burning plastic smell

[bobrv]

I have a 2001 24rb that has a burning plastic smell that seems to come from the dash.any ideas or has anyone else had this?thanks bob

[Mike Jean Bandfield]

That's not much to go on. It's most likely a burning wire due to a short circuit. After that I would suspect a loose wire or hose leaning against an exhuast pipe. Have you had it serviced recently? If so, look for "elbow effects". That is something left loose or out of place in the vicinity of the work.

A visual inspection might reveal the source (under the dash and under the hood). A diagnostic code check could reveal the source if it is engine related. Next, I'd check the operation of everything electrical for proper operation or smoke. Also check fuses.

And sometimes these things come and go and you never find anything wrong. If it is reoccurring on a consistent basis you should be able to find it.

Mike

[w5vthdonb]

A burning plastic smell is nothing to snoze about. One thing you might do is to check and see if all the fuses are the correct size. If it is coming from the dash check the fuses under the dash and then check the fuses under the hood. There should be a placard telling you what size each circuit should be. If you purchased the unit used someone might have tried to fix the problem with an oversize fuse.
A burning smell is nothing to take lightly. RV's if there is a fire, burn quickly. This is also a problem if you happen to be sleeping when this happens. I don't want to scare you, but this needs a quick solution for safety reasons.


Don USN ret.
2002 26'RSB
Toad 87 Cabriolet

[Dave&JanPotter]

Have you checked with the Ford website to see if your vehicle has been recalled for anything that could start a fire under the hood? I seem to recall something on the other forums about Ford having problems with an electronic component that shorted out and started a fire even when the unit was off. I can't find the info to give you more specifics but if you log into myford.com you can get to a recall section that will tell you the status of your vehicle. You will need to enter the vin.