Loss of power, Hot smell .... Then nothing - Help!
 

Hi All,

I have a 2002 bugeye with 75K which I have owned for a couple of years now.

Yesterday 30 minutes into a drive I was accelerating away from the lights in a spirited manner when the revs dropped hard from 6ish to 4ish K then engine started struggling and there was a smell eminanting from under the bonnet.

I was on a major busy road with no shoulder so I wasn't able to pullover and limped it a few kms up the road to the nearest turnoff after which it started settling down and behaving again. I was very close to my destination and continued a further 2-3 kms and pulled over and inspected under the bonnet.

I can't see anything, the smell has gone and today it seems to be operating fine.

It was sufficiently bad yesterday I was sure that something major had collapsed in the engine bay but somehow disappeared with slow light driving.

I have limited mechanical understanding and getting into the mechanic is a difficult especially when I have a problem which isn't presenting right now.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Cheers in advance

.Sean

What kind of smell?

what type of smell? burning oil, coolant? any smoke?

No smoke that I could see.

The best way I could describe it is hot smelling.

Perhaps some oil or grease on a hot surface but I can't find it and the smell has abated.

Or coolant?

Could be coolant I guess, the temp didn't change through the whole scenario and couldn't find any evidence of fluids of any sort in the bay or underneath where I parked.

I'll check the fluids again today and see if I can see any changes.

any backfire from the exhaust?

Certainly not afterwards but could have been something small in the midst of the power loss it all happened very quickly and the stereo was on.

If it wasn't for the subsequent smell and lumpy powerless drive for another few kms, it could have been something I hadn't given any more thought about.

temporary lack/blockage of fuel perhaps??

Would the consensus be that it should be safe to keep driving and suss out if and when anything happens again?