Expert: Sean Halliday - 8/24/2008

Question
Hi there.

I drive a 1995 Acura Integra GSR, manual transmission. Tonight on the highway I noticed a gentle warm draft coming from the chamber housing the emergency brake. It was very warm--but not incredibly hot--inside the plastic housing around the e-brake, the stick was warm, and the middle storage console was also warm. All along the "floor" of the console between the seats was pretty warm, but not incredibly hot.

It seemed to become more hot at higher speed (~80mph. I know. Slow down.) and less so at lower speeds, but in 40 minutes of driving, it never cooled down completely. I also smelled, with the windows rolled up and the a/c off, a very, very faint odor of what was maybe oil burning.

I didn't stop driving immediately because I decided that whatever was causing the heat must be some kind of friction and not actual flames because the heat was never HOT, just really warm.

Yes, I checked multiple times to be sure the emergency brake was not set. And neither the clutch nor the gears were making any unusual sounds or vibrations.

Trouble is, I need to drive about 40 miles to get home tomorrow and I'm concerned about doing more harm.

Is this trouble? Is it the transmission? I'm really not sure what to do next and the usual maintainer of the car (my dad) is out of the state and can't be reached for several weeks. It doesn't help much that tomorrow is Sunday, and I don't know who to consult for help.

What should I do next?

Thanks in advance for your response.

--Sarah

Answer
Did you try changing the vent settings?Warm air coming thru the foot well is normal for this time of year but as for whats causing this i would be guessing on your car.The car will need to be inspected on a hoist to see if you may have a hole in the exhaust but you would have heard the louder output.You didnt say if you have a blow out in the exhaust.The Acura and most Japanese car engines run at a high temperature,80,90 degrees.C.Its posssible you have a vent loose under the footwell or it may be leaking and so diverting the air from the engine into the cabin.If you have to drive 40 miles,do so but have the car looked at as soon as possible.Any smell of gas and switch off right away and park the car. Burning oil is possible if you have any oil leaks around the exhaust manifold.