the odor, the horror....

[piecemeal]

Well, I recently took my 74 FJ40 out for it's first long range ride (approximately 40 minutes @ 60 mph). The morning ride went fine (cool and humid). However, on the way home it was 85 deg F and 90% humidity. I noticed an awful smell 10 minutes into the ride akin to horse, cow, and dog s**t mixed together with old car smell and the truckr began to run really rough. My first thought was catalytic converter. However I don't have one, or at least I don't see one. I recently re-shoed, re-cylindered, and re-mastered the braking system. No smell though from these areas. Also recently put in new radiator (paint cooking off??), no, no smell here. The smell is worse in the cab and directly under the middle of the car. Plastic bag burning on exhast pipe? No, no sign of one. I was running with a soft-top and no doors.

Any ideas?? I can't take it!! It reeks, BAD.

HELP!!

 

[lostmarbles]

Incontinence (and the "runnig rough" is unrelated)?

 

[Ron B]

Maybe a dumb question but you did check the trans and tcase fluids didnt you? burning up? parking brake shoes binding a little and burning?

 

[piecemeal]

oh crap. I haven't done that yet. Is there a write up on how to change them out?? The shop manual I have is vague. I guess it's too easy to bother writing up exactly how to do it. I never have though. dumb newbs.

 

[bakocruiser]

You probably have a dead rat getting cooked.

 

[lostmarbles]

oh crap. I haven't done that yet. Is there a write up on how to change them out?? The shop manual I have is vague. I guess it's too easy to bother writing up exactly how to do it. I never have though. dumb newbs.

OK. I'll try to make up for my previous rude/unhelpful comment.

Here are the fill/level plugs:




And you should find the drain plugs easy enough to find because they're right on the bottom of each gearbox.

80w/90 EP gear oil.

 

[steverb]

maybe your clutch slipping.

 

[BELMONT148]

Maybe your heater core is covered in filth and once at operating temp it is sending out 30 years of animal hair odors, and maybe a rat nest or 2.

Jeremy

 

[Ron B]

Maybe your heater core is covered in filth and once at operating temp it is sending out 30 years of animal hair odors, and maybe a rat nest or 2.

Jeremy

Forgot about that one.....mine needed cleaning when I got it. Stunk to high heaven and was hardley moving any air.

 

[D'Animal]

Dead animal stuck in the duct work somewhere.

 

[marks69cruiser]

I cant wait to find out what the culprit is! HEHEHE

 

[Weedhopper]

Mouse piss reeks. Probably a nest, feces and to water it all down...

I found a ton of mouse crap in the windshield frame at the bottom. I don't know how the windshield wipers worked so well, it was packed in that tight.

 

[71AZFJ]

I think if it was a dead animal, it would have started to smell sooner than on your way home. Is there a chance you ran something over when you got to your destination ?

 

[77TLCFJ40]

I think if it was a dead animal, it would have started to smell sooner than on your way home. Is there a chance you ran something over when you got to your destination ?

That happened to me in my wife's car once. A piece of the victim (nutria) wedged between the exhaust and ???. The longer we drove the more it burned and smelled. I crawled under and pried it out the next day. A burning clutch smells very bad too.

Good luck

 

[piecemeal]

changed the oil in the diffs (brown and watery), changed the oil in the tranny (brown and very viscous), and changed the oil in the T-case (brown and not much of it).... thanks Lostmarbles for the diagram.... Now I need to do a long test drive on a hot day to see it that fixed the odors. I haven't checked the heater core or the vent by the hood yet. Maybe there's a surprise waitng for me yet. If there is, I'll be sure post the carnage.... Thanks again Lostmarbles.

 

[handcannon]

changed the oil in the diffs (brown and watery), changed the oil in the tranny (brown and very viscous), and changed the oil in the T-case (brown and not much of it).... thanks Lostmarbles for the diagram.... Now I need to do a long test drive on a hot day to see it that fixed the odors. I haven't checked the heater core or the vent by the hood yet. Maybe there's a surprise waitng for me yet. If there is, I'll be sure post the carnage.... Thanks again Lostmarbles.

What I have for you isn't any helpful hint to fix your odoriferous dilemma, but it may help you prevent a future serious problem.

You say that the TC did not have much oil in it, was the tranny very full? A common problem with these older parts is the seal between the tranny and TC goes bad and allows the TC oil to be pushed into the tranny,causing the TC to be low on lube and the tranny to be over full.

There is a fix (or preventive measure) that doesn't require the tranny and TC to be torn down. Put a drain line between the tranny fill plug and the TC fill plug. This allows the extra fluid pumped into the tranny from the TC to drain back into the TC. This drain line can be purchased from many of the venders here on Mud. Or, if you are handy with making things, search for bsevens fix (very neatly done), or just drill and tap the fill plugs and find your own fittings and flexible tubing.

Don

 

[fireflyr]

What I have for you isn't any helpful hint to fix your odoriferous dilemma, but it may help you prevent a future serious problem.

You say that the TC did not have much oil in it, was the tranny very full? A common problem with these older parts is the seal between the tranny and TC goes bad and allows the TC oil to be pushed into the tranny,causing the TC to be low on lube and the tranny to be over full.

There is a fix (or preventive measure) that doesn't require the tranny and TC to be torn down. Put a drain line between the tranny fill plug and the TC fill plug. This allows the extra fluid pumped into the tranny from the TC to drain back into the TC. This drain line can be purchased from many of the venders here on Mud. Or, if you are handy with making things, search for bsevens fix (very neatly done), or just drill and tap the fill plugs and find your own fittings and flexible tubing.

Don

 

[tucker74]

parking brake shoes binding a little and burning?

Did you check this? The e-brake shoes burning smell pretty bad after a while, bent my backing plate one time on the trail and found this out when I got back on the pavement -

Tucker

 

[piecemeal]

took it for a decent test drive. Not much odor, however, a bit from the rear diver's side wheel. I swear it wasn't smelly there before. I guess I need to back off the wheel cylinder's a bit on that wheel. Hopefully that'll do it. Also, un-related but my steering stabilizer is shot and the truck walks all over the road, any suggestions for good aftermarket stabilizers that won't break the bank??

 

[Bodean]

Stabilizer probably won't fix the wandering problem (you can get one at NAPA). Do a search and there is plenty of info on the subject. Mine was like that before I put P/S on it. Good luck.