Hyundai Elantra Car Not Starting Electrical Smell From Engine

Q: My battery light came on out of nowhere and I started smelling smoke.

Hi, I was wondering if you could help me out. I was just pulling into a parking lot in a giant thunderstorm, but as I was turning, the battery light came on and suddenly I wasn't able to steer as well. I turned the radio and the AC off, but suddenly I smelled a burning smell coming from the engine. I found the nearest parking space and turned the car off. I started the car again and the battery light came back on, and the burning smell returned. I just had the battery charged a month ago. Is it just that the battery's dead, or could it be a larger issue? Should I get my car towed or is it safe to drive to an auto repair place?

Thank you for your help!
My car has an automatic transmission.

Recommended Services

This may suggest a failing voltage regulator. The voltage regulator is a unit that regulates the charging of the battery by the alternator. When the voltage regulator is not working properly, this may result in the alternator allowing too much power to be delivered to the battery resulting in damaging wires and prematurely sometimes destroying the battery. A common sign of this is usually the acid inside the battery boiling causing the battery to swell. You may also smell a bit of smoke due to things potentially getting too hot. In other cases it may result in the alternator not supplying enough power to the battery, resulting in undercharging the battery or not charging it at all. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose your vehicle's charging system.

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

Get an instant quote for your car

Our certified mechanics come to you ・Backed by 12-month, 12,000-mile guarantee・Fair and transparent pricing


Experienced Mechanic?

Earn up to $70/hr

What others are asking

Water pump, oil leak, and alternator problems

From the description it would appear the three problems are probably unrelated. A failing water pump would usually only be indicated visually by a leak, or overheating of the vehicle. In regards to the oil leak, we would have to...

Knocking sound in the engine

A knocking sound in the engine generally means that the bearings in the engine are worn. When the bearings are worn, this allows the parts of the engine to have excess movement, causing the knocking noise. I would ask for...

New battery; car won't start

Hello. If the car is not starting after a battery replacement then you either have a bad connection at the battery or it is possible that the programming in the computer got corrupted when the voltage was lost. This can...

Is the drive belt different from the timing belt?

The serpentine belt (aka drive belt) (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/serpentine-drive-belt-replacement), is the belt that drives the accessories on the front of the engine. It drives the alternator, water pump, power steering pump, air conditioning compressor, and any other belt driven accessories. This is...

Will a worn front stabilizer bar cause shaking

Hi There, As you know, the sway bar or stabilizer bar is a steel bar that connects suspension components on opposite wheels. Its purpose is to combat body roll when a car makes a turn. It is also known as...

Can you still get r-12 to service my a/c?

As you may know, R-12 refrigerant was phased out back in 1994 and replace by R-134a, however it is still available in select places. If you are looking for a small amount such as one or two cans, you may...

Related articles

The Best Used Cars to Buy If You Have Kids

Once Once you have kids, the kind of car you have becomes very important. Suddenly, the amount of space, entertainment features, reliability, safety, and easy to clean interior become the top priorities. Here's a list of vehicles meant to satisfy...


Browse other content

Hyundai Elantra Car Not Starting Electrical Smell From Engine

Source: https://www.yourmechanic.com/question/my-battery-light-came-on-out-of-nowhere-and-i-started-smelling-smoke-by-elizabeth-g

0 Response to "Hyundai Elantra Car Not Starting Electrical Smell From Engine"

Post a Comment

Iklan Atas Artikel

Iklan Tengah Artikel 1

Iklan Tengah Artikel 2

Iklan Bawah Artikel