Burning plastic smell while towing

[JohnMcClane]

This issue eventually went away for me after a few tows. I did a bigger trip later summer (about 1,000mi of towing the camper, mix of mountains and prairie) and didn't notice it at all, so I summed it up to a break-in thing in my case.

I hope that's the case, but it's very odd that it didn't occur before, then suddenly occurred after ~5000 miles and several tows.

It would line up with break in if it happened on one of the first several tows I did (one of them not small - mini-skidsteer)

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[Wakevictim]

I towed a 31’ camper trailer 5,800 miles from Alaska to Virginia and had the burning plastic smell only when I drove in tow-mode this last summer. I also noticed that when in tow-mode, the truck wasn’t shifting properly and liked to stay in lower gears, which made it rev a lot higher. I ended up just using it in normal driving mode and it stopped all the issues I was experiencing.

 

[ROBB1]

Transmission maybe? It‘s got a lot of plastic on it and is the common denominator between all the engine options.

 

[Kanuck]

I wonder if the two trucks that burnt, in two threads on this website, have this unknow smell issue as if something getting hot and igniting. Both were towing trailers at the time.

 

[JohnMcClane]

I wonder if the two trucks that burnt, in two threads on this website, have this unknow smell issue as if something getting hot and igniting. Both were towing trailers at the time.

Same reason I did a search and resurrected this thread, after the two burned up trucks originating form the engine compartment, then the burning smell.

Not giving me warm fuzzies.

 

[AutonomousHybridF150]

Look at the passenger side heat shield applied to the frame near the cats. Mine all melted due to the adhesive coming off of the frame and allowing the heat shield to get close to the cats. Needless to say, the smell stops eventually.

 

[GregR]

I've had this smelling issue on my 2017 5.0 every time I tow. I'm always in tow/haul mode when it happens, I never considered that may be it. It's been going on for 6 years with no other observable adverse effects. Can't find any reason it does it, looked everywhere for something and never found it.

 

[JohnMcClane]

Tow/haul mode and WOT run down an on ramp gave me the smell briefly again, going to try to do the same WOT run in normal mode in the same spot on Wednesday if I remember…

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