Taking care of your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional routine service is designed to keep your Cadillac ATS 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 malfunction, that’s why our team has created this content to help you in case you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your Cadillac ATS . To help you check that it is nothing significant, first we will highlight the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to discover the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Cadillac ATS? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Cadillac ATS
So we start our guideline with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Cadillac ATS . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. In actual fact, modern cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a major malfunction. Below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source of such an odor. In actual fact, 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 damaged, it also has a second objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, over time, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the auto parts and control the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Cadillac ATS. 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 principally done of rubber, will deteriorate 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 generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Cadillac ATS.
- Defective hose wear: This case happens specifically on Cadillac ATS that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car contrary to what you might believe will trigger the plastic auto parts to wear out more quickly. Hoses are the first to be suffering from this phenomenon. The rubber will disintegrate little by little and with the rise in heat of the fluid that circulates in it, it might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, specifically present on Cadillac ATS’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that might have been bent might rub against one of your wheels and give off that burnt plastic smell. This may also pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Cadillac ATS?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you discover the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Cadillac ATS . 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 solve your issue quickly. If your Cadillac ATS smells hot, don’t think twice to go through our content 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 change it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Cadillac ATS.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not think twice to change 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 Cadillac ATS, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If perhaps you have any further questions about the Cadillac ATS, do not hesitate to consult our Cadillac ATS category.
