Propane or Natural Gas Smell

[1sicbronconut]

Bad PTU, the 75-140 has gotten hot and is venting the fumes out of the vent for the PTU I've replaced a lot of them for this issue including the one in my wife's Flex there was service message on the smell. Ford got rid of that message because they came out with a kit to "rebuild" the PTU's which was pretty much a failure, they hold less than a quart of fluid and it turns into a think pudding like substance it get too hot, you think it smells bad now you should smell one after you open one up everybody in the shop hates you for the day due to the smell

 

[peterk9]

.................Issue is actually getting them to do something as they said they couldn't find anything before.

Invite them over the next time it's that bad.
I agree that it is more than likely the PTU failing. If it is not leaking then it will likely stop functioning in the near future.

Peter

 

[Chrisrj8084]

Bad PTU, the 75-140 has gotten hot and is venting the fumes out of the vent for the PTU I've replaced a lot of them for this issue including the one in my wife's Flex there was service message on the smell. Ford got rid of that message because they came out with a kit to "rebuild" the PTU's which was pretty much a failure, they hold less than a quart of fluid and it turns into a think pudding like substance it get too hot, you think it smells bad now you should smell one after you open one up everybody in the shop hates you for the day due to the smell

Well I am going to be more forceful with Ford when I take it back. I am gonna tell them you actually have to drive the car for a bit, then start out turning on the heater and you can get whiffs of it then. Then go park and get out and it will smack you in the face.

I almost wish it was presenting noises or rough driving so they could for sure see it's an issue. And it's covered by the warranty. Just replace it smh

 

[Fix4Dirt]

Well I am going to be more forceful with Ford when I take it back. I am gonna tell them you actually have to drive the car for a bit, then start out turning on the heater and you can get whiffs of it then. Then go park and get out and it will smack you in the face.

I almost wish it was presenting noises or rough driving so they could for sure see it's an issue. And it's covered by the warranty. Just replace it smh

ig its all a business, so if yo dont need to spend the money, then ig they wont. sadly.

 

[Chrisrj8084]

Some new info in my repair saga. So after continued odor I was reversing out of a parking spot and felt two large clanks, shook the whole car. The next day it was three loud clanks. Startled me thinking I hit something.

So took back to Ford and they finally confirmed what I had been telling them, PTU is failing. Now the issue is that Ford is backordered for these with no ETA, wonderful. And I do have a warranty but the service guy I talked to said the warranty wants them to dismantle the PTU to see why it failed. Um how about a poor design sitting it next to the engine, exhaust, and transmission with no shielding or cooling.

 

[Chrisrj8084]

Got my car back finally yesterday. Ford replaced my PTU and thank goodness I bought a warranty because the job cost $3300 but I only paid $200 for the deductible.

The service notes state catastrophic damage when they opened it up. Broken teeth on all gears and a hole in the case.

Which leads me to question how they missed all that the first time I took it in for repair.

But whatever at least it is finally taken care of. Now I just have to keep an eye on the coolant levels moving forward.

 

[twigle]

Hey everyone, I'm new here. Found the forum while searching for others maybe having the same problem. I did a search here but didn't see this exact issue.

I have a 2016 Explorer, bought in 2017 after one previous owner. I started smelling exhaust or some kind of odor about 2 years ago maybe. Took it to the Ford dealer, they "couldn't smell anything". It was never fixed. Been smelling it ever since.

About 4 weeks ago I started smelling a natural gas smell in the cabin. It was the first time I had run the A/C as it was getting hot outside, Just a local drive, I noticed it about 7 to 8 minutes into the drive. Took it to the shop again, they reset the HVAC in hopes that this would address the problem. Seemed ok for about 20 minutes and then the smell came back.

They can't seem to figure out what it is. I'm finding it hard to believe. I've read some articles and watched a youtube video about fumes leaking into the cabin and Ford knew about it in 2012. You can smell that natural gas odor coming off the car long after it's been parked and turned off and when I get inside it's just there all the time.

At the same time, I'm now hearing a rattling underneath at about 20mph and slower and then today my rear AC hoses were leaking. Don't know if these are related but it's all happening at the same time.

Sorry for the long message. I'm hoping to get some insight into this. I appreciate anyone taking the time to drop some knowledge on this.
Thanks!

I also had this problem with my 2016 Explorer and in my case, it was the "transfer case" which, once hot, leaked oil on the exhaust and it smelled of natural gas. They had trouble finding the problem, until one day, while backing into my driveway, I heard abnormal metal noises and saw a lot of oil in my driveway.

I had to call a towing, the transfer case broken and split, I changed it and never smelled.

 

[Mbrooks420]

I also had this problem with my 2016 Explorer and in my case, it was the "transfer case" which, once hot, leaked oil on the exhaust and it smelled of natural gas. They had trouble finding the problem, until one day, while backing into my driveway, I heard abnormal metal noises and saw a lot of oil in my driveway.

I had to call a towing, the transfer case broken and split, I changed it and never smelled.

They typically call these PTUs and not transfer cases like a typical 4wd has.

 

[peterk9]

I also had this problem with my 2016 Explorer and in my case, it was the "transfer case" which, once hot, leaked oil on the exhaust and it smelled of natural gas. They had trouble finding the problem, until one day, while backing into my driveway, I heard abnormal metal noises and saw a lot of oil in my driveway.

I had to call a towing, the transfer case broken and split, I changed it and never smelled.

Welcome to the Forum.
As Mbrooks420 mentioned, this item is referred to as a PTU (Power Transfer Unit). There are many threads/posts on this item in the forum.

Peter