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TJ Flat Towing Mystery

Won’t the road debris happen on the trailer also? The airflow could be different in both cases. Has the OP confirmed the smell before running the engine?
definitely can confirm the smell before running the engine. The first time I flat towed the thing up from San Diego, I noticed it as soon as I went over to unhook it from the motorhome. Freaked me out and I thought maybe it had popped into gear going down the highway or something until I opened the door and confirmed everything was still where it should be.
 
Won’t the road debris happen on the trailer also? The airflow could be different in both cases. Has the OP confirmed the smell before running the engine?
High enough that everything goes under the trailer/Jeep?
 
I trailer my crawler quite frequently, and never run into the same smell. I guess if it really is road debris, I should also smell it on the trailer at least?

I like the power steering idea.
 
I trailer my crawler quite frequently, and never run into the same smell. I guess if it really is road debris, I should also smell it on the trailer at least?

I like the power steering idea.
High enough to be outside the "spray" of rubber and shit probably.

PS would be abused far more when rock crawling and such, no?
 
OP, have you ever had someone ride back there while towing it? I wonder if there could be some “mini death wobble” going on. When you tow, is the tow bar going up to the hitch or down? I could see it putting weight on the front tires if it was going down to the hitch as it pulls. Maybe feel the front tires vs back for heat.
 
OP, have you ever had someone ride back there while towing it? I wonder if there could be some “mini death wobble” going on. When you tow, is the tow bar going up to the hitch or down? I could see it putting weight on the front tires if it was going down to the hitch as it pulls. Maybe feel the front tires vs back for heat.
I have thought about having the wife take me down the freeway for an exit or two. The tow bar is very close to level, but it does go up from the tow vehicle to the jeep slightly.

This jeep already has a tendency to want to death wobble - it blew out an oem steering stabilizer in about 4 years and immediately became prone to DW around 50 - 55 on roads that were not perfectly smooth. I swapped in a beefier fox stabilizer and it's been good since, but you can feel it want to shake occasionally when there's too much weight out back(ie bike rack and kids and gear).
 
Off I go, I'll report if I smell anything when I get a chance.

To the death wobble thing I do know that this rig doesn't wobble at all. Homemade 3 link front with GM style crossover steering on a waggy axle w/ no stabilizer. I've had it up to around 80 with nothing weird happening.

20220812_172418.jpg
 
Off I go, I'll report if I smell anything when I get a chance.

To the death wobble thing I do know that this rig doesn't wobble at all. Homemade 3 link front with GM style crossover steering on a waggy axle w/ no stabilizer. I've had it up to around 80 with nothing weird happening.

20220812_172418.jpg
So, about 125 mile mostly highway with speeds from 45 to 70. No burnt rubber smell under the hood or in the interior at all.

I started thinking while driving though, I wonder if you could be smell front diff breather. I believe they go up under the hood near the firewall. This axle has hubs so the diff isn't turning.
 
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So, about 125 mile mostly highway with speeds from 45 to 70. No burnt rubber smell under the hood or in the interior at all.

I started thinking while driving though, I wonder if you could be smell front duff breather. I believe they go up under the hood near the firewall. This axle has hubs so the diff isn't turning.
Good info!

I feel like I would be able to recognize a gear oil smell, but I'm not gonna rule it out.

Gonna be going through this thing soon and doing fluids, axle seals, wheel bearings, sye on the transfer case, new rear drive line and new u joints in the front drive line, and grease everything that needs greasing so maybe something will present itself there.
 
Sorta off topic but whats your tow setup like? Do you have any brakes on the TJ setup?

Thinking about flat towing my XJ someday soon.
 
Sorta off topic but whats your tow setup like? Do you have any brakes on the TJ setup?

Thinking about flat towing my XJ someday soon.
I'm towing with a dually pickup and camper, fairly heavy on the truck at around 13,500 loaded. No brakes on the TJ. Some states seem to have laws requiring flat towed vehicles to have brakes but I've never met anybody that had a brake setup. I suspect the laws were created in a time when most pickups had enough trouble stopping themselves let alone a second vehicle.
 
Sorta off topic but whats your tow setup like? Do you have any brakes on the TJ setup?

Thinking about flat towing my XJ someday soon.
No brakes on the TJ. 27' class a motorhome rated to tow an additional 8k.

It does fine most places(I've got the v10 with a transmission that aggressively downshifts anytime I'm going downhill and get in the brakes). So far the only hill I've ever had an issue with is the super long 8% grade on Tioga pass coming out of Yosemite in California. Started to get a little brake fade driving normally and had to take half the hill in 1st or 2nd gear between 25 - 35 mph.
 
Haven't had covid recently have you? When I got it when it first hit anything methane, fart, or shit related smelled like burnt plastic. Onions also tasted plasticy. It lasted pretty much a whole year.

Point is maybe you're picking up something that really isn't there or your smell of a certain thing went all dyslexic
 
Haven't had covid recently have you? When I got it when it first hit anything methane, fart, or shit related smelled like burnt plastic. Onions also tasted plasticy. It lasted pretty much a whole year.

Point is maybe you're picking up something that really isn't there or your smell of a certain thing went all dyslexic
Wife smelled it too. No covid since feb and it didn't do anything to my sniffer
 
No brakes on the TJ. 27' class a motorhome rated to tow an additional 8k.

It does fine most places(I've got the v10 with a transmission that aggressively downshifts anytime I'm going downhill and get in the brakes). So far the only hill I've ever had an issue with is the super long 8% grade on Tioga pass coming out of Yosemite in California. Started to get a little brake fade driving normally and had to take half the hill in 1st or 2nd gear between 25 - 35 mph.
Legally, you have to have brakes for anything weighing more than 3000 lbs in CA. In many states it's 1500 lbs and above. I realize the blue hairs flat towing don't have this - mostly because the flat tow controllers are expensive and a pain in the ass to install. I can't say I ever drove a motorhome and thought to myself, "this has great brakes" - especially a V10 F53 chassis with a 4R100.

