Have a 2007 Accord 2.4 auto..165,000Km .After climbing a grade or hill,I get this smell like rubber burning..I smell it when I get out of the car..When driving on the flat ,no smell,just when going up grades..checked the alt.belt and is OK..seems to be coming from the pass.side ..any ideas would be a help..Thanks

 

By any chance is the A/C ON when this happens? Also the only rubber thing that could smell is the belt on that side. How old is it. Serpintine belts can "look" fine, but be glazed over and slip under loads.

 

Thanks for the reply Jeff..don't know too much about these Honda cars,but I really enjoy the car..I manually put the heater on,A/C button( A/C on or off)..I use off, then set temp. for defrost and floor...I will get the serp. belt checked ,tightened or replaced if need to..will let you know..Thanks again.

 

The belt uses an auto-tensioner, so unless it's worn out the tension should not be an issue...wouldn't surprise me if the belt was original as well.

When you get the belt replaced, make sure to have whomever does the job to check all the pulleys for looseness or sticking. Water pump, A/C pump, alternator, P/S.

 

will do thanks agn..

 

Just a thought for you to check & rule out...

Since it only happens uphill, maybe the engine mounts are getting weak? The higher load of going uphill could twist the engine back, possibly letting the belt rub on something.

Have someone in the drivers seat, open the hood. Start the engine - hold the brake - shift into Drive. While holding the brake, apply a bit of accelerator pedal while you watch the engine (from the side of the car in case it lurches forwards). Does the engine rock back & allow the belt to rub on something?

I don't know if 2007 has the CVT transmission?? If so, I don't know if this method will cause problems for it. You can also just grab the valve cover (when the engine is shut off) & try to rock it by hand.

 

Interesting..It's worth a try..Thanks...I did talk to a Honda Tech about my problem.He said that he has heard of this a few times before and that it was a type of a chemical with the salt they use on the road in wintertime up here(B.C.).It sprays up into the area where the serpentine belt is and you get a burning rubber smell.I don't know if I buy this reasoning cause it happens only going up long hills..The belt had been changed in July 2013,so I would think it's not the belt,but could be loose and I will get that checked for sure.First I'll see if the belt is rubbing somewhere..Thanks.

 

There's a little pointer on your spring-loaded tensioner, maybe I can find a picture of what it's supposed to look like.

If you changed the belt yourself, you know how to slip if off of a pulley. Look for any pulleys that wobble, loose, or just misaligned. All the pulleys need to be perfectly parallel to each other & lined up. But that won't explain why it only happens climbing a hill.

 

The belt does not seem to rub anywhere with brake on and some RPM....everything looks straight..only thing I can do now is to take it to the shop and check the all the pulleys, within a few weeks..will give an update soon..Thanks.