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stumped by source of "fish oil" smell in 97 Ranger 5-speed

Maybe someone has already experienced this one. I have a 97 Ranger

5-speed with approx. 90k miles. Since I bought the truck, it has consistently, but intermittently, had an odor in the cab of the truck which occurs generally only after driving for at least say 5-10 minutes. I'm 95% sure this is an ATF smell. I say this because I stuck my nose over a bottle of the Mercon ATF, and it smells exactly the same. It is not a "burnt" smell at all, just oily. At first I thought it might be brake fluid leaking from the slave cylinder. Now the slave and the clutch have been replaced, but the smell remains. I believe there is a slight leak at the transmission extension housing seal, but it is very slight, less than a half pint every thousand miles. And YES I have visually checked the 3 infamous shift rail plugs and they are high and dry. My question: could the slight leakage at the rear trans seal account for this persistent (and fairly strong) odor?
Reply to
oily_boot2
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If it is flinging atf on to your exhaust pipe someplace that might be it.

Reply to
Scott

If that's truly what's happening, check the power steering. The PS systems on these use Type F

CJB

Reply to
CJB

"oily_boot2" wrote: 97 Ranger 5-speed 90k miles

Since I bought the truck, it has often had a "fish oil" odor in the cab after driving at least 5 minutes. I'm 95% sure it is an ATF smell. Any suggestions? _______________________________________________

ATF: Smell dipstick on PS reservoir for comparison. Look for ATF dripping from PS pump or hoses. COOLANT: Smell radiator coolant for comparison. Look for reservoir overflow, radiator leaks, or heater core leak. OIL: Look for oil drip from valve cover on to exhaust system. AC: Open evap drain port. Flush out box with vinegar or mild bleach water if it has mold inside. Blow out lint and dust from heater core. FOOD: Shampoo carpeting/upholstery, clean out defroster vent. BRAKE FLUID: Smell reservoir for comparison. Look for fluid dripping from master cyl, brake lines, hoses, and vacuum booster. CLOTHING: The rubber/plastic in some tennis shoes made in Asia has a definite fish oil smell. It fades with time. Some of this material is in auto floor mats too. GASOLINE: Probably not - smell is distinctive.

Some gasolines will put out an exhaust smell like epoxy resin when the engine is running. Sometimes a cat converter puts out a smell, but usually like rotten eggs, not fish.

Good luck.

Rodan.

Reply to
Rodan

Is this a diesel converted to run on cooking oil? If it is, perhaps the previous owner got his oil from fried fish place. ;-)

Jeff

Reply to
Jeff

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