Burning smell when VSC kicks in?

[subst4nce]

Hello all,

I'm proud to say I'm the new owner of a 2006 T4R SE (my first "new" car).

It only has about 28,000 miles on it so it was barely driven.


I drove it on the beach today, just to see how it would perform, and to play around with all the 4wd features and such.

A few times the VSC kicked in for about 1/2 a second or so, (probably 3 or 4 times) and whenever that happened I smelled a burning smell inside the car.

After the beach, I drove to the car wash to hose it down and I realized the smell was coming from the front tires.

I'm hoping that since the car wasn't driven so much, it has to be broken in.

Anybody have an explanation for this?

Thanks in advance.

P.S.

Here is a picture I took of her <3

 

[notrayray]

The VSC can apply the brakes at each wheel. Hot front brakes would be my guess.

 

[subst4nce]

The VSC can apply the brakes at each wheel. Hot front brakes would be my guess.

Thanks for the response, I hope that is somewhat normal after only being used a few times in about a 10 minute span. I'm worried about what it's going to be like when it snows if that's the case.

 

[M1911]

That burning smell was the brakes.

Next time you go out on the beach, air down your tires to 15 psi, lock the center diff, put it in 4WD low, and take it easy.

 

[subst4nce]

That burning smell was the brakes.

Next time you go out on the beach, air down your tires to 15 psi, lock the center diff, put it in 4WD low, and take it easy.

Thanks for the advice.

After reading the manual it says I should use L4 with the Center Differential UNLOCKED for sand:

"Use this mode for maximum power and traction. Use this for climbing or descending steep hills, off-road driving, and hard pulling in sand or mud."

It doesn't mention anything about driving in the sand under the L4 center differential LOCKED. But I'm going to assume that it would be okay to have the Center Dif. locked?

 

[zimm]

Turn VSC off when off-roading. The truck was trying to "keep you on the road" while the tires are spinning in the sand, etc. So the whole time it's hitting brakes at different corners trying to keep you on course.

 

[subst4nce]

Turn VSC off when off-roading. The truck was trying to "keep you on the road" while the tires are spinning in the sand, etc. So the whole time it's hitting brakes at different corners trying to keep you on course.

Yeah, for now on VSC is going to be disabled whenever I'm going on the sand, gotta learn somehow I guess.

 

[M1911]

Thanks for the advice.

After reading the manual it says I should use L4 with the Center Differential UNLOCKED for sand:

"Use this mode for maximum power and traction. Use this for climbing or descending steep hills, off-road driving, and hard pulling in sand or mud."

It doesn't mention anything about driving in the sand under the L4 center differential LOCKED. But I'm going to assume that it would be okay to have the Center Dif. locked?

I take my '03 4Runner on the beach for two weeks straight ever year. Lock the center diff. You can use L4 or H4. I prefer L4, but H4 will work. But you need to lock the center diff. The only issue with having the center diff locked is if you are on dry pavement, which does not allow the rear tires to slip with respect to the front. But you're not on dry pavement, you are on sand, which easily allows the needed slip.

The fact that the truck was applying the brakes enough to cause the brakes to smell suggests to me that you were driving way, way too hard. Drive slowly and gently, as though you were on snow. Easy on the throttle, easy on the brakes, turn the wheel gently. Quit the Dukes of Hazard stuff.

 

[jetboy1975]

You may want to have the calipers checked as well. I'm sure it was probably just the VSC being overworked, but 28k for an '06 is pretty low mileage meaning it's likely spent a lot of time parked. It's common for the front lower pistons to sieze on T4Rs. They may not be releasing quickly if moving at all.