Hello...

I have a 2004 F-150 Lariat 4x4 Crew Cab. I just went over 11,000 miles. I'm not very engine/tranny etc etc savy so please bare with me.

I went to Reno, NV this past weekend. My sister lives 10 minutes outside Reno and received a record 3 plus feet of snow. I finally had a chance to run to new truck with my new 35" Toyo Open Country M/T tires. They both ran flawless.

I was having a great time scaring the hell out of my sister by driving up her streets sideways. I noticed when I got out of the truck I smelled a burning smell. It was like the smell of burning rubber or maybe hot brakes. I know those two smells are probably completely different to the trained professional, but again I'm a phone guy not a machanic.

I didn't think much about it, but here it is two days later and I still smell that odor when I get out of the truck. I've been driving it normal for two days now and the burning odor is not going away. Should I be concerned? Does it need to be checked? All my gauges read fine.

Just to recap on what I was doing to cause the odor. Allot of RPM's... going up a street sidways on a snowy raod. I'm actually very good at it... all the years of screwing around has paid off. I can't say I ever looked down to see how high the RPM's were, but I do know they were up there.

What do you think the odor is?

I hope it's not the tranny.... kind of smells like my old slipping manual trans on my piece of crap 1987 Mazda B2600 4x4 truck.

Thank you,
Rich

 

Tires rubbing?

Dual pipes melting spare?

04's are showing up with brake problems, maybe a caliper is hung up.

Check under the hood to make sure nothing is up against the exhaust manifolds.

 

No rubbing....

I don't think the spare is melting...

Looked under hood and all appears fine...

This only started after my trip to Reno and playing in the snow. I'll keep looking.

Thanks,
Rich

 

I figured one of you motor buffs would have an idea on what is causing the burning smell. I'll just keep an eye on it. Hope to have some snow photo's soon.

Thanks,
Rich

 

after driving the truck for awhile...try NOT to use the brakes too much...get out and feel the rims near the lugnuts...if one wheel seems real hot compared to the others then a caliper is probably hung up..hope this helps...zap!

 

Sweet Truck wheels and tires sure help that new body style out alot. I've had a similar smell problem on my 01 Black SuperCrew with 305X70X16 Durango's on a stock 5 spoke wheel. Finally noticed oil drips coming off of the transmission...turned out it was engine oil burning and dripping onto the exhaust...dealer said it's a head gasket...maybe the new engines are prone to the same problems that the older body style has. Through my experience I'll take a guess and say it's oil dripping onto the exhaust.
Good Luck !!!!!!


SuperUNKNOWN