Strange hot engine smell - pity you can't put smells on the internet!

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kurek

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I'd love to upload a photo or a sound clip but in this case it's a smell and I just don't have any way of sharing it.

Since brand new my 2015 Ram 1500 5.7L has had a strange chemical smell from the front of the vehicle when it's been run on a hot day and I just can't even begin to describe it. Doesn't smell like coolant, I even lifted the lid of the coolant overflow tank and took a good whiff straight from it to try to identify the smell.

At first I thought it was just because it's new, all the new plastics and adhesives and other manufacturing processes might leave behind some residue that's going to "cure" or oxidize and settle down over time but it's been four summers now and the odor is just as apparent.

I don't believe there's anything actually wrong but I'm curious has anyone else experienced a strange chemical smell from the front of their (hot) Ram?
 

Pull Ya

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How many miles do you have on your truck?
Jay
 
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kurek

kurek

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30559 today. But it's had that odor since new any time the weather's warm and the truck has been driven enough to warm up to full operating temp. It's not necessary to get close to try to smell it, if one walks through the hot downwind wake of the vehicle after parking the odor is apparent.
 

Burla

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take some fuel line hose or similar and attach one size to a nostral and the other side to everyhwere you can think of to diagnose it. The odor will be most apparent with this technique.

make sure no wires touching hot engine parts.

Smell around fan clutches as well.

so never in cold weather, not even a long trip?
 

Wild one

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r
I'd love to upload a photo or a sound clip but in this case it's a smell and I just don't have any way of sharing it.

Since brand new my 2015 Ram 1500 5.7L has had a strange chemical smell from the front of the vehicle when it's been run on a hot day and I just can't even begin to describe it. Doesn't smell like coolant, I even lifted the lid of the coolant overflow tank and took a good whiff straight from it to try to identify the smell.

At first I thought it was just because it's new, all the new plastics and adhesives and other manufacturing processes might leave behind some residue that's going to "cure" or oxidize and settle down over time but it's been four summers now and the odor is just as apparent.

I don't believe there's anything actually wrong but I'm curious has anyone else experienced a strange chemical smell from the front of their (hot) Ram?

Supposedly there was an issue with heater hoses smelling like rotten eggs on the 13 and 14's.I never had any issues with them on my 14,but you might want to give them a smell using Burla's suggestion.Apparently the oder was very noticeable on the pass side of the truck,which kind of makes sense as that's the side of the engine they are on.
 

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