Taking care of your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard routine service is designed to keep your Alfa Romeo 147 running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to focus on your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has written this content page to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell originating from your Alfa Romeo 147 . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will outline the different things that can generate 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 Alfa Romeo 147? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Alfa Romeo 147
So we begin our guideline with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Alfa Romeo 147 . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good indicator. Indeed, modern vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical breakdown. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible origin of such an odor. Indeed, the objective 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 objective as a temperature regulator. However, as time passes, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the auto parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Alfa Romeo 147. You risk pre-wearing your gearbox if you don’t take care of it.
- The accessory belt: Nevertheless rarer, it is possible with wear and tear that your belt, which is specifically done of rubber, will decline and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will trigger the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Alfa Romeo 147.
- Faulty hose wear: This case arises specifically on Alfa Romeo 147 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might presume will trigger the plastic auto parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be troubled 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 problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, specifically present on Alfa Romeo 147’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 find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Alfa Romeo 147?
And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Alfa Romeo 147 . Now that you know the different possible origins of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to eliminate the tracks that don’t concern you and solve your issue quickly. If your Alfa Romeo 147 smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our content page on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be simpler, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and check that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content page to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Alfa Romeo 147.
- 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 think twice to replace it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check all your hoses to see if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, replace them.
- Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Alfa Romeo 147, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
To get more tips on the Alfa Romeo 147, take a look at the Alfa Romeo 147 category.
