Tire / alignment question

[Skipjacks]

The last few days I've noticed a rubber burn smell.

Does a clutch burn smell similar to a tire burn smell? I'm still new to driving manual so I'm half expecting the clutch to be wearing faster than normal. But I'm not certain what that burning smells like.

The alignment in the car is good as far as driving in a straight line. I haven't had a check to see if it's within specs though. The tires after highway driving are very warm to the touch. But on the other hand it's 94 degrees here today.

Thoughts?

At $200 a tire I don't want to be chewing these up any faster than I have to. Could the road temperatures be causing that smell? If the car drives straight can the alignment still be out enough to cause rapid tire wear?

Thanks for any input.

[AlpineWhiteE46]

I have a feeling it might be either clutch or oil. It might even be debris that's catching on the catalytic converter. BTW, a burning rubber smell is much more acrid than a clutch (I know it's not much help unless you know what burning clutch smells like =P). If tires were being worn down enough to leave a smell, you'd notice it visually very quickly. I'm also willing to venture a guess that any smoke from rubber would dissipate more quickly than clutch, making it even harder to detect.

[Skipjacks]

I have a tendancy to think that any tire wear that would leave an odor would also leave a smoke trail.

There is a slight oil burn off too. But that I rocognize well.

[ARCHER]

Given that you are familiar with the smell of burning oil and rubber, I am inclined to agree w/ AlpineWhite. A burning clutch puts off an awful, signature odor. Once you smell it, you will never forget it. That, or you might want to check your radiator neck. This is a common issue on the E36 M3 - they crack. It "could" be that some coolant is making its way onto the manifold and scorching.

[Skipjacks]

I had noticed before, (and even posted on here withing getting much of a response) that after running for a while there would be SLIGHT smoke clouds in the crack case. Nothing major. No spouting columns of black smoke pouring from the hood or anything. Just a gentle cloud of blue oil smoke that would disipate in about 30 minutes.

My theory was that the oil coating left high on the inside of the crank case was burning off because obviously the engine is still hot for a while after you turn it off. This COULD be producing a similar smell to what I'm smelling now. However, if my theory is correct about how that smoke forms it wouldn't be making that smell while running. And also however, if I'm wrong about what's causing that burn, it would be smellable when I'm on the road.

Now you're trying to tell me that if this was a clutch burn that I'd know something was burning and I wouldn't be questioning if I'm imagining things. Do I understand that right? It's really that obvious? Plus I smell this when I'm running on the highway when I'm not shifting. So that leads me to also think it's not the clutch.

Or, like I refered to in the previous paragraph, I could just be nuts.

[ARCHER]

Originally posted by Skipjacks@Aug 2 2004, 04:37 PM
I had noticed before, (and even posted on here withing getting much of a response) that after running for a while there would be SLIGHT smoke clouds in the crack case. Nothing major. No spouting columns of black smoke pouring from the hood or anything. Just a gentle cloud of blue oil smoke that would disipate in about 30 minutes.

My theory was that the oil coating left high on the inside of the crank case was burning off because obviously the engine is still hot for a while after you turn it off. This COULD be producing a similar smell to what I'm smelling now. However, if my theory is correct about how that smoke forms it wouldn't be making that smell while running. And also however, if I'm wrong about what's causing that burn, it would be smellable when I'm on the road.

Now you're trying to tell me that if this was a clutch burn that I'd know something was burning and I wouldn't be questioning if I'm imagining things. Do I understand that right? It's really that obvious? Plus I smell this when I'm running on the highway when I'm not shifting. So that leads me to also think it's not the clutch.

Or, like I refered to in the previous paragraph, I could just be nuts.

If your clutch is burning, you will smell it - no doubt about it. And that odor makes it into the cabin quickly and usually powerfully. Your best bet is probably to find someone who knows what a roasting clutch smells like and try to duplicate it while that person is in the car with you.

[gpoints]

Originally posted by Skipjacks@Aug 2 2004, 04:37 PM
Plus I smell this when I'm running on the highway when I'm not shifting. So that leads me to also think it's not the clutch.

Or, like I refered to in the previous paragraph, I could just be nuts.

How many miles on the clutch? How many on the car?
If you start the car and let it sit and warm up, do you get the smell? Or is it only while driving? Have you been able to find the general area of the car (front, back, underneath) the smell is coming from?

[Skipjacks]

Upon closer inspection I've realized a film of old oil grime inside the cracnk case, probably from sitting idle for the last year. (Amazing the things you can see with a flashlight and dental mirror. )

Anyway I'm thinking the burn I'm smelling is that layer of film buring off. We'll see as the miles go on.

[AlpineWhiteE46]

It's good that you found something that might explain your problem. One time in my old RSX, I had a horrible smell that I thought came out of my right wheel well and was worried about similar issues that you had. Turned out that a plastic bag got stuck on the right side of the cat and the only thing I could really do was wait for it to burn off completely. Ugh...

[Skipjacks]

I still remember the first time I spilled oil on the block of my Bronco. I was 17, was just learning about cars, and damn near paniced when I first saw that cloud of blue smoke billowing out from under the hood as I drove down the road.

Oh those were the days.