2015 6.2L, 9500km

I've noticed this for the past couple months after I drive my truck when its damp or raining out (as it does in the PNW) when i get out it smells like burning oil from my front wheel wells. I bought the truck new in July and didn't notice anything over the summer. No oil drips on the driveway, I can't find any oil leaks when I climb under it, it doesn't seem to be using oil....

So what gives? is it road grime burning off my cats? I've never had this with another vehicle. If I take it in to have the dealer look it over under warranty will they bill me for the time if they can't find anything?

Thanks
Scott

 

Next time you stop put your hand on the hubs and see if they are hot, could be a brake dragging, bad front bearing or leaking seals on the front differential, also check your power steering fluid level.

Denny

 

I had that once, no rain involved.

It was the drivers side valve cover seeping a little oil. I torqued the bolts just a little more, and no more problems since.

I could look through the wheel well and see the oil between the valve cover and exhaust manifold.

hope this helps.

 

I too have noticed a similar smell also from the front of the truck. I park in the garage so it is pretty apparent. Now that it has been dry lately the smell is gone. I only have 1600 miles so I figured my smell was due to the newness of the truck. I will monitor this as the weather changes. I am in the PNW too.

 

Interesting, I'll get a flashlight and take a look in there.

Cheers

 

Thanks I'll check that out.

S

 

Hunh, intesting... Let me know if you find anything.

Scott

 

I have the same issue, especially when pulling a heavy load or on a long hwy trip. I have never noticed oil on the ground where I park. IT started this in the last 2 months or so. 2013 with 51k. I will be checking Valve Covers 1st. I was thinking it might be differential as it seems the smell came from the rear when I noticed it. It don't happen all the time, very sporadic.

 

Ya, I can't figure it out. No leaks in the engine Bay I can find. It's clean as a whistle in there. Not using any oil. My guess is road grime and salt buying off the hot exhaust. I'm just monitoring it for now.

 

I have not had the smell since the truck was under 1000 mi. I am up to 2600 miles, and have driven in heavy rain and also dry conditions with no smell. Since I have now been paying attention to this, when the roads were wet and after parking in my garage I saw no water on the cats anywhere, and also I had no smell. My hunch is either I was buring off new smell like a woodstove or my cats were wet when I smelled it before.

 

Probably that 5/20 oil!

 

Noticed a similar odor when I test drove a new 250. Figured it was the brakes.

 

No smell from my 2016 at 2500 miles.

 

Now at 2900 miles, no smell like before until today. But today, I put a short, new section of exhaust pipe on my truck to experiment with no muffler and that same smell was back. This leads me back to my original analysis of the smell; it was my exhaust system getting hot enough to burn off the "new" oils/parts on the truck.