Hi all - just got all my fluids changed at the 'trusted' shop (slacker I know) - included Transfer case & transmission. Drove the car 100 miles from shop - during the journey strong oil heavy stink was present when car was stationary - no appreciable improvement in this condition during the journey. Car runs smooth - no issues. Parked up vehicle overnight. No fluid drops underneath the car when left overnight. Took the car for a run this morning. As before when the car is static (eg at traffic lights) the cabin is once again filled with terrible oil heavy stink (cabin air fan running) - smell is like burning tires. Have subsequently put the car up on ramps and am letting it cool down & dry off. After lunch will head out to do a visual - check the plugs (transmission drain plug & Transfer case) 3/ Check the turbocharger hoses and residue. Currently no depletion evident on power steering fluid / brake fluid / engine coolant / rear diff / engine oil. (Haldex was untouched during service - will do that myself once new filter is delivered).

Was looking for the cabin air intake - can someone direct me to it (is it in the well at the bottom of the windshield?). has anyone got a suitable schematic?

Has anyone had a similar issue & if so what was the problem and associated fix? Any relevant advice gratefully received.

Thx as always
Jim

 

Your trusted mechanic may have overfilled the transfer case and the gear oil is escaping the vent tubes. It doesn't take much, that stuff smells awful and if a random drip is finding its way onto the exhaust you will know it. I speak from experience. Motor oil doesn't small that bad, gear oil is one of the foulest smelling fluids out there, automotive or otherwise. I never had any drips either but after topping up the transfer case one afternoon I suffered the same fate for a few weeks until I got around to draining and refilling it.

 

Hi ahab - thx for your response - its actually something I can check quite easily - I am also in touch with the 'trusted' mechanic and he would 'fess up I am sure. FYI - the procedure for the LR2's transfer case is fill to the top of the port then remove 120ml, so simple enough but definitely prescriptive - if the 120ml has not been removed..... could be as you state.

 

A little outside the rails of current thinking, but your LR2 might have become the victim of rodent intrusion while at the shop. They can give an odor.

 

Thx LR2driver - you betcha - have checked it out - seems rodent free - am sure the smell is burning oil....

 

Only New York rats give off a heavy oil stink when they burn.

 

AHAB - you nailed it - took the car back to the shop (2 hours away - grrrr) refilled the transfer case - smell mostly gone (orders of magnitude better) - just dealing with residue now I suspect. Sincere thx for your quick reply, it enabled me to put a plan together & get the issue remediated ASAP (car was literally undriveable - unless you were doing 80 mph ). An upside, I also managed to get a haldex filter online in the meantime (my 'trusted' shop were struggling to get one locally) and had the shop change out the existing unit. So overall - fluids & filters up-to-date.

 

I immediately empathized with your situation and I couldn't "not reply". Glad you got it sorted. You will forever know the rancid smell of gear oil from this experience. It's not something forgettable.

 

To paraphrase... "What has been smelled cannot be unsmelled."