Smell of burning rubber on steep hills

[davekench]

I have had my Yaris Hybrid 64 plate 23k for just over a month now and when  I go up steep hills and the car has to work hard because its using a petrol engine I get the smell of burning rubber, I have put this down to the drive belts getting a bit warm, is this a usual thing?

[Anthony Poli]

I have had my Yaris Hybrid 64 plate 23k for just over a month now and when  I go up steep hills and the car has to work hard because its using a petrol engine I get the smell of burning rubber, I have put this down to the drive belts getting a bit warm, is this a usual thing?

One point to mention, there are no belts. Only the ecvt has a chain. Was the car from a dealer or private seller?
In theory the car will be still under the original 5 year warranty, unless there is hidden story.
If you register the car on my Toyota, you will be able to view its history while it’s been serviced or repaired by Toyota dealers.



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[Cyker]

Is it actually a rubbery smell or possibly something else? Deffo not like a brake smell or other acrid kind of smell?

One thing that might be worth checking is if the traction Battery vent hole needs clearing.

We had a load of Prius owners with weird issues a few years back, which were apparently caused by the vent in the rear passenger footwell getting blocked with dust so the fans couldn't cool the Battery down properly.

[Bemused2]

I know that this may not be strictly relevant in your case but it is just an observation of my experience. Between York and Bridlington your have to climb a long 20% hill. When driving up it I always use high revs and put a lot of stress on the engine.

Every time I do I experience a smell of something akin to mild burning. I put it down to the engine getting a lot hotter than normal and burning off dust etc from itself and the exhaust. This has been the same since the car was new three years ago.

[davekench]

Cyker  the vehicle was purchased from a Toyota dealer and the smell is not brakes as I have stopped to feel them when I first noticed the smell.

Bemused2 odd you have the same thing, I have since notice that when going up steep hills if I keep the revs down so that the needle is in the P of PWR no smell push it harder and the needle is on the W of PWR, I will also add this is at 40mph, if I go above that speed then the smell apears. Going to check the Battery vent today.

 

Dave

[YarisHybrid2016]

I get the same thing, but only after an extended period of hard driving.

If I put my foot down for an ... extended period ... and the car is pulling uphill as well, then I encounter the smell, but I find it generally isn't possible to do this long enough to cause it.

If I just use enough power to maintain speed (even if it is in the PWR band), then I don't encounter it.

I agree that it smells like a burning rubber smell. The few times I've encountered it, it has freaked me out.

I'd be very surprised if the HV Battery was the source of the smell. Far more likely to be oils or something on the hot parts of the engine burning off I would think.

[davekench]

On 10/26/2017 at 11:49 AM, Anthony Poli said:

One point to mention, there are no belts. Only the ecvt has a chain. Was the car from a dealer or private seller?
In theory the car will be still under the original 5 year warranty, unless there is hidden story.
If you register the car on my Toyota, you will be able to view its history while it’s been serviced or repaired by Toyota dealers.

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10 months on and the smell is still there on really steep hills, also I checked and there is no chain for the drive Anthony, its from what I can see from the diagrams a belt!   So I will mention it at the next service.

[Mike J.]

There are no belts on the Yaris hybrid and, equally, there are eCVT chains. Any smells under extreme loads is probably residue burning off the exhaust system parts. Our cars are very efficient so usually things don't get extremely hot. Perhaps you have an old plastic bag wrapped on your exhaust system - check it out. 

When I first bought my car, I went to my local garage and paid them a fiver to put it on a lift so I could get a good look at the lower bodyshell and exhaust.

[davekench]

Mike, I have checked underneath and there is nothing wrapped round the exhaust, must admit its not very often it happens just annoying, thanks for the advice.

Dave

[Madasafish]

It sounds as if your car is not often driven at motorway speeds. If it is not, the  exhaust system will never get really hot. When you go up a steep hill it will and burn off a small layer of paint  (and dust as mentioned) and heat up the rubber rings on which the rear of the exhaust hangs.