A smell of burning rubber is coming from my engine. What is it? Could it be the timing belt? Is it safe to drive any distance? Thanks I have a burning rubber smell in my Subaru 2003 Outback, - any advice anyone can offer would be greatly appreciated!

Is one of the pulleys locked up and smoking the belt ?
Can you get the engine computer checked for trouble codes ?

If your battery light came on, and you smelled burning rubber, it could be that your belt that drives the alternator, which charges your battery is broken or flipped upside down. Do not drive with the battery light on or else you will stop dead when the battery does not have enough charge in it to keep the car running. If you decide to drive and not follow my advice, then be sure all extra electrical power is off eg. radio, fan, DVD, lights etc.

Hi Dianne, sorry, but I have to ask: after the oil change, are you sure the oil was re-filled? Maybe some got spilled on the exhaust manifold and needs to burn off (any smoke?) Is there coolant visible in the overflow tank? If the coolant is low, perhaps there is a leak in a hose to and from the radiator. "Hot smell" can also be rubber burning, i.e. drive belts, clutch pressure plate. Hard for me to tell w/o being there-hope this helps!

SOUND LIKE ALTERNATOR SHAFT BEARING FAILING CAUSING ALTERNATOR PULLEY LOCK OR PUT DRAG ON DRIVE BELT CAUSING BURN RUBBER SMELL OR DRIVE BELT LOOSE CAUSES BELT SLIPPAGE MAKE BELT RUB AND BURN.WHEN YOU SMELL RUBBER BELT BURN SMELL WATCH OUT DRIVE IS GOING TO BREAK.

It sounds like the belt is slipping or maybe even the compressor is seized. Just check to see if the compressor is turning.

If the smell is like burn rubber, and the car crank fast and wines the problem is the timing belt.

if the smell is like electrical burn and the car do not start anymore the problem is alternator.

if the drive belts are broke, one of the pulleys is locked, spin them to see which one is bad.

good look amigo.

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Make sure your alternator is not seizing up making the belt slip and get hot enough to smell of burned rubber.

the burning smell will be the new gasket for the regulator it is perfectly normal for this to be occuring

A common cause of a smell like that is a coolant leak.Take a close look around the hoses,clamps, frost plugs and the water pump as it has a weep hole that will leek coolant if the seal is breached. Sometimes all you will see is a stain, but no coolant as small leeks boil away with the engines heat.
If a belt was burning it would be very noisy. The timing belt is cogged so slippage is unlikely. It is possible that a foreign object has gotten on the exhaust manifold like a plastic bag. One last thing I can think of is a wire or something touching a hot surface and melting. Good luck.

check and see if any of your hoses are touching any moving parts like the fan or pulleys or even the exhaust