Just took car for service...now there's a slight burning smell at idle, and a wet spot (see pic)

[lazarus870]

Car only has about 30k miles.

When I took it for service, all good. I have the performance pack 1 installed. I hadn't driven it in 3 weeks due to the snowfall. So I serviced it, drove home and then parked it until now. As soon as I serviced it and drove home from work that night, I noticed a trail of fluid coming from about where the trans is. Couldn't find the source and I couldn't identify what kind of liquid/fluid. It was dark and I couldn't see too well.

So I drove it home, all instruments fine, etc.

Today I fired it up for the first time in 3 weeks and got gas. I noticed at lights it smells like burning clutch, or rubber. but only at idle. I opened the hood and it smells to me like it's coming from the intake area but it dissipates so fast it's hard to nail.

I crawled under the car and it's damp right here (see photo)

Curiously, there is no stain or anything on my parking spot but that area seems wet whereas the rest of the underbelly of the car remains dry (it's raining/melting snow out but that's the only area that remained wet).

I checked the oil and it's at the halfway point on the dipstick. Anybody seen anything like this? Would like to take it back to the dealer, and I will, but it's supposed to snow again so I can't just yet but I hadn't driven it since picking it up from the dealer and driving it home, until today.

Sponsored

 

[Stage_3]

What was the service you took it in for?
Oil change?

 

[lazarus870]

What was the service you took it in for?
Oil change?

Yeah Oil change

 

[thelostotter]

With the engine cold, reach down behind the air filter box and feel around the oil filter. Judging by the wet spots you are show us it looks like the filter is leaking a tiny bit and that oil is splattering on the hot exhaust when you drive. If that's the case tighten it if you can.

Or they made a huge mess removing the old filter and didn't wipe any of it up.

 

[lazarus870]

With the engine cold, reach down behind the air filter box and feel around the oil filter. Judging by the wet spots you are show us it looks like the filter is leaking a tiny bit and that oil is splattering on the hot exhaust when you drive. If that's the case tighten it if you can.

Or they made a huge mess removing the old filter and didn't wipe any of it up.

Thank you! I went and checked it out. Can't reach it unfortunately, too tight of a fit, especially with the Power Pack air filter box being so big. live in a condo so nowhere to remove it sadly.

 

[Rapid Red]

With the engine cold, reach down behind the air filter box and feel around the oil filter. Judging by the wet spots you are show us it looks like the filter is leaking a tiny bit and that oil is splattering on the hot exhaust when you drive. If that's the case tighten it if you can.

Or they made a huge mess removing the old filter and didn't wipe any of it up.

I would be thinking the latter applies ......

@Op
Who did the service?

 

[WD Pro]

What's this area like :

Lower arm, cross member, funny round thing at the top right of the photo and the floor all look damp / oily ?

WD

 

[W.O.T. Stang]

My guess is that they only dropped a portion of the undershield when they changed the filter and didnt clean it. Probably dropped the filter onto the shield and it got everywhere and made a mess. Now oil from the old filter is sitting up there and leaking down - the burning smell - it probably splashed on the header as well.

Could always take it back to them and tell them you just had your oil changed and now its leaking/burning smell. Sounds like someone didn't do their job correctly and it needs to be taken care of so it doesn't happen again.

 

[lazarus870]

I would be thinking the latter applies ......

@Op
Who did the service?

Ford dealership, same one I got the car from.

What's this area like :

Lower arm, cross member, funny round thing at the top right of the photo and the floor all look damp / oily ?

WD

Yeah that side looks oily too, though what's on the floor may just be from the wet snow/rain dripping down. The lower arm though definitely looks like it's got something going on.

 

[Cobra Jet]

It could be a number of things by trying to diagnose a picture...

Condensation from A/C system (if running defroster)
residual water from driving on wet road surfaces
oil from oil filter being loose
oil from oil sensor above oil filter
oil from oil seepage
oil spillage from Tech doing oil change etc etc...

Get car safely on stands to research further or take it back to the Shop that did the oil change and have them get dirty researching it. If the Tech spilled oil all over the belly pan (or the front K-member), they clean it. Otherwise that oil is just going to bathe the underside of the car while driving.

Sponsored