Burning smell.. that goes away too fast

Hey y’all

So, I’m going crazy here. I’ve been pursuing this… almost “hear / burn” smell that I sometimes catch when I get out of my truck after a drive.

It doesn’t seem to occur when I crank the truck up and let it run for a while, so moving seems okay something of a role here.

Here’s some context..

It started shortly after getting my needle bearing replaced with the ECGS bushing. Actually, the seal they used had a rip in it, so it made a little bit of a mess. That seems to have been taken care of, as the new seal seems to be doing the job, so you’d think maybe gear oil is on something hot? Well, I’ve checked.. I cannot seem to find any on anything hot. It’s pretty much cleaned up now.

So, I thought hmm.. maybe the dif is overheating? Well, that doesn’t appear to be the case either. I know IR temp guns are the most reliable, but the dif seems to be at a very low reasonable temp. So, I moved on to brakes.. they seem to be a pretty low temp too. Mind you, I drove for 30 min, got out and tested all this right away. Visually inspecting, while also checking temp anywhere and everywhere I could.

I don’t see any plastic stuck to anything, I don’t see any oil on the motor, and the belts look fine.

So I’m lost. I have no clue how to hunt down what this is coming from, and I hear I’m going to find out the hard way lol. Every time I get a hint of it, I go on the hunt.. just for it to fade away, and I look silly trying to inhale my truck lol.

Only other thing I can think of.. is that I had my new shocks, and struts replaced the same day. They look to be installed right, and I can’t see how they could be the problem.

Anyway.. I’m hoping anyone out there can suggest something maybe I have not thought of. I’m willing to take photos if need be!

PS: I sometimes feel like I can smell it around the driver front wheel well. I the pop the hood and faintly get it there for a second as well.. then it’s gone


The only thing I have not done.. is drive for 30, get out of the truck and leave it running and… smell and inspect? Perhaps I’ll try that tomorrow. It’s been about a 1.5 investigation on my part and I’m about to throw in the towel.

Thanks for any help.

 

How many miles have you put on since doing the bushing? Could just be oil residue burning off when it gets up to temp.

 

Maybe 700 or so. There was certainly some on the exhaust pipe, but I’m unsure if it was enough to cause the smell. I’ve gotten up close to it after it’s warm, and it doesn’t seem to be reproducing the scent.

It’s almost like a.. “hot” smell, which I know sounds incredibly stupid to say. Closest kin would be a faint rubber, maybe.

That’s why I thought perhaps my dif was overheating, because it wouldn’t do while idling (starting it up, leaving it in park) but would while driving.

 

Night time, check with flashlight, you should see smoke. Maybe your valve covers

 

Good point. Hoping it’s not that lol…. D:

I’m 97% sure it’s still dif oil causing the issue.

 

How long can it take for gear oil to burn off something hot?

 

maybe hit a car wash with undercarriage a couple times....see if it helps.

unless its exhaust hot it can take a while to get rid of oil.

last effort, spray it all down (or have it done) with Fluid Film, and I assure you that you wont worry about such smells anymore lol

 

Can I use brake cleaner to spray down those components that are hot?

 

Simple Green or some other degreaser would be better. Brake cleaner is more caustic and flammable.

Make sure your water pump weep hole is not weeping and your PS system is dry as well.

 

I had the same problem after my needle bearing was replaced, it was just excess old gear oil. Wiped off the old gunk and kept an eye on it, no leaks, smell is gone now.

 

Thank you! If anything else, for a small bit of hope lol.

How long did the smell last? How did you clean the gunk up?

I’ve checked the Timing cover, water pump, you’d think I was investigating a crime with how extensive I’ve been searching.