vancouver.matt

Thank you, I will check brake fluid and level. I'll also update once I pull the code.. just have to figure out a way to do it.

Still haven't had time to scan it.. which is priority number 1 I suppose.

I mean, there is a good chance that that is what the smell is, but it doesn't explain why the whole exhaust system is so hot. Would the pipes really be hot enough to feel it on my legs while standing next to the truck just from climbing? Why would the check engine light come on? Still doesn't answer questions about braking. I think it's all related to overheating exhaust system, but I'm not sure why it's overheating when the engine runs at perfect temp. That's kind of why I'm worried it's cat related (I really don't want to dump money into replacing the entire system and/or cats).

Hey guys, So, I've got this problem that I can't quite figure out - though I have yet to put much effort due to my work schedule. I took the truck through the mountains for a weekend trip a few weeks ago. On the way up, I noticed the following: - Strong burning smell, almost like rubber coming from middle of the truck. - Brakes unresponsive when smell is evident (I push the brake pedal and nothing really happens, if I release the pedal and press again, just brakes fairly normally). - Exhaust pipes/muffler extremely hot. - Smell goes away after a minute of normal driving/downhill coasting. - Truck smells "gassy" even after just driving around the city and getting back into my underground. - Tranny fluid is up to level and still has good colour. - Brakes/wheels are NOT hot when I pull over immediately to check around the truck once the smell starts. - Smell is NOT emulating from under the hood. - No smell on flat roads/hwys nor while downhill, even if I have to ride the brakes a bit. - Engine temp (at least according to the gauge) is normal at all times and the engine doesn't feel excessively hot. Now, I chalked this all up to the truck burning through some stuff since it hasn't really seen any mountain driving for quite a while. However, the problem got worse, then the truck threw a "service engine soon" light. I haven't had time to scan the truck for codes, so I understand there's not much you guys can do for me, but this is really starting to bug me. Just looking for any sort of insight/things to put on the list to consider. Some ideas: - Blocked cat - Trans overheating (would maybe cause brake lines to overheat and give me the issues with braking?) - E-brake sticking (causing burning drum pads, truck to work harder than it needs to, etc. - though as I mentioned, the wheels and hubs do not feel excessively hot). - Truck running too rich and causing...? - Something else? I'm just guessing here, but I'm going to assume the SEL is because I fried an O2 sensor or 2 when the exhaust system was running extremely hot on trip up - I'm talking like surprised the whole system wasn't glowing red. Thank guys, and I'll give any more info I can if you have further questions.

Thanks for the pic Rebelord. I'd like to do something similar (probably exit straight out the back though), but I'm being cheap about it right now. Still haven't fixed it haha.

After doing some more research, most guys seem to be either: 1.) bucking up and just replacing cat-back 2.) straight pipe back from the muffler 3.) pulling the resonator and accompanying pipe and throwing a turn-down on what's left/leaving it alone (concerns with carbon monoxide though)

Interesting. Then I'd have to get crafty with tubes - which I have no way to shape. Definitely an option though.

Hey all, So, recently I had encountered a rattling from under the truck. Initially I had thought it was a heat shield (seems like a common issue) and didn't really think about it too much as work was extremely busy. I finally got around to crawling under the truck and noticed that one of the connections on the pipes had actually rusted through/off. Here's an image with the bit circled. The piece is still bolted together and attached to the pipe on the rear muffler side, but has completely disconnected from the piece on the engine side. Not really sure what my options are here. It looks like these are welded to the piped themselves and then bolted together with a gasket in between. **EDIT: Maybe I am mistaken, could be something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Exhaust-Repair-Spring-Bolt-Flex-Pipe-Connector-Replacement-Coupling-FX8051-/171101565202 ... which would make more sense after recalling a little lip on the "engine side" of the pipe. I was thinking of unbolting the connection, cutting away whatever I need to, and adding a coupler of some sort to connect the pipes back up. Not in the mood to drop too much cash on this and looking for a bit of a work-around. Any thoughts? Cheers, Matt

There's quite a bit of information on here and nico. Basically, without a subframe drop you're not going to get much more than 2" out of the standard options: 1.) AC lift kit 2.) OME lift kit 3.) Fleurys' spacers I've heard some guys combining the lift kit with Fleurys' spacers but I don't know much about the stresses and wear you'd be introducing the r50 to by doing that.

Haha, you bet. Your first gen r50 was actually my initial inspiration.

No lift right now. Lack of fender flares gives it a visual lift.

Oh yes. So, these are 255/70r16 Duratracs, actually just bought them late last week. I went through a lot of debate on what I was going to do here. First, I had ordered 15x8 flat black series 52 at a fantastic price and was planning on running 31x10.5s. I became paranoid with caliper clearance and potential future brake upgrades, so I changed the order to 16x8s (which of course I couldn't get in flat black - oh well). Then, I was dead set on 265/70r16 Duratracs. In my mind, those were the tires and that was that. A friend of mine (on the boards Vancity_R50) was in the process of the same, except he was a few steps ahead of me. He got the wheels and tires (265/70 Grabber AT2) about a week before my wheels came in. After some discussion (mostly internal), realizing that a lift is not in my near future, and the amount of hwy driving I am currently doing, I decided to drop down a size and hope it came out alright. I'm pretty happy with the results. Realistically, we're talking 0.5" diameter and 0.5" width differences. Obviously bigger side by side, but the numbers aren't drastically different. If I end up keeping the truck by the time new tires are needed, I will probably do the typical OME lift and step up a size or two. And thanks for the compliment!

Here she is - waiting for me to finish work.

Well, for anyone interested, problem has been solved. Little backstory: When I went to test drove the truck the abs light was on and I had told the seller that I would not purchase until the issue was dealt with. The seller took care of it and had the abs sensor on the passenger front replaced. So, I was debating pulling everything apart myself and figuring it out, but, being busy at work, I could not find the time to deal with it. I dropped it off at the shop in the morning and get a call a little later that they have finally figured it out. They noted the new abs sensor and that the previous mechanic had failed to pull out a piece of the old abs sensor that had broken free and was tumbling around in the hub. $160 in labour later and a day without the truck, just to pull out a piece that never should have been there. Oh well, at least it's done and dealt with. I had a feeling something was caught rolling in the hub as the sound was inconsistent and not typical cv racket, which is why I initially thought the bearing had given out. In regards to the grease. It seems that the cv boot had just leaked some out and there was no real issue there. Anyways, thanks for all the responses.

That's a good idea. I will give that a shot when I get home tonight. Cheers.