Help...some issues!

So I went on vacation and didn't drive the car for about nine days. Today is the second day I am driving my car and I am having some issues.

1. Burning smell from around the passenger side strut tower. After driving for a bit/freeway etc...I get a burning smell. There is no smoke, and it is kind of like the smell you get when you get a new car (a little bit like burning tires actually)

Anyways, my guess is that in the 9 days the car was sitting something deposited somewhere, and this is the burnoff. But its weird because I have let my car sit for 2+ weeks before and didn't have any issues.

2. Clutch engagement. The clutch seems "chattery" when engaging in first. It seems to "stutter" until it actually engages. Again..maybe some deposits...I don't know. The clutch is tending to smell though more than usual under light slippage. I was thinking of just giving the clutch a good slip to see if I can burn away anything causing this engagement issue.

3. Periodically, I can't get the car from 4th to 3rd easily on a downshift. I can go from 2nd - 3rd no problem whatsoever. This is a sporadic incident, but I have never had any problems on this downshift ever, only after I came back from vacation. Many people report that when shifting into 3rd there is like a little metal burr or notch sensation that causes a momentary pause in the shift motion. I have that same feeling when shifting from 2nd to 3rd (always have had that, so its normal imho), but it feels like from 4th to 3rd, that it is getting stuck on that burr. The burr is like slightly right of where the slot for 3rd gear is. Like I said, this is sporadic, sometime it will go in just fine, sometime not, but it is definitely not repeatable while standing still, I can go 3-4-3-4-3 all day and it goes in just fine.

If anyone has any ideas on what to check...that would be much appreciated. Don't want to have to take this to the dealer...for obvious reasons. Again, the car was sitting for 9 days...so I figure these issues are temporary. Thanks for the help

1. probably some water? Maybe more of the undercoating burning off? Check for animals hiding in your car? I know I had a rat crawled up my old Acura Legend's air intake resonator box before as it was a warm place for them to next in back when my dad use to work the late shift in Chinatown..

2. I think your clutch is just a bit cold.. I get that sometimes from the RS as well.. once the car and fluids warm up, it goes away... maybe you're just driving differently.. I know this happens a lot to me when I drive the GT one day, the RS the next, and the old Bimmer after.. my clutch engagement for each car is different.. just have to adjust to it.

3. how many miles you got on the car? maybe it's time for some new tranny and diff fluid change? Again, it could be a driver issue for the mis-shift.. I know sometimes I get caught for a lazy shift and grinded 3rd before it's probably me being too early on the clutch release from driving various cars..

1. probably some water? Maybe more of the undercoating burning off? Check for animals hiding in your car? I know I had a rat crawled up my old Acura Legend's air intake resonator box before as it was a warm place for them to next in back when my dad use to work the late shift in Chinatown..

 

2. I think your clutch is just a bit cold.. I get that sometimes from the RS as well.. once the car and fluids warm up, it goes away... maybe you're just driving differently.. I know this happens a lot to me when I drive the GT one day, the RS the next, and the old Bimmer after.. my clutch engagement for each car is different.. just have to adjust to it.

 

3. how many miles you got on the car? maybe it's time for some new tranny and diff fluid change? Again, it could be a driver issue for the mis-shift.. I know sometimes I get caught for a lazy shift and grinded 3rd before it's probably me being too early on the clutch release from driving various cars..

Thanks for the comments.

I just passed 16k...so I should be good with the tranny fluid. +1 on the lazy shift. Lately I have been catching myself do that more often than I would like. I will just have to keep an eye out...