E-Class (W211) 2003-2009

burning plastic smell

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Old Nov 21, 2015 | 07:24 PM
  #1  
f4i 954's Avatar
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2009 e class 2012 ml350
burning plastic smell

Anyone know of this???
plastic burning smell from the vents, there are flaps inside the heater box that deteriorate and give out a burning smell, i was wondering if there is any way to get to them from the blower side or from the centre vents??
Anyone had this fixed??
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Old Nov 23, 2015 | 08:52 AM
  #2  
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2009 E550 2000 Honda civic mash n' go
Are your cam plugs or centrifuge cover leaking? Those could be what you are smelling.... they are located on the rear of the engine...
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Old Nov 23, 2015 | 09:45 AM
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2009 e class 2012 ml350
Originally Posted by cmriv
Are your cam plugs or centrifuge cover leaking? Those could be what you are smelling.... they are located on the rear of the engine...
Hi, no they are dry, no oil leaks what so ever, I'm sure it's inside the box, I have seen it already big time ago, and I know what it is, just wondering if there is a better way than removing the box, I can't remember what the flaps were for
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Old Jan 1, 2016 | 11:37 AM
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There is no easy way to get to it, I will post more pictures when I get the new part
Attached Thumbnails burning plastic smell-image.jpeg  

Last edited by f4i 954; Jan 1, 2016 at 11:39 AM.
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Old Jan 2, 2016 | 02:27 AM
  #5  
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W211 320CDI -04, W210 270CDI -01
Originally Posted by f4i 954
There is no easy way to get to it, I will post more pictures when I get the new part
What in the earth happened there
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Old Jan 2, 2016 | 10:44 AM
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Originally Posted by mersum1es
What in the earth happened there
I have seen it in some w211 and some w203, not sure why but the heat just melts the rubber that is used on the flaps and gives out a funky smell when the heater is on
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Old Jan 4, 2016 | 01:44 PM
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2009 E550 2000 Honda civic mash n' go
where are these flaps located?
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Old Jan 4, 2016 | 03:12 PM
  #8  
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Originally Posted by cmriv
where are these flaps located?
Inside 100
Attached Thumbnails burning plastic smell-image.jpeg  
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Old Jan 5, 2016 | 11:56 AM
  #9  
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2009 E550 2000 Honda civic mash n' go
Originally Posted by f4i 954
Inside 100
Dash needs to be removed correct?
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Old Jan 5, 2016 | 12:29 PM
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Originally Posted by cmriv
Dash needs to be removed correct?
Yes, dash, dash support etc, I am going to try and replace it with out removing complete box
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Old Jan 5, 2016 | 05:36 PM
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Last edited by konigstiger; Jan 5, 2016 at 05:38 PM.
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Old Jan 5, 2016 | 06:00 PM
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Nice, I'm sure that guy as done hundreds of them
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Old Jan 10, 2016 | 11:28 AM
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Check heating elements on seats......really!

Originally Posted by f4i 954
Anyone know of this???
plastic burning smell from the vents, there are flaps inside the heater box that deteriorate and give out a burning smell, i was wondering if there is any way to get to them from the blower side or from the centre vents??
Anyone had this fixed??
We were getting a similar smell in the cabin. We never thought of the seats being the source, Until one cold night after driving about 70 miles, when I got out i felt something warm on my lower left lumbar. When i reached to feel /rub.... to my surprise my suit jacket had a burnt hole through it. ?????@#$$!!! I don't smoke or carry any lighters, when i looked at my drivers side backrest. .... sure enough BURNT HOLE on the corresponding location. My e320 is an 08 (out of warranty ), if i had carried matches in that pocket, something really bad could have happened. I don't use the heated seat anymore. Anyone have any suggestions on what I should do?
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Old Jan 10, 2016 | 11:33 AM
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Yupp... have seen the trick with W210 before.
8 minutes video accelerated by 100 times
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Old Jan 22, 2016 | 07:09 PM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by cmriv
Dash needs to be removed correct?
All done, you can split the box in the car, no need to remove the complete box, took about 6 hours, someone with no experience will take longer
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Old May 24, 2019 | 02:47 AM
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2008 w211 e350
Exclamation

There is some painful smell from the heater. After some investigation (googling and talking with other guys having e350s), I believed that the coolant is leaked around the heat core. I visited the Bentz service center and asked them to check why. The service center staff checked, but replied to me that he could not find anything wrong. The smell is painful especially for my nose and throat. I could not endure any more. I visited the private repair shop and described the problem. The repair shop engineer agreed with me. We agreed to repair and he disassembled the dashboard and heat core housing. He found the coolant is leaked a little bit. also found that the flaps in the heat core housing have been melt down. I believe both the hot coolant and hot plastic in a liquid status made the painful smell. I hope this help for all other people. Also I got the clue from your posts here


heater core housing

Last edited by Woohyunjang; May 24, 2019 at 02:54 AM.
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Old Apr 18, 2021 | 10:01 PM
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w211
Seems like i'll be doing this in the future, same symptoms.

​​​​​​f4i 954 (or others if he's no longer around), can anyone describe the process on replacing these flaps? Does the whole unit just get replaced? Watched the video of the full disassembly but f4i mentioned no need to remove the entire box, and the diagram seems to show this piece is above the evaporator box.

Wondering how much of the dash needs to come out, what can be replaced, etc.

Thanks!
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