For the first time while towing a bumper pull trailer, started getting a very strong burning smell, only while going up decent size hills. After the climb, smell goes away. Kind of smells like burning rubber or wiring, but that should be constant and not just while up hill.

Checked tranny fluid and it didn't look burnt or low and never saw visible smoke. Have seen this discussed before but with no definitive conclusions. Anyone have any ideas?

Truck has 150K on it and has long ago lost most of its towing power and the hills also drop the speed to around 45mph from 70 when I hit the big ones.

Thanks in advance.

 

smellin burnt rubber is '

tires rubbing
brakes seized
tranny

my guess is the tranny.

my guess is the truck was a recent pruchase and the fluid was changed before selling to you.

you arr smelling it more up hills becuase you are under more load uphill.

 

I'm the original owner, this is the first time it's made the smell while towing the trailer and did it on every hill. Tires aren't rubbing and don't believe it's the brakes since only happens up hill. Was thinking tranny but fluid looked good, which really doesn't mean anything I suppose.

 

I imagine its the tranny. It works much harder going uphill with a load. Both my 2012 6.2 and 2006 6.8 have this smell going uphill with a load. Change the oil as per specs. I burnt up and E4OD by ignoring this smell because I didn't know what was happening. Pretty easy to kill those trannys though. Do you have a tranny temp gauge?

 

No temp gauge. Think you're right though, has to be the tranny. Thanks guys for the help.

 

Are you sure it's not puking trans fluid out the dipstick hole? That is fairly common when the older tranny's get hot. Could be puking enough fluid to get the manifold or head pipe wet, and burning off of that?

And you may want to install a trans temp gauge, and maybe check/upgrade your trans cooler.

 

Been moving the trailer in reverse lately? VERY easy to puke the trans fluid doing this. If you have 4WD back up using 4 wheel low.

 

No leaks out the dipstick tube or anywhere else. The instant I'm over the hill the smell goes away, then comes back on each subsequent hill.

 

This just gives me an excuse to pull the trigger on ordering a 2016 F250 with diesel

 

Drive STRAIGHT to the dealer....NOW!

 

Better go next door to the trailer sales place also, cuz you are gonna need a lot bigger trailer to keep that new diesel from flying! !!! LOLOL