Topic: Help with burning transmission lube smell!!

[MattM]

Hey guys,

I posted on one of the other forums about this, but wanted to get an extra take here.  So I drive my car to work and it drives fine (no smoking etc.) but I get to a stop and get the faintest smell of burning oil.  Then I park it and keep it running and pop the hood.  I'm able to pinpoint the odor only to the driver's side of the engine closer to back of the engine bay.  Then upon smelling closer it smells more like a burning transmission lube odor as opposed to engine oil. 

That's weird to me because the transmission is further back and for it to have more of a burning smell to it I would think the only place it could be leaking from that would be close enough to the engine to actually burn is the bell housing.  That said, I'm not thinking it's the housing because I don't see and oil droplets anywhere and the clutch is not slipping at all (so it's not wet). 

Someone on the other forum recommended I look at the motor mounts because they can crack and leak fluid, but does that fluid have a distinctive transmission lube smell to it? 

Any other suggestions on what this could be?  Again, no smoking from under the hood just that faint odor. 

[Uranium-238]

Get the car in the air and check the color of the trans oil? After a year in the Camaro the fluid I used was still purple, car is do for it's annual oil change this month so I'll check it again then.

[MattM]

I get that, but does this sound like a transmission leak or could it be something like a strut or motor mount leaking.

[MattM]

Ok so I've narrowed down some more that the smell is possibly coming from the coolant overkill. The overkill container was pretty hot to the touch maybe that the cause of the smell.

Should the overkill itself be hot to the touch? My temps didn't get passed 205 though. Also the overkill is almost perfectly half full. Is that low?

Also car sat all day pulled it out and there were no drops of liquid or anything.

[Sol Asylum]

Ok so I've narrowed down some more that the smell is possibly coming from the coolant overkill. The overkill container was pretty hot to the touch maybe that the cause of the smell.

Should the overkill itself be hot to the touch? My temps didn't get passed 205 though. Also the overkill is almost perfectly half full. Is that low?

Also car sat all day pulled it out and there were no drops of liquid or anything.

If it's the overkill, I don't think you can get enough fluid in there or get it too hot!

[MattM]

So looking for help and I'm typing on my phone.  Sorry it didn't post correctly, but you could be helpful instead of pointing it out.

Does the dextron coolant smell anything like transmission lube when hot?

[Uranium-238]

So looking for help and I'm typing on my phone.  Sorry it didn't post correctly, but you could be helpful instead of pointing it out.

Does the dextron coolant smell anything like transmission lube when hot?

Dexcool has it's own smell, kinda a similar but different compared to "normal" coolant. It doesn't smell oily, at least to me.

[MattM]

This is SO weird!  I am not seeing any leaking but am consistently getting that smell on longer drives. 

[MattM]

Ok, so I removed the cap and I do believe that was the smell I was smelling. When I think about it...the smell was coming from the little black hose thats not connected to anything on the side of the tank.

The thing is though should I be smelling anything? I thought it was a sealed system so why am I smelling it after its gotten well warmed up? That said, no overheating or anything. Strange.

[Sol Asylum]

It's not a truly sealed system, the cap has a valve so it can maintain a fixed pressure and then vent if the pressure is too great.  If they didn't vent it would actually be a steam powered explosive device.

[joybill44]

You might check the gasket in the coolant reservoir cap. If it is cracked or leaking It could be venting too often. It won't vent coolant but will vent pressure too often if damaged.

[Gentleman Jack]

Temporarily put an extension on the overflow tube and run it down and away. If the smell is gone, or moved, you’ve found the source. Then on to finding the cause, and finally a solution.

[Uranium-238]

FWIW, my truck has seeped coolant from a few places ever since I bought it. Not enough to leak, just enough that every once in a while you can smell it.

Another thing to check, coolant isn't visible in the car's exhaust is it?

[MattM]

Makes sense!

I'll look into purchasing another cap..

Thanks for your help guys!

[TomatoSoup]

Damn.  I suggested this to you 2 days ago on the Sky forum   

[Sol Asylum]

Well those people on Sky forum aren't as smart as those of us on this forum.