Did a search & none have described a "burning metal" smell through their vents. Anyone who has worked in or been around a metal shop would know this smell- VERY strong but not really "smoky". It's kind of hard to describe.
The smell takes a few minutes- maybe 20 min or 25 miles of driving before I start to notice it.
The smell occurs w/AC, max AC, heat, defrost and fan only, too. Basically, whenever the fan is on.
My blower resistor seems fine, as the fan works on all speeds. My cabin air filter is about 1 year old. It doesn't smell like either oil or coolant, those scents are all-too-familiar to me. Additionally, there are no leaks/drips/rubbing that I could see in the engine bay.
I know it's not my clutch- I know THAT smell.
The only thing I've noticed is that for about a 4 mo. period after a changed my tranny fluid, the smell went away. Now the burning smell is back. (yes, I've had this problem for a little while- I just never use the fan).
Is it possible that my tranny is literally "cooking" its gears? Could the tranny be causing this- or might it be just a coincidence?
Sorry for the long post.
TIA.
BTW- 98.5 SVT w/ 127,000 mi. No engine mods- just a K&N open element & the battery's in the trunk.
TIA.
