Funky smell

So todays weather in montana was about 15 degrees F, 30 mph winds and light snow.

So I finished up a meeting at a clients house and because of all the blowing snow the driveway has now disappeared. :/ No problem I know pretty much where the driveway was, plus its all flat and open, no big deal... nope! I missed it. Got stuck. Fine, time for 4wheel drive. I dont really get to use it very much since i dont offroad, really ever. And this is the reason i bought the off-road, just in case. I’m only in about 8 inches of snow, 4hi should do the trick. So I reverse a little bit, then head forward... not quite working, ok try again.. nope still stuck. Ok 4lo, ill try crawling out. Nope just spinning, darn, 4hi was better.... sniff sniff, wtf is that smell?? Rotten, kinda buring plastic smell. Shit! I wasnt even being hard on her. What have i done? So i stop, take it out of 4whl & grab the shovel. Now my client has walked out to help. Great, embarrassing... well he doesn’t mind and 5 min of shoveling some tracks and 2wheel is not an issue. Im out! I go straight to the dealer. Fluids look fine, no leaks. The consensus is... nothing wrong, normal smell. Seriously?!? Its not the clutch, i know what that smells like and you have to really be slipping a clutch to make that happen. This happened quick and well, rotten is the best way I can describe this smell. What could it be. Also im no 4whl drive expert. What could i be doing wrong? I know im engaging correctly and I know how to work a clutch. Its all ive driven since, (shhh... 14) parents never knew but seriously, dealer people are telling me, “oh yeah i smell that too, under load, uphills..” blah blah. This stinks!!

What say ye TW??

 

Did the tires get too hot/smoke?

 

Was the inner part of the tire rubbing on the edge of concrete while spinning tires.

 

I say clutch. My 3rd gen seems to have different kind of stink compared to other clutches. The rotten burning smell about sums it up

 

You could start by telling us what you drive.

It's probably nothing at all, no need to worry.

 

Oh heres the truck and kinda what today looked like

 

Rotten smell is usually the catalytic converter working hard

 

Usually like rotten eggs /sulfur

 

Nope, definitely didn’t smoke the tires, (mmm.. tire smoke, thats a good smell) and its all fluffy snow and grass underneath that.

 

Not sulfer, like burning plastic kinda, but kinda metallic’y

 

Could have been the rear brakes trying distribute traction

 

Was about to say the same.

 

Thinking you slipped the clutch a bit

 

I’ve gotten an odd smell too when I use 4x4. My thought is since I don’t have to use it much it’s jusy from all the virgin parts in there getting broken in. I’ve read on here the more you use it that the smell should go away.

 

Excuse me if this is a stupid question (sport owner here) but wouldn't it have helped to use the locker to get out of the snow? Or nah?

 

One of the dealer folk stated the same, it just didn’t have that friction material smell. I know that smell all to well. Been around cars for many years. I use to be a mechanic. Ive done all the work on this truck but this smell is new to me. Happened quick and got me worried. Plus i had to have the transfer case repkaced at 14k because it exploded on me last year. About this time actually.

 

All you can do now is monitor it, go out and go through all 4hi, 4lo etc... and keep an eye and nose on her.

 

Im no 4whl expert but I would think i would want some slip in my case, the locker would be good for solid ground I believe. Maybe someone can correct us.

 

You were better off using atrac. The locker could have only hurt thing in that situation i think.

 

Had that thought, would be nice if true. Maybe