Hi!

So I just took possession of a 2004 dakota, 4x4 V8 5 speed, from my father.

After driving for a bit there is a hot rubber like smell coming from around the passenger side front end. it's not exactly burning rubber, but something along those lines.

It doesn't smell like burning oil, it doesn't smell like brakes...I'm
Familiar with those. It doesn't smell like clutch (while old, it grabs just fine) It's something between electrical and rubber I'd say, but my initial thought every time I smell it is rubber/plastic.

Any idea what could be causing this? They jus drove the truck 3000 miles out to me and it smelled the whole way. No
Pulling no noise no vibrations no other noticable problems.

He stated that this condition has existed for a few months but other than the smell, there have been no other symptoms.

I am completely unfamiliar with independent suspension, especially with a 4x4....and have no idea what could cause this other than rubber rubbing on something, and I don't see that. I have no idea how/what CV joints or seals or bushings or anything in this setup could cause this.

Any ideas?

 

First check to see if anything plastic or rubber is laying on the exhaust manifold, or pipe or near enough for it to get hot. Even though it may not smell like oil it may be some other fluid, have you checked the underside of the engine for anything leaking, dripping? Jack the front up and spin the wheels by hand and listen for anything dragging or rubbing.

 

Okay. Little update on this.

I've since done some work on the truck and found a few things.

I had a little oil leak from the drain plug. After looking at this, i figured it was actually oil dripping down onto the exhaust causing the smell.

I have since replaced the drain plug and stopped the flow of oil.

The smell still exists.

I noticed that the little shield between the exhaust and the drive shaft, appears "greasy" and after shutting the truck down, it's smoking. So, something is clearly dripping onto the exhaust.
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What the heck could it be? I believe that's the master cylinder right above it, but everything there was dry. There were a few wires and sensors and things that looked glossy, as though they could be wet, but nothing was dripping. The driveshaft appears dryish (not dripping) as well. All under the transmission casing there is a gloss of some fluid.

hard to see, but the whole bottom of the trans is slightly "damp" but far from "wet" or "dripping"

I checked the master cylinder res and it was actually slightly OVER full. I didnt fill this, maybe they did when I got my oil changed.

So, I am not going to assume somehow the MC is leaking brake fluid (thats what it is, right?) onto the exhaust, but I sure cant find from where. Maybe it is leaking inside the bellhousing and seeping out along the base of the trans?

Everything shifts fine. The clutch has 130,000 miles (vast majority of wich were highway) but it grabs just fine.

Thoughts?

 

If it was I' i would take a wrag (or a few of them) and wipe everything down give it some time to set and check if /where any leaks seem to come from.. I did that on my transmission and transfer case to figure out it was coming from the weap hole.. which means my seal is bad.. check levels in transfer case to indicate the leak is not from the transfer case seal but from the transmission seal..

Process of elimination is what I'm getting at.. keep going and find the leak You can do it.. just take some time and get it wiped down and eventually if something is leaking you should find the wetness.. shine a light too helps find wet esp. if you have an LED flashlight.. they actually do wonders tracking down wetness on greasy surfaces.

 

Dry/wipe everything down. Is the plastic cover over the front of the transmission there? Could be an input shaft/convertor seal leaking in front of the trans. If the cover is gone, you can peek in there with a flashlight and see if there's oil all over.

Could also be a trans cooler line/fitting leaking.

Scratch, you said manual. So no convertor and no cooler line. -shrug-

 

just some food for thought.. its possible it could still just be burning off.. it would take some time esp on the heat shield to burn it all off..

I'd do as we're saying and just wipe it down and find the leak (if any still exists)

 

Thanks guys. Definitely a good idea. Not sure why I didn't think of it! I'll hit the area with some brake cleaner and get any oils removed and see what's up.

 

Trust me, it will take a long time if its gotten down in the heat shields and stuff. I accidentally left my oil cap off one day and drove around for an hour or so till I decided to stop and investigate the burning oil smell...lol....by that time, about a quart and a half had sprayed all over the engine compartment. Multiple cleanings, degreasings, washingsd, carwashes, etc. A month later, I still have a burning oil smell. It's getting better, but it's just going to take a looooong time to burn it all off.

 

So this SEEMS to have gotten better, or gone away. I haven't noticed it when getting out of the truck after driving since cleaning it off, but also I hadn't noticed that I hadn't noticed until a night or two ago so I wasn't really paying attention.

Top that off with the fact that I had to get new exhaust which still smells a little when it's hot, and I could be mistaken.

However, I did stick my face in the wheel wells after driving the truck the other night and what smell was there seemed SIGNIFICANTLY reduced, so that's good!