Hello, I have a 2017 Mustang GT with a 6-speed manual that I got used in December 2021. I have hit the redline on 2 occurrences for about 1.5 seconds but noticed a strange burning scent after both occasions. I didn’t do a burnout so I’m certain it isn’t the tires burning, what could this scent I smelled possibly be, and did I possibly cause permanent damage to the car?
what could this scent I smelled possibly be
Sounds like the smell of your hard earned $$$
did I possibly cause permanent damage to the car?
Depends, are there any visible oil leaks? Any other strange noises/behaviour from the engine?
I don’t think it was the clutch burning, that was actually my first suspicion as I used launch control, and redlined when I was taking off.
The second time was different, it was me accelerating quickly (so not clutch involved). But it replicated a similar scent. I’ve heard theories that it could be the cat?
Also, to be completely transparent, I don’t know what a burning clutch smells like. So I wouldn’t know it even if I was sitting next to a burning clutch.
Additionally, no leaks that I have noticed, however I do admit I haven’t done a thorough investigation. Are there particular locations I should probably pay attention to?
If it’s the cat, you’ll smell a rotten eggs/sulphur type of smell. The clutch usually smells like burning rubber. Check for oil leaks near/around the exhaust.
was it clutch smell
I admit ignorance as I don’t know what a burning clutch smells like, however I don’t think it is because the second occurrence happened at speed, and I just hit the gas to accelerate and kissed the redline, so I’m skeptical it’s the clutch, but it certainly could be, I would need to learn about what a clutch burning smells like though.
You're definitely not alone. It could be a couple of different things, however I think the consensus at the site below are the cats:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/burning-smell-with-pulls.103832/
This is interesting… I’ve heard the cat as a theory when I did my own research. Good to know I’m not alone and that other folks experience a similar behavior.
Sounds like I’ll end up replacing the cat a little early as I would clearly be wearing it out, but it’s certainly not the end of the world. And that does assume that *is* correct. Is there a possible way I can diagnose the scent reliably? I’d be willing to pull a redline stunt again to repeat the smell and find a definite answer if I know how.
If it's the cats, the smell will be strongest at the tailpipe, if it's oil, it will be strongest under the hood. I would think this explanation from the link from @autodiy sound most likely " Most likely your cats. Ford has a "cat over temp" logic in the tuning that adds a little more fuel during high loads. This helps the cats from overheating. Also. if you don't run an oil separator, your intake manifold may be ingesting some pooled up oil/vapor from the valve covers. Highly recommend running one if you don't have one already."