Keeping an eye on your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although conventional maintenance is designed to keep your Ford Focus running smoothly over time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to look at your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has created this content to help you in the event that you detect a burnt plastic smell coming from your Ford Focus . To help you check that it is nothing serious, first we will highlight the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to locate the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Ford Focus? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Ford Focus
So we begin our article content with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Ford Focus . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. In fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant breakdown. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin of such an odor. In fact, the action of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different components of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not broken, it as well has a second action as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, with time, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the auto parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Ford Focus. You risk pre-wearing your gearbox if you don’t take care of it.
- The accessory belt: Although rarer, it is possible with wear and tear that your belt, which is specifically made of rubber, will deteriorate and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will cause the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Ford Focus.
- Defective hose wear: This case arises specifically on Ford Focus that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car contrary to what you might presume will cause the plastic auto parts to wear out more quickly. Hoses are the first to be impacted by this phenomenon. The rubber will disintegrate little by little and with the rise in heat of the fluid that circulates in it, it may melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, specifically present on Ford Focus’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that may have been bent may rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Ford Focus?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Ford Focus . Now that you know the different possible roots of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to eliminate the tracks that don’t concern you and fix your issue quickly. If your Ford Focus smells hot, don’t hesitate to go through our content on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and check that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our content to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Ford Focus.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may also make a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not hesitate to replace it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check all your hoses to find out if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, change them.
- Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Ford Focus, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
To get more tips on the Ford Focus, take a look at the Ford Focus category.
