At Fixya.com, our trusted experts are meticulously vetted and possess extensive experience in their respective fields. Backed by a community of knowledgeable professionals, our platform ensures that the solutions provided are thoroughly researched and validated.
Smelled mild burning, lost antifreeze - engine temp Hot. I looked under car and noticed a serverly frayed Belt - NOT the big surpentine belt - another small belt on the driver's side. 1999 Mercury Mystique V6 2.5
- If you need clarification, ask it in the comment box above.
- Better answers use proper spelling and grammar.
- Provide details, support with references or personal experience.
Tell us some more! Your answer needs to include more details to help people.You can't post answers that contain an email address.Please enter a valid email address.The email address entered is already associated to an account.Login to postPlease use English characters only.
Tip: The max point reward for answering a question is 15.
How long have you driven on the nylon timing belt in the engine ?
What is the recommended distance before the timing belt needs replacement is it 100,000 kilometers ?
Also the bearings that the timing belt runs on may be worn out
Is there an adequate amount of oil in the engine ?
If the timing belt bearings are worn the timing belt gets hot and could cause that burning smell you mentioned .
Note if the timing belt breaks while the engine is running it could result in engine damage.
If you have been (revving the car/racing/accident/excessive speeding) you will smell something similar to burning oil from the engine, also if it has been more than 10,000kms (6000 mile) since last oil change you should get it serviced.
Serpentine belts have an idler pulley and an automatic belt tensioner - either one of these could have gone bad and could cause the smoke. The idler pulley has a bearing inside that can seize, stopping the pulley from turning which would cause the belt to fray. The tensioner keeps the belt tight and when they go, the belt hangs loose, causing the belt to burn on the other components. The Alternator also runs on that belt, as well as the a/c compressor and other components, depending on the particulars of your car ( make, model, engine, accessories, etc.) and the main bearings can be bad there too. There are actually several key components running off the belt and, without being there, I cannot accurately diagnose the issue. I recommend you go to a reputable shop. The type of smell in the burning would guide me to what to check - there are many things that can cause these symptoms. If that mechanic only changed the belt but did not investigate the cause I personally would not go back there.
I'm sorry i couldn't offer anything more concrete to help - hopefully I've given you some directions to look!
Hope this helps!!
If your belt is still squealing then you have a pulley contaminated with oil or coolant which will just cause it to keep squealing. Do not use a belt dressing as they are temporary and ruin the belt. Remove you belt and scrub the ribs of the belt with a mild soap. Then scrub off all the belt pulleys and rinse. Reinstall the belt and your problem should go away.
If the car hasn't been towed to a mechanic yet, borrow a code scanner from an auto parts shop (free) and check for codes (fairly easy). Then look 'em up online.
I'm guessing you might have a bad crankshaft or camshaft sensor, because they often fail hot.
It's possible you have a broken timing belt (inside engine front cover -- not the serpentine belt that you can see). If so, there are probably all kinds of weird codes.
And it's also possible the engine severely overheated and is now kaput -- but if the temp gauge rose only slightly and you didn't see steam or smell antifreeze, that's unlikely.
For the 1999 Mercury Mystique Water Pump Belt on 2.5L V6 Engine:
Probable Causes: Belt: worn out, started slipping. Overheating caused by failure of Belt. Lost antifreeze: caused by failure of belt, not turning Water Pump Pulley, not circulating anitfreeze, which resulted in overheating.
×