2008 Mazda CX-9 Burning Smell with smoke from under hood...

[Jack Rabbit]

At 80 miles... engine coolant still good... concerned fiance says she seen sparks drop underneath the car one day, about 3 or 4 she says and is very worried about catching on fire. I did not see it but assuming if it were happening, may have been as oil dropped from above and hitting cat/exhaust on way down... thoughts anyone?

Mine took a few/several weeks to completely seal up. More a function of mileage than time. Gotta run it so the warm oil additives keep sleeping through seals. As this happens ,the seals should soften up and rejuvenate and close up.
It should start kicking in soon.
I think yours might be leaking worse than what I had. Did you degrease yet? I would degrease it now and drive another 50 miles take a day trip somewhere to get the mileage up this weekend. Need to get it warmed up for the additives to work. Short little trips isn't gonna do it.
Then see what happens...it will also help you locate the leak better once it's degreased. Also degreasing will allow any drops that come out to seep back onto the engine instead of just dropping on the manifold. Right now you have alot of oil all over waiting to catch fire. A clean engine which then drops a drip or 2 may spark but won't catch fire. However it if is dripping really really fast onto the manifold and the engine is coated in oil, yes it could catch fire. If that's the case, you should just take it to mechanic.
Get a friend to watch it for you and give you a 2nd opinion. You need to clean engine and judge the speed/frequency of drops to determine your safety comfort level. Remember safety first above all else. its a judgement call. youre in best position to evaluate the risk factor.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

That's smoking way too much.
It should have started working by now.
Mine smoked but not that bad.
And mine eventually sealed.

If your oil pan seals, oil filter, drain plug, etc are not loose/leaking at all, and if it's the engine gaskets/seals then those gaskets might be beyond softening.

Put some cardboard down overnight and see if it's leaking any less than before.

Then check the oil and start it up tomorrow and see if it's any better. If it seems like there is less oil on the cardboard, then it's probably starting to work.

If not, you should probably take it to your local mechanic at that point.

Imo, if the leaks aren't slowing up, I'd get it to a mechanic because either something else is leaking or the seals cant be saved and need completely replaced.

 

[jal142]

Just had a local mechanic tell me to check my pcv valve... could be blowing it with back pressure. Worth trying as it would be on the low end if cost and not hard to do... will let ya know.

This is a possibility but it's hard to imagine getting the crankcase pressurized that much at idle.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

Just had a local mechanic tell me to check my pcv valve... could be blowing it with back pressure. Worth trying as it would be on the low end if cost and not hard to do... will let ya know.

any tricks to cleaning the back of the engine where my hand can't reach? I can only wipe and spray so much where I can reach... UNLESS I took off the top manifold cover and went in from the top perhaps... can do that as I change out the pcv valve I imagine. I picked up the pcv valve and will be installing new one here in a bit.

My last SUV had great ground clearance hence it was easier.
Go to a carwash when it's not that busy. Wait until your engine is cold, the longer, the better...30 minutes or more. Don't forget to cover electrical connections and such and disconnect the negative from your battery .Get under the car and spray some degreaser on the caked grease/oil areas. Wear goggles and don't be directly under the spray area. Then pop hood and spray degreaser on your engine compartment... Let it sit per bottle directions. Wipe/scrub as needed any areas you can reach. Then use the car wash pressure spray and rinse on it. Be careful to not use too much pressure. Just light pressure setting will do. The water and spray will reach where you can't. Again be careful with the pressure spray so you don't damage any connectors, sensors, hoses, wires, etc.

That should clean it off good for you.

Is it dripping any less overnight??
If the oil loss isn't as bad then it's might be starting to work and just need more time. But you really still need to confirm what's leaking and where?

But otherwise, you really should just take it to a mechanic and let them diagnose whats wrong. Depending on the local garage some might not charge to look at it, some might charge a small fee.
But at least you'll know what's wrong, and decide whether to DIY or have mechanic fix and will know how much it will be to fix it. I would at least have a mechanic look at it...you can always say no to any fixes, especially those that you can DIY.

 

[Jack Rabbit]

Replace PVC valve, it DID help the power etc... the engine is still smoking as bad as before...

I hope your getting this into your mechanic. Mine sealed up and got better over time. It should have sealed by now. More than likely something else is leaking or the seals are so bad that the magic juice isn't gonna work.