iBook G3 making burning smell

[qwikstreet]

My iBook G3 of course has been around and used heavily over the last three years. The battery is lucky to hold a 20 minute charge so it stays plugged in. If I use it for say 2+ hrs of course it gets hot but a weird smoky burning smell fills the air. If I replace the battery will that eliminate the odor?

 

[eric2006]

You could run the machine without a battery and check. Make sure you don't have a bad battery:
https://support.apple.com/ibook_powerbook/batteryexchange/

 

[Qion]

Burning smells are never good with electronics. Make sure you don't sprinkle kindling about your workspace or spill gasoline on your keyboard...

 

[nixgeek]

If it's what I think it is (and I've noticed a particular smell coming from a few of the G3 iBooks that have crossed my path), then it might have something to do with this:

http://lowendmac.com/menagh/06/1013.html

 

[Giaguara]

It could be dust getting hot inside.. or something worse. A burning type of smell on electronic devices is a Bad Thing.
How has the iBook been stored usually?

 

[icemanjc]

Can you hear the fans in it? My iBook is 4 or 5 years old and it hasn't started to smell at all. Kind of reminds me of my Powerbook G3, it's fan died and the temperature got around 250 degrees, to the point were the processor could boil water.