08 SE burning smell from under hood

[WVMTB]

Hi folks,

 

Got a mystery that I’m hoping I can get some help with. My car is an 08 with 107,000 miles, and I have been getting a strong burning smell when I stop and exit the vehicle. A few times I’ve detected it coming in through the vents while driving. It does not smell like oil or rubber, but more like the smoke from a soldering iron. I’ve looked repeatedly but cannot see smoke or fire. The car’s not overheating and mostly runs fine. The idle is a bit uneven but it’s been that way for a while. Anyone else have this or have ideas of what to look for? 
 

Thanks! 

[Labu]

I just had the same problem occur to me. After a 30 mile drive this morning, my check engine light came on too. I’m going to let it cool and check it out under the hood for any visible damage. My car had the burning smell that would sometimes propagate through the vents while driving since yesterday. I’ve got 168000 miles on my ‘08. And I’m worried she’s about to kick the bucket

 

I also noticed a sound in the engine bay while it idled when I got home. Here’s the link to my video of it I uploaded to YouTube: 

 

[2010Merc801]

This is an old post, but I had a recent experience.  My 2010 had a smell when I backed up or sat in traffic.  It wasn't quite like exhaust, but it wasn't burning oil.  It turned out that the two outboard spark plugs were loose.  Combustion gasses were leaking past the coil pack boots into the engine compartment, then through the fresh air vents.

 

I installed new spark plugs, no more smell.  I will re-check the tightness of the spark plugs after 1000 miles to avoid a repeat.