Smoke in the engine

I've never had a problem with my 2004 Toyota Tacoma before today (2nd hand). I think I overheated something as there was smoke coming out of the front part of the engine, behind some kind of belt. I asked someone and he said my 'dynamo' was burnt. I have no idea what a dynamo is or even if it's the correct term. I live in an isolated place and can't drive to a dealer - I can only order parts to have it fixed. What would be the name of the part that I burnt ?

 

Need pictures and more information. Truck model, year, packages, motor size, more of what happened before, when , and after the smoke started.

 

Definitely need more info. No such part as you are calling it

 

Underneath belt

 

The wheel underneath the belt started smoking - Toyota Tacoma, 2004 - V6 Enginge - drove all around for hours and then it started smoking

 

That's the pulley for your power steering pump. Sure it was the pulley and not the belt? Belt looks kind of old, could be slipping

 

The thing that started burning was around the area of the circle I am pointing at in this pic - I haven't had it serviced before, as I said before, I don't live in a place where I can go to a dealer for service

 

that's your ac compressor pulley

 

That his AC compressor or his alternator?

The alternator might be referred to by some old timers or those from other countries as the "dynamo" or generator.

 

yeah no clue what dynamo means but that is a ac compressor/pulley. just by look at the pic that a 3.4 liter engine. alternator is located on the driver side

 

Does your air condidtioning work? If I was to guess it looks like the air conditioning pump siezed up.

The dynamo or altinator is on the oposite side of your engine.

If the smoke was comming from the side you are pointing at you can do an experiment by turning off the air conditioning and make sure that your heater control is not switched to defrost. That turns on the air conditioning pump as well. If the belt going around that pulley moves around it freely, it mean the pump is siezed.

Those A/C pumps are a paine to change, but if you don't need air conditioning, you can get by without having it changed right away as long as the pully and belt are moving freely.

 

Nunavut?

Split off from the Northwest Territory?

Current forecast is for -2^c
It'll get up to 0^c Friday.

Defroster? Ya... he needs it.
AC? They MIGHT get to 60^f in July.

 

Kinda figured A/C wasn't used much, but defrosters are prolly used regularly.

 

Needs a truck with a heater that goes to "11"

 

So OP...

On the device that you have circled, there is an electrical connector near the front with 2 wires on it.
Unplug it.

If the problem remains, then you have two problems... the AC compressor is seized AND the clutch is frozen.
The simplest solution is to get a shorter belt and bypass the compressor completely.

Bypassing the compressor will mean that it will take longer to clear the inside of the glass, as you'll lose the benefit of the drying action of the AC system and have to rely on moving air and heat, so keep a towel handy until the engine gets up to operating temperature.

 

Thanks very much guys - you've helped me a lot I'm a she - I think I forgot to change the gender field.

Too funny about the weather - lol - I start being uncomfortable on any temperature going up beyond 68 farenheit (20 degrees Celcius) - and I need the air conditioning then But that won't be until end of June

My husband is checking to see if it's the AC compressor, as you suggested. I'm so glad I came here - you guys know a lot. I was wondering if I had to change my belts.

 

I thought to were talkin about the top pulley. Yeah it's a/c as stated. Hope you figure it out!

 

I would definitely change the a/c belt because it looks frayed in one of the pics. So, you might as well change them all while you are in there. You have to remove the power steering belt in order to get the a/c belt off anyway and the alternator belt is fairly easy to get off, once the other two are off.

 

No need for a shorter belt. Just remove the a/c belt. On the 3.4 we have separate belts for the power steering, a/c, and alternator.

 

So it was the A/C compressor seizing and the belt causing the white smoke The repairman removed my a/c belt and replaced my two other belts in 45 minutes - when he was explaining, I understood - if I hadn't gone to this site, I wouldn't have. I think I'm in love with this site So many things I've learnt in the span of 24 hours - I won't take it for granted now that vehicles can wear and tear if not properly serviced. I even learnt I had almost run the coolant dry.

PS - the cost of replacing the A/C compressor and belt would cost me around $1200 so I opted to do without air conditioning for awhile