I got my 2007 Ford F150 6.5 STYLESIDE XL about 3 weeks ago. I have been having a strange issue.

I keep smelling this burnt oil or rubber smell after Ive been driving for about 15-20 mins. I have researched this on multiple f150 forums with no real clue. Mine in particular I thought was the breaks and calipers sticking. Went to the auto shop and they charged me 10 bucks to remove both calipers, oil them up along with the pistons and stuff. They said those were dry. So after they put both front calipers back together and oiled everything up, I got home and it did it again. So I quickly lifted the hood and I could smell it on the passenger side of the engine really well.

I don't know if it is coolant because I keep hearing it smells sweet or like burnt maple syrup but I have never smelled burned maple syrup. I just know it smells like some sort of burnt rubber. Along with this, I am getting a severe loss of power. The other day I had to get off the belt line because my engine was doing jumping jacks under the hood. my steering wheel was shaking and all. Its like I am pressing the gas and it is gaining speed, but its like it is having a hard time doing it. it feels weighed down or like suffocated like it cant breathe. Its like someone laying a weight on top of it and the truck is steadily climbing in speed on the speedometer but working had as hell to do it.

When I first crank it up to drive after its been a few hours or a day, when I am stopping like at a light or stop sign the first few minutes, you can hear the engine vibrating. I guess what I am saying is, if you had something vibrating and suddenly applied pressure from your hands to it, then you can really feel that vibration and the sound of it amplifies a bit.

I have been told today it sounds like the coil packs and needs a tune up. my truck manual says not until 100k that it should need a tune up and I am currently at 89k.

I will go back to the shop, but do you guys have any ideas? I love my beautiful f150, but I can barely enjoy it.

 

Does your CEL come on when it's acting up? Have you checked to see if you have any DTC codes? If you don't have a reader just about any auto parts chain store will read them free of charge.

Without more information we would just be guessing as to the cause of your problem.

 

Jr105 is right! get the codes! Could be anything from an oil,antifreeze leakage, to a cylinder miss fire, to a clog catalytic convertor on the right side get red hot. The codes will tell you where to start looking.
A sweet smell= antifreeze leak most of the time.

 

I'm inclined to go with your description as "burnt rubber". Burnt oil and antifreeze smell quite different.

But, I can't think of anything in the passenger side of the engine that would give you a burnt rubber smell. If the airconditioner bearings fail, you'll get a bad smell, and that could cause serpentine belt slippage I suppose, which might smell like burnt rubber, but I think you'd hear a "squeal".

I can't see this as coil packs either.

An engaged parking brake would certainly cut your perceived power and, would probably smell like burnt rubber too, but that smell would be at the rear of the vehicle.

A slipping clutch smells like burnt rubber, but you don't have one of those if you have an automatic transmission.

A rubbing tire can smell like burnt rubber too, but you'd probably notice that.

As you can tell, I'm just thinking out loud. Not really solving your problem. There are smarter people here than me that can probably figure it out. Hope they check in soon.

Did your truck come with any kind of warranty? Sometimes a dealer will throw in a short, 30 or 90 day warranty.

- Jack

 

at 89k I would change the plugs, they don't always throw a code. Phasers would cause shaking with the engine warm, not cold as you describe. I, personally, would put some heavier (5w30) oil in it to keep the timing/vvt system pressure up. If the smell kicks in after 20 minutes, I would pull over and have a look under the truck. It sounds like something is on your exhaust and it's burning off when it heats up. Might be as easy as a plastic bag blown up there and melting...had that once and it smelled for weeks.

In a nutshell, new plugs and heavier oil. That's where I'd start.

 

Which engine? Can't assume VVT.

 

Right. XL might have a 2 valve 4.6 or V6.

 

Are the brakes overheating? If the brakes are not releasing, the brake hoses are infamous for causing this problem. The swell up on the inside and tend to not release the brakes when the pedal is released. I just had that problem on the rear of my truck.

 

update men!!!! And women!!!!

So i took it back and the technician stated my brake fluid was contaminated but my brake lines all looked good. The caliper was sticking. It was applying that resistance when i was driving. Thats what felt like that weight bearing down when i tried to accellerate(?) so they flushed my lines, refilled them, and replaced my master cylinder. It has been driving really really good for 2 days.

My shop charged me $135 for the master cylinder
$200 flat for labor....for the flushing, refill of fluid and the installation of the master cylinder.

The day before that, they gave it a tune up. I was charged $368.00 for a tune up. $288 for labor and $80.00 for parts. The labor was so high because of those strange spark plugs ford uses.

Day before that, the guy charged me $10 bucks to oil my calipers and pistons. But the brake fluid was contaminated and not flowing properly so even after he did all that, it still had that issue.


Excuse my all caps please!

 

After driving it, around town preferably, put your hand on the center of the wheels to see if they are hot. If they are hot or even fairly warm, you still have the problem.

 

dont be a party pooper roadie!

 

not steering wheel! not menopausal LOL. If you still have a problem, get both front caliper brake hoses replaced. The shop you are using sounds high on their labor. ask around(friends etc) to find a good shop.