[DreezyMoto]

Been driving my 08 328i for a while now and have recently noticed a weird burnt smell that pops up at low speeds, 1st-3rd gear. (Unsure if that has anything to do with it. Whenever I smell it I pop the hood and try to find out where it’s coming from. But to no avail, I can only smell it when I’m sitting in the drivers seat. Whether the heater/ac is on doesn’t matter it still pops up. I can’t really describe the smell besides a burnt smell, it almost smells electrical but I don’t believe it is. No lights on the dash or any warnings, I plugged in an obd tester for shits and gigs but nothing came up whatsoever. Was wondering if anyone may have any idea what the smell could be.

Edit: I’m thinking it could be a power steering leak? Took off the reservoir cap and noticed it was only about halfway filled and not touching the “dipstick” on the cap. Gonna top that off and see if I notice any leakage.

[tcphoto]

VCG

[cliffschum]

Or valvetronic gasket. Look carefully at valve cover area for oil build up, to determine origin. Could also a small access port gasket near VCG..

[mainbearing]

+1 may be the valve cover gasket, a cracked valve cover, valvetornic "football" gasket, 3-way CCV pipe, or oil pan gasket. BMW did an awful job sealing this engine. Oil and fumes can leak like crazy.

08 would be right out of the 15-year/150K-mile PZEV warranty for Calif (by end of 2023) for free repair, but double check.

[TriumphTim]

Is the smell kinda sweet and makes your eyes water? Could be leaking coolant hoses to HVAC heater core under dash.

I have the above issue, comes and goes.