PlotPoint

Intermittent, maybe once every 10 days to 2 weeks I will see smoke rising up from the right front wheel well (1994 LS400). Once, I smelled a strong odor in the cabin when this was happening (did not smell like oil burning or gas, more like another fluid...and the heater/AC was running at the time).

I first thought this was caused by one of two repair issues (leaking fuel dampener and leaking valve gasket cover) but both of those have been fixed recently. Yet it happened again this morning on a coffee run. Noticed it after I had driven it about a mile (I was at a stop light). It's not billowing up 10 feet, more like a foot or so, and how much smoke there is varies. I have mentioned this to two mechanics and asked about fire hazard. Both Lexus trained and certified, btw. The first said he wasn't too worried about it; the second said it was probably caused by oil hitting the exhaust manifold from the valve gasket leak. Well, obviously that was not the case.

So here is the interesting part. I googled "smoke from right front wheel well" and the first thing I see is "seized brake caliper". Seriousy. I mean, I don't know that that is what is causing it, but it's likely, and the one mechanic had actually lubed the calipers about a year ago when I said the car was pulling to the side on braking. So there is a good chance the calipers are shot and seizing up.

If anyone knows of any other possible causes (coolant leak? brake fluid leak? power steering??) please let me know!! I am not a mechanic or even a DIYer, so advice is appreciated.

brybo86

easy way to know.......

when it starts smoking pullover and if the rotors are red hot or VERY hot your caliper is stuck

honestly that is the only thing i could imagine it even being...

or try jacking up the car and spinning the wheel when it is off the ground

if there is resistance....

stuck caliper

or try opening the hood and seeing if you can tell where the smoke is coming from

maybe take a video of it too

what did it smell like besides STRONG? like burning brakes?

aptoslexus

Seems he would notice a brake pull during the event. Possible coolant hitting the exhaust. Is your reservoir overfilled? It expands as the car gets hot and could be spraying into the engine bay.

dicer

Does it have air suspension? The compressor is located on that side. If it was the brakes dragging it would pull bad to that side, and if you tried to coast it would slow fast and pull to that side. Is brake fluid disappearing?
I'm not sure what side the evap canister is on but that would be a gas smell. When it does it try finding where it comes from.

PlotPoint

Yes that is what I intend to do (pull over and feel the rotors if I can get to them. I have those turbine wheels that cover everything up).

I pulled away from that stop light this morning, and drove maybe 1/4 mile to the grocery store parking lot. By the time I pulled into the lot it was no longer smoking. I did open the hood (as fast as I could get to it), but could see nothing.

There is a large belly cover under the engine bay which keeps the parts clean (great) but also makes it hard to tell if there are leaks. I have never seen anything wet under the car. The thing has something like 18 bolts to get it off. Again, I am not a mechanic or a DIYer.

I wil have to have a mechanic jack up the car to check wheel resistance. If it were a seized caliper. wouldn't it stay seized? I saw a burst of smoke, then when I turned left at the light it was gone, but I assumed because of the wind. Then 1/4 mile later when I was able to pull over, nothing -- no smoke.

And it seems to be happening in the morning within the first mile or so after I take off It's been awhile since I have seen it in the afternoon.

Only ONCE did the cabin flood with a strong smell of something plastic-y. I was running AC and / or the heater and saw the smoke at the same time as this strong smell in the cabin All the other times, no odor but I am not near the smoke either. I did run the AC/Heater at idle this afternoon. Cranked it though different settings but no smoke.

PlotPoint

In the 1.5 years since I had the calipers lubed, I have felt that distinctive pull maybe once two times max. And not lately. I did feel this weird sensation day before yesterday (like I was losing control of the steering, or just wasn't sure where the car was...byt that lasted about 2 seconds). I have read a bad wheel bearing can do this and can get hot enough that melted grease can get on the tire and catch fire!

I think I have finally hit a wall with the car repairs. It's getting to be not worth it.

aptoslexus

Then you've probably got something collecting on your exhaust as the car sits. Whatever it is burns when the exhaust heats up and you get a puff of smoke.

PlotPoint

@ aptoslexus -- The coolant level looks OK, but thanks for the suggestion. I will take a second look. Though the coolant tank is on the opposite side of car from the area that is smoking. That was my first thought when I smelled that plastic-y smell. Others have posted about this and experienced a similar odor and it was the brake calipers. I do not know what coolant smells like when it burns, so hard to say.

PlotPoint

Brake pads angled and hitting the rotor can also do this. I was told the rotors were warped and need replacing (I need new brakes anyway or will soon, so that was going to be my next repair), so I wondering if the pads are catching the rotor. Not sure why that would be doing it in the morning though. The area I park in is not 100% level, but no major tilting of the car when it is parked either. Pretty sure I am going to find smoking hot rotors and tires the next time this happens (I will be ready to hop out and check) .

Will post back when I get this figured out.

PlotPoint

Yes, has air suspension. No pulling to any one side. I will test it for coasting and pulling. The weird thing is, someone else who posted about this said and had the same issue on a different make/model of car said his car stopped straight when he tested it too. It was still the caliper (the mechanic was able to duplicate the problem).

Not sure if brake fluid is disappearing since the mechanic who worked on it this weekend would have topped everything off after he did the other work. He also test drove it after the work was done and did not notice any driving issues. How far he drove it I do not know

aptoslexus

Highly unlikely. Not only would you feel it, you would hear it. And it would have to be a horrendous drag to actually generate smoke.

PlotPoint

Ok cross that one off then. Just the smoke, no accomanying noise.

Though I did listen a little more carefully when I got in the car this afternoon for a short trip. Heard a bit of creaking from the RH front wheel, so might be a worn ball bearing that may not be the cause of, but could be contributing to, this other problem. Very very minor noise, but if it were magnified 10 times it might sound like those "bad ball bearing" youtube videos.

sndlight

By right front, do you mean passenger front? Coolant will smell sort of sweet when burning.
That is where the coolant tank and power steering pump lives. Check ps pump level, is it low?
I kind of doubt your wheel bearing is smoking. Wheel bearings sound rumbly inside the cabin when you drive, and sometimes the rumble will get louder during turns. And i'm sure a stuck brake will start to vibrate the whole car if it's hot enough to smoke.

brybo86

Take the Jack out of the trunk and try lifting each front wheel and spin/shake them

Pistachio

iTrader: (1)

Check your valve cover for leaking oil. It may just be burning just enough to smoke. This is what mine is doing.