I'm asking for your thoughts. My Tow Vehicle is a 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Gasser with 10,000 miles that I bought new in the fall of 2014. This is the third season towing with it. We went on our first camping trip Memorial Day weekend and we had just left our home. We had driven only 6 miles when I smelled burning rubber while going up a 1/4 mile grade. The grade was probably around 20%-25%. I pulled over and a blueish smoke was billowing out between the cab and box of the truck as well as the the underside. So much so that I called for the Fire Department. Fortunately, there was no fire and the smoke subsided within about 5 minutes. I had no further problems the rest of my trip to the campground or on the way back home. The only things I can come up with as possible causes are...I used the parking brake while hitching up and when I released it, maybe it didn't release fully but there was no smoke coming from the wheels when I stopped. I re-applied the parking brake while on the side of the road and instead of releasing it slowly, I let it spring back (it's the foot pedal type where you push on it to release it) in case that was the cause. The other possibility is, I had the truck treated with Krown rust prevention (A sprayed oil type of rust preventative) but that was 9 month's ago and it hasn't dripped or smoked from that treatment since last fall and this was the third time having the treatment without any issues. I had it in to the dealership where I bought the truck when we returned home and they couldn't find anything wrong. No signs of burnt or scorched areas under the truck. I'm at a loss and a little worried about future towing with it. What are your thoughts?

Hot brakes have a definite smell that you would recognize. I would think more likely the exhaust system getting extra hot from the climb, causing the rust treatment to burn off. It is also possible something plastic, or other debris stuck to hot exhaust, that burned off.Only 10K miles, there should be no mechanical issue, causing heavy smoke. We need to drive our TVs more, mine just turned 10K also. :)Jerry

I believe the newer 2500s still use the "drum in hat" parking brake design where a small drum brake is designed into the rotor on the rear brakes only. If the smoke was coming from the area between your cab and bed, I suspect you may have ran over something and it flipped up and over the cat converter and melted which caused the smoke.

We stopped at a pull out in the lower Tetons last week to take a rest and a cowboy came into the pullout to settle his horses down that were kicking inside his trailer. His truck was a new Chevy and his rear brakes were smoking so bad one of his ranch hands was watching the wheel wells to make sure there wasn't a fire. None of the smoke was coming from between the bed and cab though, all of it was billowing out from the wheel wells. Possible your transmission got hot and vented fluid? I believe autos have a short vent on top which could then drip down onto things to burn off?

The slope may have been steep enough that you spilled a bit of transmission fluid out the vent, it's happened to me, makes a huge amount of smoke and smells horrible for a few minutes when it drips onto the exhaust.

That's definitely a head scratcher. Yeah, hot brakes smell like.....brakes, not rubber.Burning oil, ATF, krown, smell like.....oil, not rubber. BUT blue smoke says oil, not rubber. Any burning rubber I've ever seen is pitch black smoke. I'm guessing some of that stuff dripped onto the top of the exhaust. Just a little will smoke for a while. Weird occurrence for sure! Glad it's still running fine!

Smoke from Tow Vehicle | Good Sam Community

MFL
Nomad II
Jun 03, 2017
Hot brakes have a definite smell that you would recognize. I would think more likely the exhaust system getting extra hot from the climb, causing the rust treatment to burn off. It is also possible something plastic, or other debris stuck to hot exhaust, that burned off.

Only 10K miles, there should be no mechanical issue, causing heavy smoke. We need to drive our TVs more, mine just turned 10K also. :)

Jerry
Iraqvet05
Explorer
Jun 03, 2017
I believe the newer 2500s still use the "drum in hat" parking brake design where a small drum brake is designed into the rotor on the rear brakes only. If the smoke was coming from the area between your cab and bed, I suspect you may have ran over something and it flipped up and over the cat converter and melted which caused the smoke.
1320Fastback
Explorer
Jun 03, 2017
We stopped at a pull out in the lower Tetons last week to take a rest and a cowboy came into the pullout to settle his horses down that were kicking inside his trailer. His truck was a new Chevy and his rear brakes were smoking so bad one of his ranch hands was watching the wheel wells to make sure there wasn't a fire. None of the smoke was coming from between the bed and cab though, all of it was billowing out from the wheel wells.

Possible your transmission got hot and vented fluid? I believe autos have a short vent on top which could then drip down onto things to burn off?
Trailblazer87
Explorer
Jun 03, 2017
The slope may have been steep enough that you spilled a bit of transmission fluid out the vent, it's happened to me, makes a huge amount of smoke and smells horrible for a few minutes when it drips onto the exhaust.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Jun 03, 2017
That's definitely a head scratcher.
Yeah, hot brakes smell like.....brakes, not rubber.
Burning oil, ATF, krown, smell like.....oil, not rubber.
BUT blue smoke says oil, not rubber. Any burning rubber I've ever seen is pitch black smoke.

I'm guessing some of that stuff dripped onto the top of the exhaust. Just a little will smoke for a while.
Weird occurrence for sure! Glad it's still running fine!
TucsonJim
Explorer II
Jun 03, 2017
Mine was "smoking" too last summer.

I'm with 1320Fastback and Trailblazer87 that you may have had some transmission fluid spill out on the grade and hit the exhaust.

Jim
RobWNY
Explorer
Jun 04, 2017
Thanks for your thoughts everyone. It certainly is a head scratcher and an experience I don't want to repeat. What a hopeless sinking feeling when you think everything is about to burn up and all you can do is watch! Thankfully that didn't happen.
blofgren
Explorer
Jun 04, 2017
TucsonJim wrote:
Mine was "smoking" too last summer.

I'm with 1320Fastback and Trailblazer87 that you may have had some transmission fluid spill out on the grade and hit the exhaust.

Jim

Yikes, Jim. That photo still gives me shivers; I can only imagine how you must feel....
66chevelle
Explorer
Jun 04, 2017
I own a Krown Rust Control shop in Michigan, I am certain that it was not residual oil from 9 months ago. The oil normally burns off is 8-9 miles. Plastic bag caught on the exhaust maybe?
penguin149
Explorer
Jun 06, 2017
Get a fire extinguisher to keep in your truck. Never know when you might need one. Glad things didn't go any worse for you!

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