Generating smoke during high revs/pulling heavy shit

Hey guys. So I've had an instance of generating a bunch of smoke rapidly while using my truck in the yard. One time I was getting close to the edge of a cliff and revved up good to get out of there. Today I was trying to pull a post and had it happen again. At the time I can't see where it comes from. I get the impression its from underneath the truck and not necessarily the exhaust but idk in the moment. It smells a bit like burning plastic or something like that. Doesn't exactly smell like what I know my leaking valve covers smells like. Coolant level is stable and color of coolant is pink. Where could this be coming from? I feel like the scent means it can't be condensation in the exhaust. The scent lingers a bit too. Pretty sure this has only occurred in 4WD.

 

Is the back end of the truck really squatting low?

Look for rub Marks above the rear tires might just be enough contact to burn what ever is above there.

An idea.

 

Is your truck a manual?
Maybe the clutch is slipping?

 

If you revved up good, sounds like you have a clutch, and sounds like it could be getting burned up using high rpm’s to get no wheel spin. It’s a 4wd, are you using 4lo? If you see smoke and it’s your clutch, yikes.

If it’s an auto, still need to use 4lo. I’d pull your automatic transmission dipstick to check your atf fluid to see if it smells burnt. Can’t really explain the smoke

edit, meant to say pull the dipstick to check the fluid, not advising you pull the transmission.

 

It is a manual. I was in 4Hi when this happened. Didn't feel like I was really pushing the truck in the moment. I don't think the rpms ever got past 2.0-2.5k before this happened. Tough to recall exactly how everything occurred. Definitely revved up high during the cliff incident. What about the clutch slipping would cause smoke? Should I check the transmission fluid? I changed it 20k miles ago.

 

The smoke is caused by the clutch material burning off while slipping on the flywheel.
The fluid has nothing to do with it.

Clutch material is basically like brake pad material.
It wears.

I’d use 4 Low when pulling heavy loads from a start.
It won’t require you to rev the engine up as much.
The more RPM you use when starting put the more you will wear the friction material off the clutch disk.

 

4Hi is for 20 MPH or more. If it's low speed with high load, like pulling a post, definitely use 4Lo. Same for slow speed off road driving, but this may be less important in a stick. In autos it's a must to keep transmission temps down, but I don't imaging it'll hurt in a manual either.

 

A clutch is basically a disk brake system in terms of metallurgy, the flywheel and the pressure plate act like rotors, the clutch disk is the brake pad. If you spool up the clutch without proper clamping force and excessive rpm’s it’s basically the same way disc brakes heat up and glaze on long grades of sustained use without giving the system a chance to cool

 

Burnt clutch. Hard to avoid in some situations like that, use 4lo

 

Sounds like clutch is toast

 

Thanks guys. So where is the smoke actually coming out of? Rear main seal or something? There a breather on the clutch?

 

I mean, it still seems to work totally fine. Just nearing the end of it's life or something I'm missing?

 

You have never smelled a Hot Clutch or even Hot Brakes the 2 smells are close but not the same.

If you had the clutch so Hot it smoked 2 times you would be seeing constant clutch slipping .

 

the smoke would be coming from the clutch disk itself slipping between the pressure plate and flywheel. The friction of the disk rubbing the other two surfaces creates heat and glazes over the friction material on the disk. That is where the smoke comes from. It might not be completely shot yet, but once they start slipping it usually only gets worse. You can probably milk it out for a while if you’re not rough on it, I.e. no more pulling post and such, especially in 4 hi. Use 4 low for stuff like that, or anywhere that your going slow enough that your basically riding the clutch.

 

The smoke will come out between the engine and the transmission. (Bell housing)
If it gets hot enough to smoke, you will have glazed the clutch material. Depending on the clutch condition, it can clear up and go back to “normal” holding capacity.

I’ve never personally had a clutch smoke. But I played a part in one “being smoked”.
Me and my buddy “worked” on his dads ford van. The next morning his dad didn’t make it 100 yards down the road and had to shut the van off. (We had the plug wires crossed.)

Anyways, we used my buddy’s Honda civic to try to pull the 1-ton van back to the house.
It didn’t work……we smoked the clutch. That civic just wasn’t going to pull it.

 

In all my years I have never seen a clutch get hot enough to smoke!!

Smell enough to burn your eyes no smoke and the clutches were completed done .

Though I have seen clouds of smoke from hot brakes!! Real Embarrassing .

 

I've had it happen in more extreme off-road scenarios - feathering the clutch in 4lo to climb steep rocky obstacles...if you go at it for a good bit the clutch will start to smoke. Knock a good several years off its lifespan lol.

Its why heavy rock crawlers like to do dual cases for that extra low range, then don't need to worry about slipping the clutch in those situations

 

Now you have

https://youtu.be/oebzAIZEfxQ

 

There was a 3rd gen thread some time back on here where a guy was wondering why his clutch on his new 4x4 was already toast and Toyota wouldn't warranty it. Then he posted a video of himself doing a steep rocky hill climb in 4wd (before the clutch went out) and mentioned he was in 4hi the entire time. Could see the smoke under the truck. He learned a lesson there

 

It is not real If I do not see it in person!