rockinroad

Due to illness, I've only driven my 2001 XJ (~125K miles) once in the last year. What I have done is had my s/o faithfully drive it every 2 weeks for about 20 miles each trip.

The last time I personally drove it (about 6 month ago), the high pressure line for the power steering leaked, so I had it replaced, and the power steering fluid re-filled. Outside of that, there have been no issues.

A few weeks ago, my s/o drove the XJ, and she said said the engine sounded different. She said that toward the end of her drive, she might have smelled a little rubber burning (on and off; not constant) - she wasn't sure.

The next day, I had her open the hood and start the engine for me. I'm not a mechanic (and neither is she), but something definitely sounded different. It sounded like perhaps something was rubbing within the engine compartment, but I really have no idea. Depending on whether I stood in front of the XJ, or along the side, the sound seemed to emanate from a different place. When I stood in front of the XJ, the sound seemed to come from the cooling fan area. When I stood to the driver's side of the XJ, the sound seemed to come from the area well below where the big air intake hose connects to the engine.

There was no smoke from the engine. After the engine idled for about 5 minutes, the check engine light went on (for the first time ever), and so we turned the engine off.

I then checked the serpentine belt, and it looked good (replaced about 10-15K ago). I checked the air filter too: clean as a whistle. Everything else looked good, but I'm not a mechanic.

Knowing I had some big health issues to deal with, I disconnected the battery to prevent it from draining. Like an idiot, I didn't check the engine code before disconnecting the battery.

Today, I had my s/o connect the battery, and start up the XJ. It made the same exact sound as it made the previous time we started it. This time, after about a minute of idling, she said she smelled rubber burning, so I had her turn it off immediately. She was in the driver's seat, and I was standing next to the open driver's door. I didn't smell anything. The check engine light did not come on, and I checked for engine codes, but there were none recorded.

We didn't see any smoke coming from the engine compartment (the hood was closed). I noticed a fair amount of water coming from the exhaust, along with just a touch of white exhaust smoke.

A mechanic with a good reputation is located about 7-8 miles away (local streets - no highways). Do you think I need to have the XJ towed to the mechanic, or would it be okay to drive it there?

She has a little vehicle that she can drive behind me if I drive the XJ to the mechanic, but getting stuck on a city street doesn't sound like fun.

My thinking is that since she smelled rubber burning, there is a good chance that we may not make it 7-8 miles, and that we could possibly damage something important.

A tow will be expensive, but maybe it's worth it. What do you all think?

BTW, any guesses on what is wrong?

jordan96xj

Burning rubber smell helps to limit the possibilities, so let's check:

1. The belt (seems you did this already)

2. Harmonic Balancer (crank pulley with rubber isolator sandwiched in, and can work out and start to rub) and could make things sound different.
See this post: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/har...lancer-164342/

3. Air conditioner compressor clutch (sometimes makes a rubber/plastic burning smell when the compressor is resisting rotation) - but probably not active during the problem right?

How is the coolant level? Hot/burning coolant can be mistaken for a rubber-like smell if you aren't use to it.

rockinroad

Thanks for your helpful reply!

1. Yes, my cursory inspection didn't find any problems with it. Plus, it doesn't have many miles on it.
2. Interesting you mention this. My XJ had been making a faint "turkey warbling" sound. I brought it in to a couple mechanics, and it was too faint for them to make a diagnosis. But I seem to remember that one possibility they mentioned was the Harmonic Balancer (something I know very little about). Let's say that's the issue... would driving it for 8 miles be okay, or need to get it towed?
3. When investigating the "turkey warbling" sound, another possibility mentioned was a bearing on the air conditioner compressor clutch going bad. The AC wasn't turned on in the last couple months, but I think one of the mechanics said that even with the AC off, a bad AC clutch bearing could possibly be making the sound. What do you think? If this is the issue would driving it to the mechanic be okay?

The coolant reservoir was at the appropriate level the last time I checked (a few weeks ago). I can't remember whether or not I opened the radiator to look inside, but I think the guy who fixed the power steering high pressure line took a look at it a few months ago. Do I need to do more than look at the coolant reservoir? You're right... neither of us would know the difference in odor between burning coolant and burning rubber. On the other hand, the engine was only on for about a minute when my s/o smelled what she thought was rubber burning, and it doesn't seem like coolant could get too hot that fast.

