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Burning rubber smell and some visible whisps of smoke
I've been noticing a very faint burning rubber odor recently while driving to/from work, and opened the hood to inspect the accessory belt which seems fine.
What I did notice, however, was what almost seemed like smoke from burning oil coming from each side of the engine, equally. This was noticed wafting up from the tight space between the valve covers and inner fenders. I couldn't see any oil residue, but I have a suspicion that this burning rubber smell and smoke from the engine are related. I'm not sure what could get hot enough in those areas to cause this odor... but whatever it is, I'm sure it's getting crispy.
Has anyone experienced this and can point me in the right direction?
I have yet to get under the car, and try to avoid doing so when the engine is hot.
Last edited by TraxtarXKR; Jan 29, 2024 at 07:08 PM.
Engine temps are not overly high and no warning lights... I would be surprised if both head gaskets failed at the exact same time, and failed head gaskets aren't known to produce whisps of smoke like I'm seeing, in my experience.
I'll monitor temps with the torque app next drive to be sure.
Last edited by TraxtarXKR; Jan 29, 2024 at 08:05 PM.
In my signature... 2012 XKR x/ 60k miles. No codes related to temps or overheating.
I just took another look with a flashlight now that it's dark out and noticed the steering shaft and bottom of the valve covers have oil residue and grime... Seems this could just be leaky gaskets.
The burning rubber smell is still strange.
Looking though the service manual, It's looking like the supercharger needs to come off to change the gaskets... And I just had that off for a coolant leak in the rear water jacket. Frustrating if true... Can anyone confirm?
Last edited by TraxtarXKR; Jan 29, 2024 at 08:02 PM.
An oil leak was also be my first thought but this would leave some trace.
Next would be a minor coolant leak. The fluid would vapourise immediately on a hot engine looking like smoke but leaving no residue. This is an issue on the earlier XK8 model where the expansion tank either opens at the seam under heat and pressure or develops minute pin holing allowing tiny drips of coolant to fall on the hot manifold. Could be something similar.
I would guess your water pump has jammed and the serpentine belt is burning on the seized pulley. An opinion from the little you have said.
Water pump is okay... It's less than a year old and temps are low... This seems like the cold weather is affecting the valve cover gaskets. Investigating further, I think my nose mistook the burning oil for rubber... The bottoms of both covers are moist, with grime on things below and the top side of the belly pan.
Valve cover job is likely $4k at the specialty shop I use, since they require the injectors to be replaced as well. A slide hammer is needed for the job, and according to them it can damage injectors without visual indication they're broken. They've had vehicles come back with misfires after using the same injectors, and it's not a job anyone wants to do twice.
Given the supercharger needs to come off, the injectors replaced, spark plugs replaced, etc... It adds up fast. Now that the cars are approaching 12-13+ years old, they're seeing it more often.
He mentioned getting with a land Rover shop to figure out a complete overhaul price, which includes front cover, chain tensioners, water jackets, valve cover gaskets, etc... $12k was the best price that made sense with the price of parts and labor. He said he only had a handful of customers that would ever be able to afford it... It's pretty sad. He said it kills him to see customers shocked by the price of repairs, and it's only getting worse.
He's not wrong but I'd only do the covers & injectors. Not a difficult DIY and parts not too expensive either. It's rare for any 5 or 3 litre JLR to not have leaking valve covers.
On the 5.0 SC it requires a full removal of the supercharger and upper cooling system. That's not a small job for the casual diy mechanic.
Can it be done any other way?
Also, these cars are just approaching the age and mileage for valve cover gaskets to start failing. While it might not be common yet, I predict a sharp increase in $4-5k surprise repair bills for new owners thinking they found a nice car for an affordable price.
It's enough to total a previous gen xkr with a 4.2.
Last edited by TraxtarXKR; Jan 30, 2024 at 06:05 PM.
On the 5.0 SC it requires a full removal of the supercharger and upper cooling system. That's not a small job for the casual diy mechanic.
Can it be done any other way?
Also, these cars are just approaching the age and mileage for valve cover gaskets to start failing. While it might not be common yet, I predict a sharp increase in $4-5k surprise repair bills for new owners thinking they found a nice car for an affordable price.
It's enough to total a previous gen xkr with a 4.2.
It can all be done in less than an hour. Looks challenging, but it's not as difficult as it may seem. (I've done it before)
Here's a video done at a main dealer on a vehicle with much less accessibility to the engine compartment than the X150.
Burning rubber smell and some visible whisps of smoke
