Oil burning smell

[jt813]

Hey! The last few times I drove the LC highway speeds and parked, I smelled burning oil.

I have only 4k miles so far and have not changed the oil.

Today I checked the oil level and it is only half way full, and the oil color is very dark/dirty.

Has anyone else experienced this? Does this sound like I have a leak?

Thanks!

 

[ultane]

Leaks are not very difficult to find.

There is a specified method for properly measuring the oil level. I am sure you can find it in the owners manual.

If you are having a problem with excessive oil consumption, I would discuss it with your dealer at your 5,000 mile service.

 

[EOD Guy]

Hey! The last few times I drove the LC highway speeds and parked, I smelled burning oil.

I have only 4k miles so far and have not changed the oil.

Today I checked the oil level and it is only half way full, and the oil color is very dark/dirty.

Has anyone else experienced this? Does this sound like I have a leak?

Thanks!

If it were me, I'd do a first oil change as soon as possible. Either have the dealer do it or DIY, then you would have clean oil and an accurate start point for a determination if it is indeed using oil.

 

[jt813]

Dealer was unable to detect any leaks or a burning oil smell. They also advised to not change the oil until 10k miles

I am going to go home and change my oil, and see if I can pinpoint the cause.

 

[ultane]

They also advised to not change the oil until 10k miles.

I wonder why? Kinda flies in the face of all the experts on YouTube.

 

[neema2k]

I'm gonna have them do one for me at 2000 miles. I just scheduled it for Thursday.

With a new generator you'd have to put it thru a first burn for a few hours and then change the oil right after.
The first burn oil is real dirty and I feel like these turbos could be sensitive to that.

Seems like a LC tradition. Land cruisers have and sounds like will eat oil.

 

[EnigmaOperator]

Likely the engine grease, coatings and other things cooking off for the first time.

picked up my 25' yesterday. Same thing for the first 600 miles. very noticeable at times.

 

[TLC]

Same here. My 2025 had the strong oil burning smell every time we came to a stop. Seems to have gone away (at about 1500 miles now)

 

[Ed1]

I once had a burned smell the first time I drove on sand. Not sure but I may have driven too far/too fast with the rear differential locked. Only happened once when the LC was almost new.

Most likely not the OP’s situation.

 

[EnigmaOperator]

I once had a burned smell the first time I drove on sand. Not sure but I may have driven too far/too fast with the rear differential locked. Only happened once when the LC was almost new.

Most likely not the OP’s situation.

The rear diff will automatically unlock after about 25mph to protect it.

 

[Ed1]

Thanks, @EnigmaOperator I’m sure wouldn’t have been going over 25 mph on soft sand, so it might have stayed locked too long - would have been a run of a mile or so.

 

[dbirling]

Yes there was a smell like oil early on, I no longer have that thankfully!

 

[TakaraLC]

Yes there was a smell like oil early on, I no longer have that thankfully!

I think the smell early on is from the oils and grime on exhaust and engine block from the manufacturing process burning off.

 

[JamesRivRat]

I'm gonna have them do one for me at 2000 miles. I just scheduled it for Thursday.

With a new generator you'd have to put it thru a first burn for a few hours and then change the oil right after.
The first burn oil is real dirty and I feel like these turbos could be sensitive to that.

Seems like a LC tradition. Land cruisers have and sounds like will eat oil.

My new 2025 Land Cruiser is my 4th LC. I put over 250,000 mies each on the first two and I put 396,000 miles on the third one. I never had an oil problem on any of them.

 

[EnigmaOperator]

Thanks, @EnigmaOperator I’m sure wouldn’t have been going over 25 mph on soft sand, so it might have stayed locked too long - would have been a run of a mile or so.

you can run Diff's locked for hundreds of miles without issue. No biggie.

I think you're smelling the coatings and everything cooking off a brand new vehicle. pretty normal.

 

[MSINAL]

Same here. My 2025 had the strong oil burning smell every time we came to a stop. Seems to have gone away (at about 1500 miles now)

I'm at 1400miles and still waiting for metal preservative (smells like burning oil to me too) or whatever it is to burn off. Hopefully 1500 is the magic number. I work with an auto manufacturer and theirs don't smell like this coming off the assembly line. Starting to worry to be honest.

 

[EnigmaOperator]

Have to remember it's not just metal, coatings, etc, its also yards and yards of plastic wiring loom and wire getting hot and heat cycling for the first time. I'm not concerned.

 

[TLC]

I

I'm at 1400miles and still waiting for metal preservative (smells like burning oil to me too) or whatever it is to burn off. Hopefully 1500 is the magic number. I work with an auto manufacturer and theirs don't smell like this coming off the assembly line. Starting to worry to be honest.

I remember someone mentioned that Toyota coats the metal parts on their vehicles with some kind of spray so they don’t rust while on the ship. It could be that burning off.

TBH, even at 1500 miles, I still get a whiff of it now and then. I’m thinking once warmer weather gets here it’ll let everything get up to temp and finish burning it off.

 

[Seratti]

I

I remember someone mentioned that Toyota coats the metal parts on their vehicles with some kind of spray so they don’t rust while on the ship. It could be that burning off.

TBH, even at 1500 miles, I still get a whiff of it now and then. I’m thinking once warmer weather gets here it’ll let everything get up to temp and finish burning it off.

Same. The dealer told me they coated it at the factory. At 2k, it's mostly gone, but every once in a while there is a slight odor. Not terribly worried about it. If there is something burning up in all our Land Cruisers, there is a bigger problem at hand.

 

[MSINAL]

I

I remember someone mentioned that Toyota coats the metal parts on their vehicles with some kind of spray so they don’t rust while on the ship. It could be that burning off.

TBH, even at 1500 miles, I still get a whiff of it now and then. I’m thinking once warmer weather gets here it’ll let everything get up to temp and finish burning it off.

Just got back from camping, past 1700 miles and still stinks quite a bit. Good to know I'm not the only one, I'll stop searching for leaks now.