Bad Smell When Heater is on
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Rookie
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 98
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From: Michigan
Bad Smell When Heater is on
Hey guys, my dad went to go move my truck the other day so he could clear the snow off the driveway, he calls me and tells me my truck stinks of burning electricity or plastic, he thought it might have been the remote switch wiring for my amplifier, which had fried a couple weeks ago... I looked all over the place and it looks all good... couple days later hes driving it to work and says that it smells when the heat is on, my auto shop teacher says it may be a resistor?
anybody know what might be fried? any help is appreciated
especially cuz its michigan, and winter, and really cold
anybody know what might be fried? any help is appreciated
especially cuz its michigan, and winter, and really cold
Rookie
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 57
Likes: 0
From: peruvian mountains
If i remember right there was a recall for that... it had to do when using the heater blower on full blast.
edit. I just notice you have an 01 dont know if it was the same for those years since they had different dashes
edit. I just notice you have an 01 dont know if it was the same for those years since they had different dashes
Last edited by sit22 II; Feb 15, 2010 at 06:18 PM.
Amateur
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 29
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From: Madison, WI
I am having similar smells/behavior with my 1997 Ram Van, indeed that's why I registered here at DodgeForum.
The 'resistor' your teacher is referring to is probably the heater blower resistor. It's a variable resistor (akin to a volume ****) that shares a circuit with the heater blower fan. If the resistor goes bad, then the heater fan will likely only work in "full blast" or "off" modes. This may or may not be your problem.
My van has a terrible burning smell at random intervals, that seems to have nothing to do with anything I can control. The smell is almost like burning wood, and only detectable in the cabin - not under the hood or outside the vehicle. Something is either getting into the heater ducts/core, or actually burning/smoking inside the cabin, but no actual smoke is visible either inside or outside the van. A dying heater resistor is one possibility. I also checked my headlight switch, since these often fail/melt in this era of van. I've also checked the wiring that goes to my conversion-light/accessories, including the little DC to AC transformer that powers a small neon accessory light. No obvious answers - everything looks fine, no melted parts. Anyone have any ideas for me or Scott?
One of the main difficulties with diagnosing my problem is that it happens unpredictably. Sometimes a week will go by without any burning smell, then it'll happen again, with no change in driving habits or heater/radio/electronics use.
Mine is an Elk Van conversion. I'm sure interior options vary widely, but unfortunately, I can't rule out accessory electronic lights as a culprit in my problem - I still have no idea what's going on.
The 'resistor' your teacher is referring to is probably the heater blower resistor. It's a variable resistor (akin to a volume ****) that shares a circuit with the heater blower fan. If the resistor goes bad, then the heater fan will likely only work in "full blast" or "off" modes. This may or may not be your problem.
My van has a terrible burning smell at random intervals, that seems to have nothing to do with anything I can control. The smell is almost like burning wood, and only detectable in the cabin - not under the hood or outside the vehicle. Something is either getting into the heater ducts/core, or actually burning/smoking inside the cabin, but no actual smoke is visible either inside or outside the van. A dying heater resistor is one possibility. I also checked my headlight switch, since these often fail/melt in this era of van. I've also checked the wiring that goes to my conversion-light/accessories, including the little DC to AC transformer that powers a small neon accessory light. No obvious answers - everything looks fine, no melted parts. Anyone have any ideas for me or Scott?
One of the main difficulties with diagnosing my problem is that it happens unpredictably. Sometimes a week will go by without any burning smell, then it'll happen again, with no change in driving habits or heater/radio/electronics use.
Mine is an Elk Van conversion. I'm sure interior options vary widely, but unfortunately, I can't rule out accessory electronic lights as a culprit in my problem - I still have no idea what's going on.