Hi all - I am new to Diesel truck ownership, about two weeks now. Just love this truck - Mine is a 2500 Manual trans, long box - SLTQuad 4X4 Bright RED.

So far so good - Sure do like the torque......

I have one question - I get a burning oil smell very obvious outside the cab and sometimes inside the cab. I looked under the hood for anything leaking, didn't see anything. I have 2,000 miles on the clock now and cannot see any oil loss on the dip stick.

Has anyone else experienced such a problem? My only disappointment with this truck is this odor, makes me nervous. Hopefully this just a new truck thing?

 

Had the same thing with my new truck. Didn't have it with the '03 when I bought that, but the '06 sure did have it. Seems like the odor went away somewhere around that 2,000 mile mark. I think it's just the smell of paint, oil, etc, on the new engine. The only time it did it on mine was when I really put my foot in it and it got real warm.

 

You will notice this everytime that you change the oil. For some reason new oil smells until the soot levels dampen it. All diesel trucks that I have ever been around smeel like this new and after a oil change. It will go away and it will come back when you service her.

 

My tractor has this phenomenon, as well - I always figured I spilled on the exhaust manifold or something while changing the oil.

Guess I’ll get use to it.

Thanks……………….

 

Well im sure glad someone posted that question cause mine is doin the same thing and it has around 1300 miles on the ticker! And i also experience a long crank on start up some times, any body havein this also? Congrats on the new truck also!!!

 

This is normal on our Rams. It will go away in time but could come back every time you change the oil.
If you do a search you will find many threads on this problem that isn't.

 

My truck did have a bit of a oil smell when it was new. It wasn't overpowering or anything you would just smell it every now and then. I figured it was just slightly oil covered new metal and that oil was burning off. I also think our blowby just vents into the atmosphere which may be why that you can smell it more after a hard run. Before you think that must be a lot of blow by just remember on the second gens there was a bottle to catch the stuff and you had to empty that thing every time you changed the oil. I wouldn't worry about it unless the oil level dropped. I think it is just the "nature of the beast".

In response to the smell being stronger after a oil change I figured that one out when I changed my oil at 1500 miles. When you spin the oil filter off there is a hole in the frame right below the filter mount, so the oil that you loose from taking the filter off actually runs down into the frame. There is a frame crossmember right under the engine toward the front of the truck that has a hole in it that is lower then the hole under the oil filter. The bit of oil that makes it into the frame works its way out through that hole in the crossmember and it pools up there right behind the engine fan. Since our trucks have a fan that is as big as a house cieling fan it whips that smell off of the oil right up to your nose when the truck is running. I have wiped mine off a time or two until the oil has finally drained out and now the smell is gone. Sorry for the long explination.

 

I thought the smell I was smelling was the paint or varnish burning off the exhaust manifold when the truck got hot. The smell went away after the stuff was burned off.

 

I had a strange odor on my 04.5 and asked the same question on this forum. To me, it smelled like a petroleum distillate. I still get it occasionally, and I notice it when I stop at a stop light. The response that seemed to make most sense to me was that the odor was crank case fumes coming from the crank case vent.

 

I have found that the oil from the dealer has the smell to it. When I switched to Mobil Delvac 1300 the problem totally went away. Last month I had an oil change at the dealer and the smell returned after being gone for 3 months. I bought some more Delvac 1300 and everything should be fine from here on.

 

Does the smell only occur when you are stopped at a light or not moving? It is the heated oil you are smelling. It did the same to me for a couple oil fills, now there is no longer the stink.

 

Its great aint it

The reason you can smell it is because these engines vent crank case pressure to the atmosphere. There is a "blow by " tube that hangs down about the middle of the left side of the engine for this vapor and pressure to escape. Gas burnners and Powerjokes route it back into the intake. Make a nice mess of things inside the charge air cooler and intake pipes. It is perfectly normal. Its funny how different oils smell different ways. I love the smell of the Bulldog oil that I use. Its almost sweet. Mine only smells for a week or two after the oil change then its gone.
I have seen guys extend the blow by tube to underneath the truck behind the cab to remedy this issue if you consider it one. The reason you smell it at the stop lights is because it comes up through the engine compartment and gets drawn into the HVAC intake for the cab when you have it on a fresh air position. If you turn it to Max ac position you wont get the smell.