Bad Clutch Smell after Driving to the Mountains

[51 NonSquatch]

So, for discussion purposes, let’s pretend I don’t suck at driving a stick shift. Every other post about clutch issues seems to spend a lot of time focusing on how the OP probably doesn’t know how to drive a manual transmission lol.

Here is my situation: I’ve got a 2022 Badlands 7 speed 4 door non-Squatch. On long, uphill drives, the Bronco smells like burnt clutch. Big time. No other symptoms. No slipping on hill starts (although maybe the hill holder helps hide that), normal pedal feel, doesn’t seem to engage late or anything. The first time I noticed it was in stop and go traffic, but it also happens when the road is empty and I’m driving at a steady speed with minimal shifting.

I had the manual transmission service bulletin repair done recently, which fixed the low speed gravelly/grinding noise, but no change in the smell.

My question before I take it back to the shop is: if my clutch is doing this on a regular basis, is there anything the service techs can do? Is there something I can ask them to look at or adjust? Or are they probably just going to say, “Clutch is bad, needs replacement.”

Has anyone else noticed a burning clutch smell under normal circumstances? I actually smell it after driving around town as well, it’s just not as bad as after the long, uphill drives.

My Bronco has 19,000 miles on it. 3000 of that was a cross country road trip from Florida to Utah with minimal shifting. I didn’t notice the smell until driving it here in Utah. I feel like every mile I drive now I’m inching closer to wearing out the clutch completely.

The two things I don’t want to do: get a new Bronco with an automatic, or go back to driving a Jeep! I had a Gladiator as a rental and I don’t want to go back to that. My Bronco has been great as a road trip car, a topless beach cruiser, a family grocery getter, and it did everything I asked it to do on a trip to Moab. I wanted this to be my forever vehicle to pass on to my kids, but I’m worried about its mechanical longevity with the issues mine is having.

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[Bmadda]

So, for discussion purposes, let’s pretend I don’t suck at driving a stick shift. Every other post about clutch issues seems to spend a lot of time focusing on how the OP probably doesn’t know how to drive a manual transmission lol.

Here is my situation: I’ve got a 2022 Badlands 7 speed 4 door non-Squatch. On long, uphill drives, the Bronco smells like burnt clutch. Big time. No other symptoms. No slipping on hill starts (although maybe the hill holder helps hide that), normal pedal feel, doesn’t seem to engage late or anything. The first time I noticed it was in stop and go traffic, but it also happens when the road is empty and I’m driving at a steady speed with minimal shifting.

I had the manual transmission service bulletin repair done recently, which fixed the low speed gravelly/grinding noise, but no change in the smell.

My question before I take it back to the shop is: if my clutch is doing this on a regular basis, is there anything the service techs can do? Is there something I can ask them to look at or adjust? Or are they probably just going to say, “Clutch is bad, needs replacement.”

Has anyone else noticed a burning clutch smell under normal circumstances? I actually smell it after driving around town as well, it’s just not as bad as after the long, uphill drives.

My Bronco has 19,000 miles on it. 3000 of that was a cross country road trip from Florida to Utah with minimal shifting. I didn’t notice the smell until driving it here in Utah. I feel like every mile I drive now I’m inching closer to wearing out the clutch completely.

The two things I don’t want to do: get a new Bronco with an automatic, or go back to driving a Jeep! I had a Gladiator as a rental and I don’t want to go back to that. My Bronco has been great as a road trip car, a topless beach cruiser, a family grocery getter, and it did everything I asked it to do on a trip to Moab. I wanted this to be my forever vehicle to pass on to my kids, but I’m worried about its mechanical longevity with the issues mine is having.

What I DID notice on my last trip to Utah was the number of municipalities that have the "engine braking prohibited" sign for heavy trucks, and most everywhere I saw that sign I smelled the burnt clutch/brake smell (brakes and clutch smell exactly the same). sometimes when there were no semis even in sight...that smell hangs in the air! Finally figured it out when one stopped next to me at a light in Moab and the smell was so strong it made my eyes water! If your clutch actually slips when cruising w/pedal completely released it will set a P0179 code, and go into a limited power limp mode...so if it's not that, I would blame it on Utah's apparent hatred of jake brakes!

 

[Sparkherd]

Mine has 10500 on it.
Makes that noise below about 50 degrees until it's driven a few blocks.
When it was a few months old, there were several obnoxious smells coming from it at various times, either electrical or clutch; I can't tell anymore; the Wuhan Flu has killed my sense of smell.
Runs, shifts and drives fine. I get 20 MPG regular, 22-ish on premium.

 

[51 NonSquatch]

If your clutch actually slips when cruising w/pedal completely released it will set a P0179 code

Interesting, thanks, I'll keep an eye out for that. No codes so far, just the burning clutch smell. I googled that code, the only thing I can find is related to a "fuel composition sensor." Would a slipping clutch trigger that?

 

[Syringe]

Maybe flush the fluid? I don't know the interval Ford recommends for that but should be done every 2 years, generally.

