Burning popcorn smell?

Yeah, so.. today was a very bad day to have to drive anywhere at all. I was using 4wd hi to get to work and everything was fine but I was still sliding around some. Then when I came home I tried going up my drive way and it was impossible. I eased down and dropped into neutral then shifted 4lo I tried going up it around 30 mph. Then I shifted down into 4hi and I was slidding down some at this point. At 4 hi I hit the gas real heavy around 50mph, this is when I started smelling the burning pop corn smell. Does this indicate that I damnged my 4wd? Kind of has me worried, whenever I use 4wd I always think I'm going to break something. I would go test it now but.. I just got it parallel parked on the street with so much hassle and sliding involved. I remember someone mentioning smelling this from their 4wd when they went up to the Mountains and wheeled through the snow.

Just went outside and was able to get it in and out of 4wd lo, so I'm not worried just going to watch how fast I'm going next time when I have 4wd on.

In 4LO you should NEVER go faster than 10-15mph

4HI shouldnt be going 40+ either
(you can in 4HI, but if your in 4x4 that usually means the road conditions are nasty and you shouldnt be going that fast anyways!)

Wow, someone definetley told me wrong. Never going to be moving that fast in 4wd again then. I guess I'm lucky my 4wd still works then. I was also being an idiot and trying to get my blazer up my drive-way without paying attention to how hard I was on the gas.

Just a little hint next time,

If you smash the gas, your tires will start digging a hole in the snow...

Try crawling up your driveway slowly

Thats how most people get stuck offroading, they try to get out superfast! and actually dig themselves into a deeper hole...by just crawling slowly youll gain traction

Is that what you did when you went wheelin with that jeep, gettin stuck in that two inch rut?

Yea thats how i learned...hahah! LEarn best from experience!

(and having a better set of tires)

ik burnt tranny fluid smells like burnt toast kinda idk if u'd be able to smell it in the cabin tho usually u can only tell if u pull the dip stick out. could possibly be burning rubber as i've done that b4 goin up an icy hill and i was basically doin a burnout up the whole thing had to make 3 runs at it to finally get up (i tried goin slow at first but didnt work and 4wd doesnt work for me)

My buddy was telling me it was either my gears or burning up t case fluid. I was practically doing a huge burnout trying to gain traction but I don't think it was rubber I smelled.

My guess would be burning rubber if you were spinning the tires that fast and not going anywhere.  If your 4wd still works fine and everything I couldn't imagine what else it would be.  How steep is your driveway that you have to hit it at 30mph with 4wd???

Hmmmm, burnt popcorn. This wasn't a sulphur smell was it, maybe from over fueling and loading up the cat converter?
 
Check for the smell tomorrow before and after driving normal.

Yeah, I'll look for signs when I'm driving. But when I went to check out my 4wd the smell didn't come back and the smell went away after i mashed the gas going up the driveway. The main reason why I was mashing is because I paniced and didn't want hit my brick mail box behind me.
Here is a pic of my blazer in the driveway, it isn't that steep.

wow the way u were describing it it sounded like ur driveway was wayy steeper thats like nothin how do u not get up that at 30mph in 4wd? musta been glare ice

Probably just from driving too fast, I kept sliding when I was going slow my driveway was glazed thick as hell. I almost busted my ass a couple times just getting in and out of it. I was almost going up my front yard and then when I was sliding back I was getting close to my brick mailbox. Putting salt down today though, because its 33 degrees raining and it'll probably freeze over.

Wow you need to just go up it ALOT slower! take your time and don't mash the gas!  The way you were describing it it sounded like it was a steep driveway with alot of snow not a small incline and ice.  How long is it?  Go at it with enough moment to make it and be very lightly on the gas so you don't spin the tires.  No matter how hard you try your never going to catch traction on the ice.

I have to say I am very shocked to see that your driveway is no steeper than a curb. It must have been some serious ice.

quote:

ORIGINAL: willjones

I have to say I am very shocked to see that your driveway is no steeper than a curb. It must have been some serious ice.

and some better tires!

quote:

ORIGINAL: Zasder

quote:

ORIGINAL: willjones

I have to say I am very shocked to see that your driveway is no steeper than a curb. It must have been some serious ice.

and some better tires!

Haha, my tires are pretty new I bought the truck in November and the guy had recently put them on. Their Michelin XLT's so their pretty quality, ice is pretty unpredictable stuff don't think it was my tires I think I should've either crawled up or just parked somewhere else. It was some serious ice my friend wrecked his altima in it and they shut down a main road I take to get to work. Yeah the drive way isn't all that steep but it also isn't flat enough for a basketball hoop.

That was me that had that problem. I changed the fluid in my transfer case and the problem went away :)

30mhp into that driveway!?!?!???!?!?? Lucky you didnt hit the house....

You NEED better tires if you can't climb that. Doesn't matter what you're driving...
 
"new" doesn't always mean they're suited to the conditions :)

quote:

ORIGINAL: drperry

You NEED better tires if you can't climb that. Doesn't matter what you're driving...

"new" doesn't always mean they're suited to the conditions :)

 
haha ya agreed my BFG Long Trails SUCK in the snow when taking off i always need momentum.

Ive never had any problems with my foot down to the floor in 4wd :D It was probably just burning rubber you were smelling.

quote:

ORIGINAL: drperry

You NEED better tires if you can't climb that. Doesn't matter what you're driving...

"new" doesn't always mean they're suited to the conditions :)

When I say new im infering i don't feel like buying a set to replace NEW tires that are good in almost any situation i get in but not on ice. Don't think it was the tires that stopped me, was the driver (myself) with impatience and unexperianced ice driving. Ice is pretty unpredictable stuff and 4x4 isn't going to make much a difference, I know two people that wrecked brand new cars in result of the ice we got.

Yes ice is unpredictable, but at a slow enough speed, and if you properly control the vehicle, you can get some degree of traction on it.   The only tire's I've found to be 'good' on ice are 1) studded or 2) Michelin Energys.