something is smoking on my truck

I just got a 2000 Ford Ranger with approx. 49000 miles on it this weekend and I drove it to work and I noticed that the tires were smoking somewhat heavily. I think it might be the stuff that the dealer guy put on the tires to make them look shiny. It smells like burning plastic. The smoke is white in color. Is this just the tires smoking due to the stuff on them or is this something serious?? the front tires have the same stuff on them but they dont smoke. I live in Arizona and I was thinking maybe the extreme heat has something to do with it. The truck has new tires and rims on it. thanks The stuff on the tires should not have anything to do with white smoke. Are you positive the smoke is not coming from the tailpipe or from the wheel itself-like from the brakes?

First make sure the park brake is not engaged, then drive the truck around for awhile or until you get the smoke to appear. Pull over and see if the smoke is coming from the tailpipe, if it is you might want to read this article http://www./agnsmoke.html

If the smoke is coming from the wheel itself, with great caution feel the metal part of the wheel (it should normally be hot but not VERY VERY hot) with your hand and compare the left side to the right side wheel to see if there is major difference. if one side is much hotter than the other there is probably a brake problem or possibly a leaking rear axle seal allowing grease to seep onto the brake shoes.

Good luck, My wife recently purchased a new Ford Windstar and had a similar problem. It turned out to be the coating they sprayed on the rotors to keep them from rusting during transport. I do not think they would have done this on a used truck, but you never know. I would follow Austin's advice and check everything. Does the truck pull to one side when you let go of the wheel or when braking? If it does, I would suspect a sticking caliper.


Good Luck,Car Repair Talk's forum.