Urgent: Horrible burning clutch smell on 2022 Gt-Line, need help ASAP

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

Hi All,

I bought a CPO 2022 GT-Line out of state and am currently driving it home.

We were coming down a decline just now and I didnt want to ride the brakes so I used the paddles to put it in 6th gear. Revs never went above 3k, going about 55-60 mph. Immediately got a strong clutch smell which at first I thought was the semi truck in front of me. After maybe 2 minutes of being in sixth i pulled over in a flat area and popped the hood. The smell was definitely coming from the car.
Earlier in the day we smelled a strange sweet smell periodically in normal driving (not coolant, more like molasses, or donuts even)

Day before we went over the pass in Colorado near Vail and I geared down similarly no problem .

What's you're guess on whats going on?
Ok to drive the car the remaining 200 miles? No CELs or anything.

Thanks.

Edit. Car only has 9k miles and ive been driving conservatively in Eco mode. No burnouts or launches etc. Also fully aware there is no "clutch" in the car, but it was a similar smell. Brakes were not hot either.

 

[Kodiack]

No clutch in the car unless you include the clutch packs inside the auto trans and they are wet clutch packs so I would rule that out.
I would suspect either brake pads or something against the exhaust melting....if you are concerned take it to a local shop and have them give it a go over, much easier to diagnose with a hoist.

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

No clutch in the car unless you include the clutch packs inside the auto trans and they are wet clutch packs so I would rule that out.
I would suspect either brake pads or something against the exhaust melting....if you are concerned take it to a local shop and have them give it a go over, much easier to diagnose with a hoist.

Brakes weren't hot when i stopped.
Im aware there is no "clutch", edited the post. Thats the closest smell I could compare it to.
Just strange that it happened soon after downshifting.
Appreciate the reply. Is it ok to downshift like that on a decline?

 

[Snicklefritz]

The car will downshift itself. In cruise control, going downhill it will shift into 5th gear and apply brakes to keep at the set cruise speed. See if the smell comes on when the car maintains cruise speed. Get home with it. But hells bells, why drive another 200 miles at night? Just go to sleep and continue tomorrow.

 

[Kodiack]

I personally just let the auto trans do its thing, I dont use the paddle shifters too often.
I dont see why a downshift from what you described as being overly aggressive but I have no idea what your mystery burnt smell could be if not the brakes or exhaust.
PS: if you have stock brake pads they are complete shit.....lots of threads on how bad they are. Unless you have the non brembo version then I think they are ok.

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

The car will downshift itself. In cruise control, going downhill it will shift into 5th gear and apply brakes to keep at the set cruise speed. See if the smell comes on when the car maintains cruise speed. Get home with it. But hells bells, why drive another 200 miles at night? Just go to sleep and continue tomorrow.

Thanks for the reply.
This happened right as we were approaching the hotel, so we're done for tonight.

Coming down the hill, it was pretty foggy and I wasn't comfortable with the speed it was going but didn't want to ride the brakes. Smell occurred pretty quick after the downshift.
Cruise wasnt on.
If it is the tranny, what specifically would make that smell?
Did i do anything wrong here?
Upset since I just got it and already having issues. Any insight on Kia standing behind the warranty or will i be on the hook?

Stressful day

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

I personally just let the auto trans do its thing, I dont use the paddle shifters too often.
I dont see why a downshift from what you described as being overly aggressive but I have no idea what your mystery burnt smell could be if not the brakes or exhaust.
PS: if you have stock brake pads they are complete shit.....lots of threads on how bad they are. Unless you have the non brembo version then I think they are ok.

I was going really easy on the brakes (hence the downshift)
Standard brakes, didn't get the apex edition.
Smell was pretty instant and overwhelming in the cabin.

 

[Snicklefritz]

Is it a Kia CPO? Even if not, a second owner of a car that new has a lot of warranty left. A non-CPO, I believe, gets five years and 60K miles for second owner. You can always buy an extended warranty package too. Now, you didn't do a dang thing wrong as you put it. A transmission issue is going to manifest as shifting issues too, and I've never heard of a Stinger transmission grenade without quite a bit of warning symptoms first. In the morning back out and check the ground for any fluids leaking on the ground. Without that, I wouldn't suspect the transmission or oil or brake fluid. Should be fine for another 200 miles. And if not, then warranty, here we come. Hope springs. Sleep well.

Thanks for the reply.
This happened right as we were approaching the hotel, so we're done for tonight.

Coming down the hill, it was pretty foggy and I wasn't comfortable with the speed it was going but didn't want to ride the brakes. Smell occurred pretty quick after the downshift.
Cruise wasnt on.
If it is the tranny, what specifically would make that smell?
Did i do anything wrong here?
Upset since I just got it and already having issues. Any insight on Kia standing behind the warranty or will i be on the hook?

Stressful day

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

Is it a Kia CPO? Even if not, a second owner of a car that new has a lot of warranty left. A non-CPO, I believe, gets five years and 60K miles for second owner. You can always buy an extended warranty package too. Now, you didn't do a dang thing wrong as you put it. A transmission issue is going to manifest as shifting issues too, and I've never heard of a Stinger transmission grenade without quite a bit of warning symptoms first. In the morning back out and check the ground for any fluids leaking on the ground. Without that, I wouldn't suspect the transmission or oil or brake fluid. Should be fine for another 200 miles. And if not, then warranty, here we come. Hope springs. Sleep well.

