Burned elec. smell in interior

Hi, folks- I'd appreciate any advice.
1998 XJ 4.0. I posted on here a few Sundays ago when I had just returned from a 2 hour drive and there was a burned smell in my interior and the brake lights were stuck "on". I figured the smell was from my cat. converter which was rattling, so I replaced the cat, within a couple of days.

To eliminate the chance of a fire in the garage, I disconnected the cable to the positive terminal. A couple hours later, after reading some helpful posts here, I re-connected the battery cable, and the light issue had cured itself. (Some had suggested a failed relay may have been the elec. problem & I figured that it may have re-set when the power was interrupted.)

This morning as I was planning to leave for work, the battery was run-down, and the same foul smell was in the interior (not under the hood or outside the car) - like something electrical had burned. Since I am not great at troubleshooting electrical gremlins, I had it towed to a local mechanic's, who said that he alternator tested a wee bit weak, but otherwise everything checked OK. There's no power drain, and with the battery re-charged, it runs great. He's going to keep it overnight and re-check it in the AM, but can anyone offer any suggestions?

Thanks. Jim
Michigan

If its coming from the interior i would check the fuses as well...i had one in my jeep after i bought it that someone had "repaired" with aluminum foil and it had a short somewhere so the fuse just started to melt and smelled like something was burning. Took the fuse out, fixed the electrical problem, and put in the proper fuse and problem solved.

There is a fan control box in the heater air flow, it's under the dash near the glove box, they have a habit of cooking one of the resistors and you only end up with one fan speed, fast.
The only live circuits after you turn it off are the headlight switch, radio power and the ciglighter ckt or at least the aux power on my 98, my cell phone charger stays on in that hole after I turn it off so I have to pull it if I notice it.
Now I have a worn ignition key so sometimes I shut it off too quick and pull the key before I turn the igntion switch to lock, that may leave something on, don't know. The headlight switches do go bad on a pretty much regular basis, I've had to replace both the ones in my TJ's and the XJ over the past 5 years. All are 97's or 98's.

I would check the ignition switch, which is up under the dash on the steering column. Mine melted about two years ago. I think it is going again as I am getting high current drain when the lights and heater are on high, as well as a burning wire smell after a while.

Thanks for the advice. It has occured to me that since my key also is worn (it can be removed while the engine keeps running), so maybe I didn't switch it off, completely.

I'll get the XJ back from the mechanic, tomorrow, and check further. Thanks so much.

Jim

Stick a hose in your nose!

Seriously, buy a couple feet of vinyl tubing, usually clear, from a parts store.

Stick the tubing in the nostril of your choice, and pinch the other nostril closed.

Move the open end of the tubing around the interior, and just follow the smell.

Works great for coolant leaks, too.

OP, here -
Thanks to all who replied. The last tip about using a hose is a great idea for the future - Thanks - but the mechanic sprayed some "stink eliminator" under the dash, in the heater vents, etc. Anyhow, he found nothing to do but recharge my Optima.

I drove it North this weekend with no further problems. All functions operate (including fan speeds) and there's no power drain.

What I think occured is something mentioned in another reply. The ignition key that I was regularly using is worn to the point that it could be removed even while the engine is running. It is very possible that the switch was not completely in the "off" position when I parked the car. I changed keys and hope this ends the problem.

Again, my thanks.

Jim
'98 XJ 4.0L
Michigan

You should take a close look at your fuse box located at passenger side front kick panel. I used cheepo fuses (never again) and one partly melted down without blowing when I had a trailer wiring issue (rain). It caused some wires to melt and a lot of aggravation to trace shit down.

A lot of the keys seem to have your same issue, which has led to my battery running down, but never any burnt smell. With the key in the on position, you can stick a small screwdriver up into the hole in the steering column directly below the lock and push the little release tab. Once you get the cylinder out, you can lube it up with graphite oil better. It seems to help my key situation.

I once test drove an XJ and the rear seat started smoking...Turned out the heat shield for the exhaust under the rear passenger side seat had rusted away...along with the floorboard. I told the car dealer- "It has high mileage, It's on fire, and its rotting" his reply "sorry the sticker price is as low as I can go"...I laughed and bought a newer better jeep for $1000 less from a private seller...anyways might want to check this if the smell continues.

If your keys sag in the lock cylinder, or worse can be removed entirely while in the run or accessory position, you really should replace the lock cylinder and have new keys cut. Any competent locksmith can re-key the new cylinder same as the old so you don't have to throw out all of the old keys, only any that may be very worn. I think the last time I had this done it was $25 re-keyed and installed, just about 1 year ago.