First, I'm an idiot. I thought I could push my little 4 banger, so...driving home on a trip I was pushing 85 to 100 miles per hour. The Camry barely handled it.

I noticed some smoke coming from under the hood and a burning smell when I stopped to get gas, accompanied by a high pitched whining sound. It's less noticeable when I take my foot off the gas. I'm thinking it could be a belt, but I'm not sure. I've also noticed that the car doesn't have as much pep as it used to, and the fuel economy is terrible now.

Any ideas?

 

What did the odor smell like? Burning rubber, etc.

The water pump, oil pump, cam and a couple of idler bearings are powered by a cogged belt to the crankshaft. The AC and alternator are on a "V" belt as is the power steering pump.

One of this items may have started to seize up resulting in the smoke as the belt slipped over the pulley instead of rotating it. If this is the case the belt may stay hot once the engine is shut off along with the pulley of the problem item.

If the power steering pump the noise may get louder as the steering wheel is turned. The A/C pump turns on and off with the A/C switch however the pulley keeps rotating. Does the noise get increase when the A/C is on?

 

It was a burning rubber type of smell, not bad. I checked the condition of the V belt and it appears to be fine. There are no cracks. It's not the power steering pump, no increased noise when turning.

As for the AC, it hasn't worked since I got the car. By that, I mean it doesn't blow out cold air. I tried running it anyway, and I did not notice any increased noise.

Thanks for your help. I guess this is something I should just let go until it breaks, unfortunately. I thought about taking it in for a diagnosis, but it's probably not worth it. Then again...I'll probably end up with the domino effect. My own stupidity, I guess.