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I previously asked this question Can flooring accelarator damage car in any way? and it seemed people were saying it will wear parts out, but over time i.e. not in a week or month.

I have been flooring for the past week often and now I'm getting burning smells and it seems the engine is now over reving whenever I floor the accelerator. I think something been damaged. Basically when I floor now it can start to rev abnormally i.e. it sounds like it's over reving and then a burning smell comes too.

I think it's related to the constant flooring but i didn't think a problem would happen in a coupe of days. I wondered what it could be. I suspect the gear hasn't always been going into place i.e. not completely but still quite a bit and I also consider that maybe I dont always have the clutch pressed fully down but then it mostly is.
However when i used to drive normally I suppose I still had the same clutch and gear changing habits and there was no problem at the time.

I may have over revved in gear one at times over these days but maybe only a few times.

It seems the constant flooring is the cause since if i hadn't done that I don't think I'd be posting this question. I've stopped flooring since I know it will cause an over revving sound and burning smell. I really have to build up slowy to avoid it now.

Do you know what might have gone wrong and what are the possible causes?

Thanks

EDIT: The vehicle in question is a Hyundai coupe 2006 (mentioned in the previous question).

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    I'd suggest you've fried the clutch and will need a new one.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Apr 30, 2018 at 1:26
  • @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 can you explain what I had done that would have lead to this in such a short space of time? I need to avoid it in future but not sure if it was the flooring since the answer I linked suggested constant flooring wouldn't lead to such drastic results.
    – James Wilson
    Apr 30, 2018 at 2:27
  • People on here may have assumed that the car was in gear with the clutch fully engaged as opposed to doing « spin the wheels » starts and frying the clutch at every opportunity...
    – Solar Mike
    Apr 30, 2018 at 4:02
  • @JamesWilson - Actually, if you reread what was written, it specifically says you will incur increased wear. There are very few cars which, from the factory, are built to stand up to prolonged punishment. I can say, unequivocally, your car is not one of them. Even with a performance clutch installed, you'll not get a long life out of it if you are continually flooring the accelerator. As stated in the answer to your other question (which you accepted), you are going to "wear through everything faster". Take this to heart, because you are going to be replacing EVERYTHING sooner. Count on it. '
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Apr 30, 2018 at 12:04

2 Answers 2

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In attempt to keep this focus on the mechanics issue and less on the driving techniques:

  1. You have an older car. A vehicle from 2006 has significant wear effects on every component, regardless of how well or badly it was treated in its previous life.

  2. "I'm getting burning smells and it seems the engine is now over reving whenever I floor the accelerator": these are the primary symptoms of a slipping clutch. The friction surfaces are no longer able to maintain a tight enough grip on each other under full load. This means that the driven side of the clutch is spinning faster than the transmission side even when clamped together. This means that the clutch is experiencing kinetic rather than static friction, resulting in heat, wear and smell. The engine will spin faster than the wheels accelerate and the clutch will burn out even faster.

  3. "I suspect the gear hasn't always been going into place": aggressive shifting under load will wear out the transmission faster. At a minimum, you have significantly worn your synchronizers. It is also possible that you have worn out the main gear teeth. This will result in material in the transmission oil that will accelerate other wear.

  4. "I dont always have the clutch pressed fully down but then it mostly is": aggressive shifting with the clutch only partially disengaged will also hasten clutch wear. The friction surface on one side of the clutch is changing speed rapidly while the other is relatively stable. More kinetic friction = more wear.

  5. "I may have over revved in gear one at times over these days but maybe only a few times.": over-revving is definitely bad for most of the components from the engine to the transmission. There is the possibility of damage to the engine itself, hopefully mitigated by the rev-limiter. Listen for new rattles from damaged valves and watch for oil leaks from a blown head gasket.

I've stopped flooring since I know it will cause an over revving sound and burning smell.

I would concur that this is the correct approach. This vehicle likely needs significant work before it will be useful as a race car again.

Do you know what might have gone wrong and what are the possible causes?

The above list is a quick list using only the information provided. The reality is that there could be quite a lot of problems that you didn't have before.

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You have burned your clutch because you floored the accelerator while still having your foot on the clutch pedal, causing a lot of heat and friction to the clutch plates. Flooring the accelerator is no big deal, but make sure to have the car properly in gear first!

If you do not recognise anything from my story then probably the clutch was already very worn and could not handle the stress of your engine on full power.

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