2003 Pontiac Grand Am Smell and Rattling Noise

BRITTANY83

MEMBER
2003 PONTIAC GRAND AM
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
96,000 MILES

My car has a burning smell coming from the front end. There is no smoke. It smells liks a hot glue gun or a hot iron. I dont smell it when I'm driving (presumably because the wind is blowing the smell away) but I smell it when I am stopped at a light, put it in park, or when I get out of the vehicle. This has been going on for 2 weeks.

Also, just 2 days ago, I noticed a rattling/scraping type sound that occurs only when I make turns (not in a gradual curve in the road, but an actual full left or right turn) or intermittently/randomly when I am accelerating, but only below speeds of 40mph. The sound does not happen at all when I brake, when I am idling or when I am going at a constant speed.

Not sure if this could be related, but I just had repairs done about 2 weeks ago - they replaced the left front wheel bearing and the catalytic converter. The burning smell started about 24 hours after I got the car back from them.

1 Reply

2CARPRO JACK

MECHANIC
11,533 POSTS

I would take it back to them. The rattling/scraping may be abacking plate that got bent a little when the work was being done. The smell may just be the new cat converter. Sometimes new exhaust parts will smell for awhile, while they burn off all of the oil used to keep them from rusting while being stored. But definitly have them double check the car for you since this all started after the work was performed