California Code, Vehicle Code - VEH § 26302​

(b) Every trailer or semitrailer manufactured and first registered after January 1, 1966, and having a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or more shall be equipped with brakes on at least two wheels.

 
Legally, you have to have brakes for anything weighing more than 3000 lbs in CA. In many states it's 1500 lbs and above. I realize the blue hairs flat towing don't have this - mostly because the flat tow controllers are expensive and a pain in the ass to install. I can't say I ever drove a motorhome and thought to myself, "this has great brakes" - especially a V10 F53 chassis with a 4R100.

California Code, Vehicle Code - VEH § 26302​

(b) Every trailer or semitrailer manufactured and first registered after January 1, 1966, and having a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or more shall be equipped with brakes on at least two wheels.

shhh-shush.gif
 
So, about 125 mile mostly highway with speeds from 45 to 70. No burnt rubber smell under the hood or in the interior at all.

I started thinking while driving though, I wonder if you could be smell front duff breather. I believe they go up under the hood near the firewall. This axle has hubs so the diff isn't turning.
So to follow up, no smell on the return trip either. Slightly faster sustained speeds as we came back early Tuesday morning as opposed as going out on Friday night during rush hour.
 
Legally, you have to have brakes for anything weighing more than 3000 lbs in CA. In many states it's 1500 lbs and above. I realize the blue hairs flat towing don't have this - mostly because the flat tow controllers are expensive and a pain in the ass to install. I can't say I ever drove a motorhome and thought to myself, "this has great brakes" - especially a V10 F53 chassis with a 4R100.

California Code, Vehicle Code - VEH § 26302​

(b) Every trailer or semitrailer manufactured and first registered after January 1, 1966, and having a gross weight of 3,000 pounds or more shall be equipped with brakes on at least two wheels.

5R110 in mine grade shifts super aggressively. If there's 300rpm left before the limiter in the gear, it'll downshift. Listen to that V10 sing.
 
5R110 in mine grade shifts super aggressively. If there's 300rpm left before the limiter in the gear, it'll downshift. Listen to that V10 sing.
Yeah, mine has the 6R140 that is almost too aggressive on the downshift when you touch the brakes going down hill, but he was on a roll and I didn't want to mess up his rant.
 
Yeah, mine has the 6R140 that is almost too aggressive on the downshift when you touch the brakes going down hill, but he was on a roll and I didn't want to mess up his rant.
Yeah. Sometimes it’s not really necessary and is just too many noises. Shaddup V10.
 
Well, I drug the ol TJ down to southern California and back last week and I got a confirmation of what this smell is. Right after rolling into camp, I had to run an errand and jumped in the jeep just as we got a light rain. Burning rubber smell is there as usual right after towing. I hit the wipers to get some of the rain away and lo and behold, there was rubber dust mixed in with condensation on the windshield:
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I checked after arriving at other camps with the same result. In all instances, the smell would go away after driving for a short time. Guessing some of that dust was going into the grill/motor and then warming up when I would start it.
 
Try put a magnet sign over the cowl vent on your next trip? Unless you like the smell haha

Something like this

2 Pack 17” x12” Blank Magnets with 50 mils, Prevent Car Scratches & Dents, Rounded Corners Blank Car Magnet Set, Magnet for Car to Advertise Business and Cover Company Logo https://a.co/d/9elxgbR
 
I flat tow my 1994 Explorer behind my RV. I recently replaced the water pump, belt and belt tensioner, and the fan clutch. Fan clutch is a heavy duty Gates. The past two trips I have had the same smell upon the first drive. It goes away after a minute same as you described. Never happened before I replaced that stuff. Belt doesn't have any rubbed spots on it and still looks new, but it has to be caused by something I recently changed. Maybe the fan clutch but I don't see how because there is no way its turning the pully.
 
I flat tow my 1994 Explorer behind my RV. I recently replaced the water pump, belt and belt tensioner, and the fan clutch. Fan clutch is a heavy duty Gates. The past two trips I have had the same smell upon the first drive. It goes away after a minute same as you described. Never happened before I replaced that stuff. Belt doesn't have any rubbed spots on it and still looks new, but it has to be caused by something I recently changed. Maybe the fan clutch but I don't see how because there is no way its turning the pully.
What about new tires on the RV?
 
I did replace the tires on the RV. Shit, now I don't remember if I got the smell after I did the work on the towed vehicle and before the tires, or if it was after the tires.
 
I did replace the tires on the RV. Shit, now I don't remember if I got the smell after I did the work on the towed vehicle and before the tires, or if it was after the tires.
My current theory that seems to go well with the rubber dust residue I found on my windshield is that certain RV tires scrub off a lot of rubber just driving. I'm not sure if it's newer tires, or certain brands. The first RV I started flat towing my TJ with had just got new tires on it. Our next RV had pretty new Michelins on it when I bought it.
 
I go back and forth from San Diego to Arizona every other month. Trying to remember but I think you might have nailed it. I did buy a set of Toyo's 245/75/22.5's three trips ago when I was in Arizona. Michelins were 12 years old and had minor sidewall cracking showing up. Just for info, for some reason even tires are cheaper in Arizona than in California. Same set of tires were priced about $800 more in San Diego than in Kingman.
 
Just for info, for some reason even tires are cheaper in Arizona than in California. Same set of tires were priced about $800 more in San Diego than in Kingman.
Damn. I'm putting that info in my back pocket for later. Especially for RV tires.
 
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