Greetings! My 1992 Toyota Camry Wagon smells like burning rubber under the hood and just a little bit inside the passenger cabin. When the hood is open one can view a tad bit of white smoke coming from where the belts are housed. That’s what I think the problem may be but I would appreciate any feedback or suggestions from you.
Best,
Greenwaldo
Slipping belts due to a seized pulley?
Seized component would be my guess too. If it runs, you can safely eliminate the alternator as a likely candidate (although it may be seizing but not totally seized). That leaves you with the tensioner, the AC compressor, and one or two that I’m forgetting. The smoke should give you a clue.
To isolate the problem belt, take one belt off at a time, run the engine, and sniff near the belts (WATCH loose clothing near the belts!). When the odor is gone, THAT belt you removed drives the problem component. Turn the pulley on all of those components, by hand. If one feels rough, has excessive play, or is hard to turn, that is probably the problem one.
You could have a seized and leaking water pump, hence the rubber smell and white vapor. Without delay take it to a good shop, before you incur more severe damage.