Community Forums

Darrin · 12-06-2006, 07:46 AM

I am smelling rubber in my front tires when I am towing my jeep liberty. First time towing. my jeep liberty 4x4 has a standered transmition. Transfer case in nutral, key on, transmition placed in forward gears. stering wheel is unlocked and very hard to turn (asuming that's normal)I can see some wear on the outside of both front tires
I would appreciate any advise

Darrin · 12-06-2006, 07:46 AM

I am smelling rubber in my front tires when I am towing my jeep liberty. First time towing. my jeep liberty 4x4 has a standered transmition. Transfer case in nutral, key on, transmition placed in forward gears. stering wheel is unlocked and very hard to turn (asuming that's normal)I can see some wear on the outside of both front tires
I would appreciate any advise

abarkl · 12-06-2006, 08:02 AM

It sounds like you have everything set right, I have an '02 with automatic. Can you see the front wheels of the Liberty turing as the MH does in your mirrors? You could also tie a colored ribbon to the top of the steering wheel in the Liberty and watch using your rearview camera.

Bill Davis · 12-06-2006, 08:55 AM

Steering wheel should rotate easily left and right approx. 1/4 turn when unlocked. Front wheels will resist turning if not rolling. Thats how I verify my towed Jeep is correct.

smlranger · 12-06-2006, 02:51 PM

If you have a 'standard' transmission, do you mean manual shift? If so, why would you put it in a forward gear as opposed to neutral?

Is your tow bar fairly level?

Cruzer · 12-06-2006, 05:02 PM

I'm not quite sure I understand when this is happening. If you are smelling the rubber "after" you are done towing, but when you start to drive the Jeep - that's normal. When you tow all of the rubber marbles on the road tend to get sucked up by the RV and stick to your toad's engine and exhaust system. Once you fire up the toad this stuff burns off but smells in the process.

If the smell is there when towing, or as soon as you pull over, but you haven't run the toad's engine yet - then you have a problem, possibly with the toad's alignment.

Gary the Wombat · 12-07-2006, 09:15 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by smlranger:
If you have a 'standard' transmission, do you mean manual shift? If so, why would you put it in a forward gear as opposed to neutral?

Is your tow bar fairly level? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
smlranger:

I refer you to Joe-K's reply to a post earlier this year.

"The transmission should be in gear to prevent the transmission gears from turning without lubrication due to fluid coupling in the transfer case. It would just be a slight turning or freewheeling, but by putting the transmission in gear it prevents it.

Techically, any gear would work, but in case the transfer case would somehow bounce back into gear, having the transmission in a high gear such as 5th prevents the engine from over-reving. If you'd have it in 1st or 2nd and somehow the transfer case comes out of neutral at 50-60 mph, the engine wouldn't like it. Any gear that had a safe engine RPM at the speeds you would be towing would be safe, but I always used the highest gear."

DLBatz · 12-08-2006, 06:55 AM

I use a dolly and unless I close the toad's air vent while towing I have the hot rubber smell evertime I drive the toad after towing. I think "Cruzer" explanation may be correct. I found that the air vent filter (behind the glove box in my Vibe) gets very black in a short time & smells like hot rubber.

Tenn.Vol. · 12-09-2006, 06:54 AM

Darrin, I have pulled both on a dolly and 4wheel down with a Jeeep Librty,
and have never experenced the burning rubber smell!

BUT a couple yrs, ago aftere I pulled out of a CG in GA, I was having a
tuff time keeping the MH in overdrive. I was in the process of checking
the gauges and trying to determine if I had a head wind, or brake trouble.
About that timme a trucker can on the CB, with something to the effect
BUDDY IN THE WINNIE YOUR LITTLE JEEP IS TRYING TO PASS YOU!!!!!!
The light camme on, someone had NOT turned the key to the first click
on the little jeep. There was probley 10k miles of rubber debrisk on
the back of the MH. I change the tires on the jeep when it had 50K
on the odometer and was pulled 28K behind the MH. Somethinng to the tune
of close to 80K on them when I change them out because winter was coming.

I have never had a problem with the front tires wearing irregular, as some
of mmy friends have, that pull the small front wheel drive cars.
And never heard themm compain about the rubber smell. TENN.

BernieM · 12-09-2006, 12:24 PM

I know that in the 6 years we have been towing with a diesel, there is a strong odor in the toad after towing. I've always thought it was diesel fumes, but it could be mistaken for a burnt rubber odor. This is something that we never experienced with a gas powered coach. You didnt indicate what kind of coach you have.

smlranger · 12-09-2006, 05:34 PM

I think Cruzer and the rest of you have now explained the burned rubber/hot whatever smell we get on the Explorer when it is driven after being towed. For about the first hour or so of driving, the smell is strong...kind of a combination of burning rubber/burning clutch/hot metal. I've had my Ford dealer check the Explorer (they found nothing amiss) and I'd been convinced the Ford Neutral Tow function was not fully disengaging the drive train.

So far we've not had any unusual tire wear on the Explorer which has surprised me. My previous toad, a Focus, did develop uneven front tire wear.

SacsTC · 12-10-2006, 10:02 AM

Towed two different Chevy Blazers 4-door S-10 models so smaller than todays Blazer since 92. Both of them had this problem. They smelled like the tranny had overheated or something. Had both of them checked for damage at one point or another and never found anything. After unhooking it would take an hour or so before the burning smell went away.

Pushrod · 01-21-2007, 11:13 AM

We tow a Suzuki GV, and have noticed the same rubber smell from the front of the toad after stopping. I also noticed the same smell from our friends Liberty. Someone posted the reason some time ago that makes sense, at least to me. It has to do with the distance from the rear axle of the MH, to the the coach hitch location. It also takes into reference the length of the tow bar, and the distance from the toad hitch mount to the toad front axle. Also the width of the front tires on the toad have an effect. In short, the toad has to be "dragged" into the corner before it will follow the coach. So in effect, the front tires of the toad are constantly being scrubbed and heated up, which produces the "burning rubber" smell.

Tenn.Vol. · 01-21-2007, 02:12 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">the front tires of the toad are constantly being scrubbed and heated up, which produces the "burning rubber" smell. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Doug, as I have an IR Thermometer and do check all the tires on the MH and toad, I do not remember that the front
toad tires run any more temp than the rears do. But I did find that the two inside tires ran 12 or so degrees higher,
than the outside tires. I will check again as we will soon leave for Fl. And also ask my friend if they have ever
SMELL THAT SMELL?? Spent 6 or 8mo. at differant times on the second longest island, as a civilan working ECM gear.TENN