Smell like burning plastic - 1992 Toyota Tercel

Are you loosing radiator fluid. sometimes the heater core will rupture and you will smell burn odor. also check for strange rubbing sounds or screeching coming from the blower fan motor. or engine exhaust manifolds are hot when car is on, make sure nothing is leaning on them which will cause a burn odor. Any odor coming from outside will find it's way inside through the fresh air vents.

check all cables from starter and alternator, may also be plastic bush surround in alternator due to wear down

If it smells like burning a burning plastic/ceramic then your brakes are locking up and burning. Next time it does it, see if the smell is coming from the rear tire. if so, its time for a brake job

If the smell is like burning oil or really hot coolant. you may have killed the motor. If it smells like burning plastic ,look for shorthing wires around the exhaust manifold battery, alternator or place that a wire could be burnt. If a rubber smell check for belt failure.

Burnt smell after starting 2013 Chevrolet Equinox. Turned key starter turned over slowly then started drove car however strong electrical burning smell after starting pulled over seen smoke coming from under vehicle. Car wouldn't start even with a jump starter just clicking sound then nothing while horrible smell of burnt electrical from under the hood. Towed it home it just clicked once. Lights, horn, flashers dash and power locks all working fine never had any problems. Thoughts starter or ??

You will need to check where the liquid is coming from, It may be anything from Air Con, Fuel, Transmission Fluid etc..

The fact you smell burning plastic could be 3 things..

1, Brake pads could smell and burn down if they are on too tight (Had this problem with a trailer). Hence when you apply the brakes it could be squirting brake fluid out due to too much pressure.
- Check brake fluid

2, If the smell and liquid is inside the car (front pass side) it could be the air ducts. Under the dashboard you have air ducts etc for the fans and in car cooling (brother had issue with this)

3, Whatever the fluid is, it could possibly drip onto something hot, unusual for liquid to smell like plastic though, Auto transmission oil smells like fish.

Best bet would be the brakes. Next time you smell it just smell in the wheel mag and see if you can smell it, check the engine fluids often and dont use A/C (Air Con) as that does drip fluid (normal). If it is the brakes smelling you will need to have the lines bled out, tyre places may be able to do this, and possibly new brake pads

Good luck

you may be loseing a ground. valv coverleaking oil one time a lady had a plastic bag stuck to her muffler.pu

could be catalytic converter stopped up

sounds like it could be electrical then... have you done any changes to the electrical at all? rewiring, changing headlights, etc? I had a similar smell when I changed my headlights... new headlights were defective and were melting the housing and harness...

Have ya checked for melted plastic bags on the exaust ??