's last posting above)
That's exactly how I drive my Z.

(Not sure what Eazzzzzy's msg. was all about.)

--Spike