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2006 Chevrolet Uplander

Question: Electric smell???

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dkeats, New York, NY, August 26, 2009, 18:44
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 Rookie

I just resently purchased a used 2006 chevy uplander. Over the pst couple of months I have had a bed electrical smell while driving. It scared me but I can not tell where the smell is coming from. I opened the fuse panel and it all seemed fine. I even opened the hood and the smell was not coming from there. It seems to be coming from either in under the van or the rear. It happened again today and I am a little afraid to drive it with my kids in the van thinking that it may catch on fire. I know that electrical will cost me a fortune at a repair shop. Do you know where the smell may be coming from and is it dangerous to drive? Both times has been about 2 months apart.

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    patrick mannion from Greg Solow's Engine Room, August 28, 2009, 00:38
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    I share your concern. The best I can advice I can offer is get a repair shop to check it out when you smell the problem, you have to be able to duplicate the problem or they will not know where to begin. It could be as simple as some piece of plastic road debris that yo have picked up while driving or a valve cover gasket leaking onto the exhaust system. At this stage if it were electrical I would suspect you would have noticed blown fuses or things that no longer work. Your vehicle is too new to have serious problems but have you any coolant loss, possible heater core issues, perhaps spray Lysol aerosol disinfectant in the air vents/ ducts let sit for ten minutes the run heater fan on high, check cabin air filter. Last 3 ideas are just grasping at strays without being able to smell the smell first hand.

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  • Answer #2

    Visitor, July 12, 2010, 21:23

    Is your emergency brake on? Or your brake calipers may be locked. The smell of burning brakes are prone to smell "electrical". Had it happen to me twice as well as following someone with the problem on the road and wondering if my stereo was burning up.

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