Beach driving high temps and bad smell

[mjr350]

Hi guys. Im thinking back to a few weeks ago while driving on the beach and i remember watching the temp gauge hit around 100 - 105 deg which is supposedly normal for soft sand (high tide on arrival) but there was also an awful burning smell. It smelt more like an oil smell rather than clutch. Is it normal to get a bit smelly when temps rise above normal?

[FNQGU]

Temp on what? Your engine - I take it since you mention a clutch, thus a manual box.

Based on what my donk is currently doing and all the playing I have been doing with my Auto, I would not be surprised to hit those temps, but there shouldn't be any sort of oily smell.

How are you getting that temperature? Do you have a temp sensor or engine watchdog etc.?

It isn't clutch slippage is it?

[mjr350]

Yea sorry. 2000 GU TB45E manual low range 4th - 5th.
Its coolant temp via a gauge sending from top radiator hose.
I'm used to a little clutch pong in my V8 VY ute and its certainly a different smell.
Is clutch slip common on the beach? Maybe different clutches have different perfumes.
The best way to describe it would be engine oil spilt on headers after an oil change.
How easy is it to tap into the manual box to attach a temp gauge.

Come to think of it, it has to be clutch because everything else is sealed so a burning oil smell should stay inside a gearbox.

[the evil twin]

The pong might be coming out the breathers

[mjr350]

Yea I've got a complete oil change on the list. Engine, gearbox, transfer and diffs. That might rectify the issue

[Rock Trol]

Do you have a Dual Mass Flywheel? My mates Patrol had a burning oil smell when his DMF cacked it. His stopped working as the oil got between the clutch plates and he lost friction and car would not move. Maybe yours is leaking some oil out of the buffers under stress.

[Gecko17]

An easy one to check is your battery... I just had to replace both batteries on my site ambo (V8 tojo) as the plates in one battery had broken (usually due to the corrogations on the roads) and made it boil... the smell came thru the cab and it smelt like a fan belt had stuck and burnt... was a sort of sulphurous smell...

[HappyCamper*]

Just to clear something for me when you say manual low range 4th to 5th gear , does it mean you got the smell when you where driving in the soft sand in low range trying to hold 4th & 5th gear .

[threedogs]

holding 4th-5th would put one hell of a strain on the driveline.
what was wrong with using High ratio and letting some air out
of your tyres ??

[krbrooking]

Don't quote me but he might have meant high range, as to be sitting in 4th or 5th low you would have to be doing around 80 od k/hr and I would not suggest doing that sort of speed along the beach unless it is very well compacted and then you would not really need 4wd drive.

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner