Lots of smoke and the smell of burning rubber. Whats up?

SilGel · **Joined:** Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:54 pm **Posts:** 11

Came home tonight and parked my 2005 CRD in garage. Lots of smoke coming out that smelled like rubber. Checked engine compartment and nothing visible happening. Shut down vehicle and started to check things and found my ehm was plugged with ice (temp has been between -10 and -20 C lately). Cleared the plug and smell went away. I am worried that I might have done some serious damage but not sure what to look for. If I did not see and smell the smoke, I would not have had any indication. Vehicle running fine and no dash lights lit up. Do I need to be worried?

papaindigo · **Posted:** Sat Mar 31, 2018 6:05 am

That's one reason the EHM is a dumb idea - the others being all the oil you drip on the road and air pollution you cause. At minimum you over pressured the crank case with normal engine blow-by which had no place to go. Not sure why the burning rubber smell, possibly the CCV puck, but there is a reasonable chance you blew your rear main seal. Start looking for an oil leak that looks like it comes out of the bell housing at the rear bottom of the engine. If so then congratulations your use of the EHM in winter reward is you get to drop the tranny to replace the rear main seal. If I sound sarcastic I am as this is a well know EHM problem.

In the interim get rid of the EHM by reconnecting the CCV to the airbox to turbo hose where it belongs or at least installing a Provent in the toasty warm engine bay to catch the oil drip.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sat Mar 31, 2018 11:33 am

X2, Pap is dead right! NEVER do an EHM to this engine, it can be very detrimental with expensive consequences... :grim:

Get ride of that EHM and install a ProVent filter. Time will tell as to how much damage you may have done to your engine seals. :roll:

See this thread for lots of information on why this engine needs a ProVent or similar filtering device and why to never use an EHM:
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=80491

SilGel · **Joined:** Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:54 pm **Posts:** 11

Thanks for the quick reply. I will make the change back right away and watch for oil drips. Reading the link, provent seems to be the best option for me.

rancherman · **Posted:** Sat Mar 31, 2018 2:26 pm

'smell' can be hard to describe.. especially to a new diesel owner.

I've always called it 'hogs breath' for a 'normal' healthy diesel. If it's got other 'issues'.. then the smell changes accordingly. But for most, it's an acrid type stink, not near as nasty as true burning rubber. If you believe it was a true rubber, maybe your ehm got up against something, either hot or rotating.. Swelled up from the pressure and was hitting something?
You said 'lots' of smoke.. in the engine compartment area I assume? It HAD to be coming from SOMEWHERE.. hopefully not from around your crank seals! I hope for you it was just a hose that blew off a connection, or blew a split in it. (lots of hoses out 'there' that don't like oil and heat and rot away pretty quickly) Did you pre cut some 'emergency' slices in your ehm?

SilGel · **Joined:** Tue Apr 12, 2011 1:54 pm **Posts:** 11

No, I wasn't that smart. I assumed it was coming from the exhaust, but my catch can was at the back tire and this was where the plug was. When I opened the hood, there was no smoke there. Most of it was at the rear of the vehicle. Once I cleared the blockage, it all went away. As per the advise, I am changing back to the factory config until I can add a provent.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sun Apr 01, 2018 12:00 pm

SilGel wrote:

Thanks for the quick reply. I will make the change back right away and watch for oil drips. Reading the link, provent seems to be the best option for me.

A ProVent or similar device should have been installed from the factory on day one, but the manufacturer cheapened out just like they did on the fuel lift pump! :roll:

A ProVent, a fuel lift pump, and removal of the EGR system are the three top modifications performed on the Jeep CRD to ensure its reliability and longevity... :wink:

Lots of smoke and the smell of burning rubber. Whats up?

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