When I've seen/smelled this kind of thing on motorcycles with smelly clutches, it's usually been a leaking/weak slave cylinder issue.

My 2024 has about 1500 miles on it, and has carried me into the mountains a few times now with some moderate snow wheeling and has no clutch aroma at the end of a trip.

 

[Bmadda]

Interesting, thanks, I'll keep an eye out for that. No codes so far, just the burning clutch smell. I googled that code, the only thing I can find is related to a "fuel composition sensor." Would a slipping clutch trigger that?

Sorry P179C, not P0179

 

[thesocalexplorer]

Would you happen to have a hardtop? My hardtop had some adhesive in the seams which smelled uncannily similar to hot clutch/brakes lol. Drove me crazy.

When I installed my sunrider, I noticed that it miraculously went away. Still comes every now and then on a warm day from my rear shell portion.

I've also read of a few folks' slave cylinders eating the dust after the 7MT TSB was performed, but it seems like it was immediate rather than down the line.

 

[bradcd]

Since you mention Moab, were you wheeling it? It could be the transfer case smelling if you happened to leave it in 4H when driving back on the roads.

 

[51 NonSquatch]

Would you happen to have a hardtop?

Excellent question! I need to elaborate about the smell a little more to clarify. I have a soft top. Here are the stages of the burning smell:

1. in the cabin through the vents: "Is that me? Or am I driving behind someone with issues?"
2. roll down the window: "Oh, yeah, that's definitely me."
3. poke nose in wheel well: "I may have given myself cancer, that smells toxic."

So, it's not an adhesive in the cabin, and it's definitely from under the front of the Bronco. With 19,000 miles on the odo, having had it in 4wd numerous times, I don't think it's any coatings burning off or fluids breaking in. And it happens in 2wd just as often as 4wd.

Since you mention Moab, were you wheeling it? It could be the transfer case smelling if you happened to leave it in 4H when driving back on the roads.

Light wheeling. 6 months ago. "Metal Masher" trail. It sounds intense, but it's a pretty mellow trail. I think you are only mashing metal if you take a stock rental car up there. I used 4A more than 4H, and then 4L when I was on low speed stuff.

 

[51 NonSquatch]

Sorry P179C, not P0179

This info ended up being more helpful than I expected, thanks. I still haven't gotten the code, but it did lead me to another post about someone with worn clutch issues at low mileage.

I drove up the canyon again yesterday and tried to be as observant as possible. I did the smell test in the wheel well and confirmed it smelled horrible after the drive up, and hardly noticeable on the drive down. This was in normal, 40 mph driving, no stop an go traffic. The elevation change from my house to the parking lot at the mountain is about 4000 feet. It's a 55 minute drive, with most of the elevation change being the last 25 minutes up the curvy canyon road.

 

[Bmadda]

This info ended up being more helpful than I expected, thanks. I still haven't gotten the code, but it did lead me to another post about someone with worn clutch issues at low mileage.

I drove up the canyon again yesterday and tried to be as observant as possible. I did the smell test in the wheel well and confirmed it smelled horrible after the drive up, and hardly noticeable on the drive down. This was in normal, 40 mph driving, no stop an go traffic. The elevation change from my house to the parking lot at the mountain is about 4000 feet. It's a 55 minute drive, with most of the elevation change being the last 25 minutes up the curvy canyon road.

You are sure it's not a caliper? Feel each wheel to see if one is hotter than the rest?

 

[lapazleo]

Since you had the noisy tranny repair done did the shop not reinstall something incorrectly?

 

[51 NonSquatch]

You are sure it's not a caliper? Feel each wheel to see if one is hotter than the rest?

Great suggestion, in fact that was similar to my "thought of the day" a few days ago. I did a casual visual inspection, but I didn't think to check for heat, I will do that. My thought at the time was maybe the "hill start assist" was thinking I was on a hill and it was assisting by engaging the brakes. I learned I could disable it's function in the settings menu, and after that...no change, unfortunately. I'm not even sure if the hill assist even uses the front brakes, but I gave it a try.

 

[BigFootie]

Too bad the forum doesn't support a scratch and sniff function. I've driven a manual transmission vehicle for 50 years and couldn't tell you what a burnt clutch smells like. That includes many years with Mustangs and Camaros at the drag strip on Friday nights. Burnt rubber... now that I know.

Pick up one of those point and shoot thermometers. Much easer to tell if is is a brake issue. Not sure it would help with the clutch.

 

[51 NonSquatch]

Since you had the noisy tranny repair done did the shop not reinstall something incorrectly?

When I took the Bronco in, I told them, “It sounds bad, it smells bad, please fix it.” The tech said, “Let’s do the service bulletin repair and go from there.” Unfortunately the smell was there before I took it in, so it wasn’t something they did. The gravelly grinding noise is gone, so that’s good, but I’ll be taking it back in for the smell now. I’m not too confident they will be able to help. It really takes a solid 20 minute of uphill driving, I’m sure they will drive it around the block and report “unable to recreate customer complaint.”

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