1998 QX4 Burning smell like rubber only when fan is on

[seaweedmcgee]

Help all, the smell is almost getting unbearable. It's not an exhaust issue. Been lingering for many months here and there. But mostly all the time it shows up when the heater or fan is on. The blower is quiet, there appears to be no dripping of any sort. I've searched and searched with no real answer. This has got to be a simple fix, no? So, somewhere betweed the heater fan and the intake is my issue? Or is it literally something wrong with the fan? When I pull into the driveway, and step out, the burning smell is also outside mainly coming form under the hood. HELP!

[Towncivilian]

Check your heater core hoses (they are in the rear center of the firewall), make sure they're still in decent condition.

Do you have manual A/C controls (knobs)?

[seaweedmcgee]

thanks, i'll check.(update...hoses are good!)
controls are not knobs. buttons like this....

[Towncivilian]

Read this post and make sure your fan amplifier isn't burning up wiring or anything. Also check your in-cabin air filter, if equipped (though I think only 99.5+ PFs have them). If you don't have one it's pretty easy to cut one in, I think.

[Chuck Tribolet]

Does it show up when you are in recirculate mode?

[seaweedmcgee]

Yeah, anytime the air/fan/vent is on. If I turn the air off completely, than as you know hit the "mode" button, I will have no fan on but just air passing through the vents from the outside air. Now when that happens, there is never a smell. I changed the fan module out then too ~6 months ago when the fan wouldn't stop blowing at high speed. Fixed that.. Ironically, the link you gave me was the link I used to order all my stuff back then. ha

[Towncivilian]

Do you have an in-cabin filter? And is your coolant level adequate?

[seaweedmcgee]

Ok update: Car mostly smells when i arrive to a stop light or somewhere idling. But if you were standing in front of the car at that time, you'd smell it. If I then switch it to "recirculate", the smell goes away inside while waiting at the stop. Start driving, switch "recirculate" off, and no smell. So it seems internal or a leak of something dripping in the engine?

Coolant is topped off. My '98 does not have an in-cabin filter.

Any other ideas on what's wrong??? The smell is brutal.