Very interested to hear your advice whether to drive it 8 miles to the mechanic or have it towed. Don't worry, I won't hold you responsible! :-)

jordan96xj

Here is the safe (from a distance) answer. If you are comfortable taking off your serpentine belt and inspecting the AC, power steering, alternator, and crank pulleys by hand to see if any of them are binding, and they all move relatively smoothly (some harder than others, but nothing seized up) then I would probably take the chance to drive it that short distance. If you are not comfortable checking those components for bearing problems before driving it, then I would probably recommend towing it. It seems that you care about the condition of it, and don't want to cause any unnecessary damage. If one of those pulleys is seizing up, and the component grenades on you while you are driving, there is some likelyhood that other items will get damaged. You'll likely know there was a failure (you'll probably hear it and feel it) but there is the possibility of destroying the belt, damaging the radiator, or rubbing through the timing cover (in the case of the harmonic balancer).

Worbeling (turky gobble) sounds from the belt path usually are related to failing bearings. Some more critical then others. Some of the pulleys are simple (like the idler pulleys) and their bearings are sealed with small rubber seals, so it could be as simple as a pulley getting hot and starting to melt the seals (the smell), but it could also be that the power steering pump is about to seize up on you. If it does, the fan belt will likely spin the pulley right off the pump and bang it into other components, or send metal fragments from the pump into the steering gear. I'm sure you see where this is going.

You should be able to inspect the harmonic balancer visually to see if the rubber isolator is working itself out from between the two metal portions. That is why I included the link so you could get an idea of what it looks like. It is the lowest and largest pulley on the front of the motor. Dead center, as low as you can go. Both the front and back of the pulley should be flush, but if you see a protruding ring of rubber that is a bad sign, and you should avoid driving it until repaired.

rockinroad

I'm not real comfortable taking the serpentine belt off (it would be right at the edge of my skill set, and my back probably wouldn't appreciate it), so it looks like I'll probably tow it. I hate spending $100-$150 on a tow, but if a big problem happened while driving, I'd probably be wishing I towed it. And stress is not my friend right now.

Are there any special instructions to tow a 4WD 2001 XJ with automatic transmission? Does the 4WD selector go in 2WD or N? Is a flat bed needed, or can it just be lifted from the front?

TCP64

Two thoughts come to mind. 1-you can eliminate the ac clutch as the issue by turning the ac off and running the engine. If the clutch is stuck then you will see it almost immediately. 2-turn the engine on and watch all the pulleys and tensioners that the serpentine belt touches to see if any aren't turning. Once again you should see something wrong almost immediately. We're curious to see what you find out.

awg

look at the crank pulley/damper with the engine running, if its not running perfectly true, stop immediately, have it towed if that is the cause of the burning rubber smell

Red1992XJ

From what you have said, I don't think it would be a problem to drive it to the mechanic. Not knowing where you are, I may suggest driving it there early in the morning to avoid traffic and perhaps make it a shorter (time) trip.

It's up to you about towing it. You could also see what the mechanic you are taking it to would suggest.

BlueRidgeMark

I agree with Jordan. Excellent advice.

Allow me to add to it:

Get a mechanic's stethoscope and check those pulleys. With the engine running, just touch the tip to a non-moving part of the pulley, or in the case of the alternator & water pump, on the device very close to the pulley. (Obviously, caution is required around moving parts!)

You'll be amazed at what you'll be able to hear, and I think after you poke around a bit you'll understand what you are hearing. A bad bearing will announce itself quite clearly!

You don't need an expensive one. A Harbor Freight Cheapo will work just fine.

RocketMouse

A handy little tool that is cheap...get one at HF for a couple bucks... is a mechanic's stethoscope. That really helps you narrow down where sounds in an engine bay can be originating from.
Worst case you can use a large screwdriver and put your ear to the end of it...but me personally... I don't like getting my face that close to a running engine...plus with the stethoscope you can really get into tight places and listen really well.
It's good for lots of things...but man if you have a bearing or say clutch assem on the a/c goin....you'll hear it loud and clear with one of those....just a thought.

RocketMouse

Mark... I didn't see your post... ya dirty dog...lol.... we were thinkin' the same thing there. And I think I paid like 6 bucks at HF for mine...and comes in so handy for things.

BlueRidgeMark

Gotcha!