Thanks for the info and kind words.
Its a KIA factory CPO car. Additionally, i purchased a warranty from the dealer to get the bumper to bumper coverage up to 100k to match the 100k powertrain warranty covered by the CPO status.

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

Is it a Kia CPO? Even if not, a second owner of a car that new has a lot of warranty left. A non-CPO, I believe, gets five years and 60K miles for second owner. You can always buy an extended warranty package too. Now, you didn't do a dang thing wrong as you put it. A transmission issue is going to manifest as shifting issues too, and I've never heard of a Stinger transmission grenade without quite a bit of warning symptoms first. In the morning back out and check the ground for any fluids leaking on the ground. Without that, I wouldn't suspect the transmission or oil or brake fluid. Should be fine for another 200 miles. And if not, then warranty, here we come. Hope springs. Sleep well.

One more thing; what symptoms would preceed a major transmission failure?

 

[Kodiack]

Slipping under load..clunking shifts..missing gears..grinding noise or complete failure = no movement at all
I have never really heard of a stinger with tranny failure unless it was heavily modded

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

Slipping under load..clunking shifts..missing gears..grinding noise or complete failure = no movement at all

Thank you. Wasn't experiencing any of that.

 

[Ah GetFd]

Just making some observations here.

As you are driving with paddle shifters and a relatively unfamiliar car maybe you have given the transmission a workout. That should be OK. They are pretty unbreakable. I remember a documentary on Borg Warner and they showed throwing a transmission from full forward speed into reverse during testing in the factory. It survived.

But, it's a car. Brakes are still cheaper than transmissions. Your ABS works with brakes not transmissions as does your stability control. When you are braking your brake lights work. If you get into the habit of slowing with gear changes your brake lights don't work.

I still haven't used the paddle shifters or launch control and I have had the car since new for 11 months. But I am also looking after it.

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

Just making some observations here.

As you are driving with paddle shifters and a relatively unfamiliar car maybe you have given the transmission a workout. That should be OK. They are pretty unbreakable. I remember a documentary on Borg Warner and they showed throwing a transmission from full forward speed into reverse during testing in the factory. It survived.

But, it's a car. Brakes are still cheaper than transmissions. Your ABS works with brakes not transmissions as does your stability control. When you are braking your brake lights work. If you get into the habit of slowing with gear changes your brake lights don't work.

I still haven't used the paddle shifters or launch control and I have had the car since new for 11 months. But I am also looking after i

Id been driving super conservatively and just popped it into manual mode at the decline. Nothing crazy

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

Another data point, i had to jam on the brakes a few times during the trip previous to this incident (getting cut off/objects in the road etc.) and no smells.

 

[Volfy]

You did exactly the right thing by manually downshifting on steep descent. We vacation in Colorado many times, and that is exactly what I do, regardless of what vehicle I'm in. Not uncommon to see other cars arriving at gas stations at the bottom of the descent with their brakes smoking. That is a big no-no.

You said RPM never exceeded 3k, so you weren't stressing the engine, nor is downhill engine braking stressing the transmission. My guess is the smell is coming from your brakes or your hot engine parts . You said your brakes weren't hot, but even with proper engine braking, you are still going to use your brakes a good bit on a steep descent. For me, it's typically just before a turn, where I have to use the brakes to adjust my car speed to make the turn safely. If you do it correctly (and it sounds like you made a great effort at it), your brakes won't be smoking hot, or your rotors glowing red (yes, I have seen that at night on Colorado hwys), but they will be hot.

If you have driven through roads and hwys that are wet and slushy, that road grime has all sorts of oils, greases, and debris entrained in it. Invariably, that gunk gets on hot areas of your car's engine, radiator, and/or brakes, and that will cook off all kinds of weird and nasty smells.

My suggestion is to take your car through a car wash with good underwash. That should help clear out that accumulate grime/salt from your undercarriage. You car - and your nostrils - will thank you.

 

[Rich_Freakin_Evans]

I

You did exactly the right thing by manually downshifting on steep descent. We vacation in Colorado many times, and that is exactly what I do, regardless of what vehicle I'm in. Not uncommon to see other cars arriving at gas stations at the bottom of the descent with their brakes smoking. That is a big no-no.

You said RPM never exceeded 3k, so you weren't stressing the engine, nor is downhill engine braking stressing the transmission. My guess is the smell is coming from your brakes or your hot engine parts . You say your brakes aren't hot, but even with proper engine braking, you are still going to use your brakes a good bit on a steep descent. For me, it's typically just before a turn, where I have to use the brakes to adjust my car speed to make the turn safely. If you do it correct (and it sounds like you made a great effort at it), your brakes won't be smoking hot, or your rotors glowing red (yes, I have seen that at night on Colorado hwys), but they will be hot.

If you have driven through roads and hwys that are wet and slushy, that road grime has all sorts of oils, greases, and debris entrained in it. Invariably, that gunk gets on hot areas of your car's engine, radiator, and/or brakes, and that will cook off all kinds of weird and nasty smells.

My suggestion is to take your car through a car wash with good underwash. That should help clear out that accumulate grime/salt from your undercarriage. You car - and your nostrils - will thank you.

I really appreciate the reply. This forum is full of friendly helpful people

 

[Volfy]

I really appreciate the reply. This forum is full of friendly helpful people

Can't promise being helpful every time, but most of us do try to stay cordial.