Solder smell when engine is warm and heat near max 2015 Tacoma V6

I don't drive the Tacoma much (10,000kms since new in June 2015) but noticed (since new) that when the heater knob is in the red zone and the engine comes up to full operating temperature, there is a solder like smell.

I changed the cabin filter last year with no difference.

Anyone have any experience with this issue? I'll be bringing it to the dealer to investigate/repair this defect but hoping for some unbiased feedback first.

Thanks, Jacques

 

Does it smell like solder, or like your wife's hair dryer on high?

 

Like solder...

 

Smell of the heating element? Does it smell "hot" or does it smell "electrically"

these are real smells, leave me alone

 

My first thought is just (especially with it seeing little use) that the likely culprit is dust and dirt in the vents... If it doesn't get used enough it probably wouldn't ever fully 'clean' itself but blowing all the crap out.

 

it doesn't smell electrical as in overheating wires, more like you've just soldered an electrical device onto a circuit board...might be grease or other stuff on the heater core?

 

Interesting. When the heater is on, I get the smell of curing silicone sealant (the clear stuff). Never had any windows replaced, haven't used silicone on the truck. At least that's what it smells like to me. But now I suppose it could be more of a solder/flux smell.

I wonder if the heat is cooking off some leftover flux, or if a soldered contact is overheating and slowly burning out.

 

It may be the material holding the heater core together. When it heats up, it may put off the aroma of the brazing/welding material on the core. Just a thought.

 

You only have 10K KM on the truck!? That's, like 6K miles in the US! Could it be part of the new-car smell?