I'm sorry if I'm duplicating another thread but I have had a look and couldn't find anything relevant.
Yesterday we were on our way back to Yorkshire from Thetford Forest when I realised that we had smoke coming from the drivers side wheels (twin axle) of the caravan.
As we were on the A14 I slowed down, hazards on and found the next layby the smoke was initially very worrying but didn't continue when we stopped. The alloy wheels were not hot and there was no apparent reason for the white smoke, so after investigating and finding nothing, brakes appeared fine on car and we applied the van handbrake and it seemed to be going on and releasing fine we continued on our way.
The van had been on site for just under a week but not with the handbrake on and we were approximately 15 miles into a 180 mile journey and "she" had been towing just fine. After that despite much watching and worrying there was no apparent problem with the towing and no more smoke but I'm concerned that maintenance may be required.
The van is an Eldiss Rambler and was new in February of this year.
Any advice would be greatfully received as although I have towed our vans for 8 years I have never had this problem and this is our first twin axle.
Quote: Originally posted by jeff juke on 03/11/2012
Does sound like a brake problem even though the brake was releasing. The brake shoes may not be releasing.Check for a soft tyre too.
If it was the brakes binding Jeff one of the wheels would get hot but the OP said they had checked this although I have to agree that the cause of smoking wheels would most likely be the cause of binding brake shoes.
Have you had a puncture at all on the one tyre as it being a twin axle it would be hard to tell because the fully inflated tyre would make the defective one look okay because it would look flat.
It could be tyre smoke if one of the wheels is locked solid. This wouldn't cause heat to build up in the drum as there is no friction there.
Could it have been coming from the car exhaust and looking like it was coming from the caravan in your mirrors?
You say the wheels were not hot, but that is as much a concern as if they were hot. The brakes when working correctly do generate heat, as do the tyres so I would expect the wheels to be pretty warm under normal use. If they were cold then I wonder if the brake is working at all on that side.
Another possibility is that when you resumed travelling, did you reverse at all? It could be that the brakes were still on and only came off when the caravan backed up.
Thanks all for your help, it was definitely white smoke coming from the van, water was emptied well before we left site so not that either.
The wheels were warm as I would expect but what I meant was that there was not one wheel felt warmer than the rest, all were about the same. The road was dry too so not spray.....
I was mystified as nothing seemed amiss at all, we had stopped in a layby and couldn't find anything wrong so I moved on but "she" was still not towing right so I pulled into the next layby and we still could find nothing wrong so had decided to find a safer place and call the breakdown company but had to reverse about 10 foot (not onto the carriageway I hasten to add) to have room to set off again so I think Dave may have something with the suggestion about reversing but I don't know why the brakes suddenly decided to stick, if it was the brakes but she towed fine the other 170 or so miles back home.
The dealership have some work to do when replacement parts arrive - for a heiki among other things as well as the wooden "bit" right across the top of the front window - I wouldn't be in a hurry to buy another elddis I don't think - so I will ask them to check it over.
Thanks to everyone that made any suggestions - I have learned a lot while I have been towing - my husband doesn't have grandparents rights and so I do all the towing - but I know that there are lots of you out there with much more experience that will pass on anything that you can to help.
Sounds like it could have been a brake shoe delaminating, the friction material parting company from the metal shoe.
I'd certainly get it checked before any further travels.
I think what happened is the hand brake was released while there was a load trying to roll the caravan forwards. This caused the brake shoes to twist rather than release. The load only came off when the outfit reversed.
might have been a wheel bearing getting hot and when the grease gets hot it pushes out white smoke, i know this as some years ago i was driving along in my car and noticed a cloud of white smoke comne from the rear just for a second, and a few minutes later did the same, a few miles on my front wheel bearing collapsed, what had happened grease was being thrown from the bearing and landing on the hot exhaust pipe
------------- you are only as old as the woman you feel.
Hi all, I meant to post up this information much earlier in the year and I forgot. I am posting it now in case anyone else has the same problem.
The people at Wandahome at Knottingley tell me that it was the "lining" of the wheel arch that had slipped and was in contact with a moving part, the white "smoke" was indeed smoke from the lining, they think that when I reversed it moved it back into place therefore no more smoke.
I'm not totally convinced but here we are a year on and it hasn't happened anymore so I don't know.
Thanks to all for their help especially DaveCoaches for all his input.
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Topic: Help - Smoking Wheel(s) on caravan
