Car Problem

[nascarnation]

Looks like you were wrong, a Mazda.

[dinodino]

Looks like this is common with your car. Check out this discussion on Edmunds.com:

http://www.edmunds.com/mazda/cx-7/2008/consumer-discussions.html

Here’s one of several incidents like yours:

“Our 2008 Mazda CX-7 (Sport, AWD) had a compressor failure at just a hair over 30,000 miles. This occurred on our way back from vacation, through the hills of West Virginia. We started smelling burnt rubber. Shortly after that, I heard a loud bang - I lost power steering and all of my check engine lights came on. This was at 1AM. I was able to coast to an exit and find a hotel (had my wife, toddler, and infant). When I opened up the hood, the belts were shredded and coolant had sprayed everywhere.”

[Windflier]

Someone posted the link to this YouTube video just moments before you posted your thread:

Watch That Cadillac Burn - Elvis Presley

[lacrew]

I’ve made a hobby of breaking and fixing my cars...so I know what a serpentine belt is. I still don’t think ann overheated engine would smoke enough to annoy other drivers....I think he blew a hose. And at first I thought he said there were dash lights on...but if you re-read it he’s talking about turning on his flashers. So no alternator light either.

[norwaypinesavage]

"But they suspected there were several/many(?) other side effects."

This is your cue to get out of there REALLY fast. It sounds to me like this happened fast enough that once the A/C pulley is spinning, three bucks of engine cleaning in a car wash is all you need.

[vigilante2]

Power steering fluid leaked onto the catalytic converter..

[4yearlurker]

Sounds like you blew a power steering line (hose) and power steering fluid was squirting on the hot engine causing the smoke. have the car towed to your house and check it yourself.

[Impala64ssa]

Sounds like a power steering line sprung a leak and sprayed fluid over the hot engine
That's possible, or the pump itself. Or maybe the idler pulley that maintains the proper tension on the serpentine belt seized up.

[Allen In Texas Hill Country]

Damn, getting old is a pain. Used to use Edmunds for everything and I forgot to check. Thanks.

[Allen In Texas Hill Country]

This could be a big deal so it needs to be at the dealer its at. They have the best resources as far as I can tell. The Edmunds info is quite revealing. Thanks.

[PAR35]

Agreed. Power steering line or possibly the power steering pump. Should be a fairly minor fix if there were no flames. And if the mechanic can’t find the problem, take it to someone competent.

Oh, and extended warranties are a rip-off.

[vigilante2]

Actually if it smelled like rubber it was probably the serpentine belt burning up. I had oil leaking on mine causing it to slip off. If it smelled like oil then it was probably power steering fluid burning on the cat.

[norwaypinesavage]

I was probably too criptic in my analysis, so I'll expound. IF your A/C compressor pulley seized, and caused your engine compartment to spew smoke from the belt, and IF your power steering and alternator then stopped spinning due to the stalled belt, it's likely that your engine did not overheat, as you would have noticed the steering, and warning lights, and smoke quickly. In this event, there is likely no more damage than the A/C compressor bearing and belt. This is particulary true if you did not loose any coolant. If you lost more than a little coolant, all bets are off.

If the belt and A/C bearing get replaced and you carefully look for overheating and other problems within the first minutes of starting the engine, and find none, there are likely to be no further problems. On the other hand, a mechanic could also spend many hours and many more dollars looking for more problems, too. He might even be able to "find" some.

[Allen In Texas Hill Country]

We shall see said the blind man to his deaf daughter as he picked up his hammer and saw. :<((((

Thanks.

[wolfman23601]

I have a ‘96 626 with 180k miles that I have been trying to run into the ground for 4 years for an excuse to get something newer. Haven’t put a dime into it other than what it needs to pass inspection and it runs perfectly. I don’t even change the oil. Just got a new vehicle 2 weeks ago so now the Mazda is to be used as a spare, but that thing has been unbelievably reliable and easy for DIY work as well.

[RegulatorCountry]

My dad had an early eighties B2000 pickup that was the same, very basic, manual choke. Couldn’t kill it. The body rusted out from under it eventually, after about twenty years of hard use. Mechanically it was still servicable. Parted it out after the floorboards got scary, sold the remaining carcas for scrap.

Their early Wankel engines were a little more difficult, though,