Strange odor...

[Brian_B]

Wow! Wasn’t quite the picture I was trying to paint.

i was totally waiting for it when I first read the post but didn’t want to wade into it on the first reply. Took almost as long as i though haha

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[Montana Bronco]

My Bronco smells really bad.

Probably the catfish bait I spilled in the back, but next time I am near a Ford dealer I will make a warranty claim.

 

[jrollo7]

 

[totaljustice]

Route doesn’t matter. Should mention too 17k miles, never been off road.


Hmmm. Only 23 degrees here in upstate NY so no A/C. Driver’s seat heater on low, temperature on Hi and fan on 6.

FYI, if you’re using the defroster, you’re using the A/C. HVAC Systems dehumidify air by by their nature and now that you mention it, notice an odor when using the defroster for long periods with the full heat on but not when I'm putting heat through the dash vents. Maybe you're onto something but try the same conditions only using the heat and not the defrost mode and see if you still get the odor.

 

[Rory]

2023 BD Sasquatch - No mods - For the second time now right after a steady 69 mph highway cruise that lasted about 20 minutes, I'm getting an odor that (to me) smells like brake fluid. After a few ninutes it dissapates. No warning lights, no leaks in the driveway. Any suggestions?

Are you driving in 4A?

 

[Lej512]

Are you driving in 4A?

no. Always 2h

 

[Brian_B]

Big spots to check for leaks:

Obviously - check your dipstick, coolant reservoir, and brake reservoirs. Make sure you are checking under consistent conditions (engine hot or engine cold) as that affects the level.

There are a couple of things that bear looking at as they aren't readily obvious -

You could have a leak in a differential/axle - that will let gear oil out all over the place and hard to tell unless you are up underneath the Bronco looking around. This could leak on drive shafts (near exhaust), out at the axle ends in the rear (getting on brake rotors), or through a disconnected vent line out the top. Gear oil is very a distinctive odor, similar to brake fluid.

A bad CV up front will throw grease all inside the wheel well. The grease itself doesn't really smell, but if it's getting on rotors it could smoke some.

A leak in the trans or t-case could throw oil on hot exhaust - again, would need to get up under the vehicle to look for signs of leakage.

Also a chance that you just ran over something, like a plastic bag, and it got stuck on a hot exhaust manifold or something. Those will stink for days before they finally burn off.

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