Taking care of your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Although conventional maintenance is designed to keep your Chevrolet Express running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today we’re going to speak about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has created this article to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Chevrolet Express . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will outline the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to locate the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Chevrolet Express? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Chevrolet Express
So we start our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Chevrolet Express . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good signal. Indeed, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a important breakdown. 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. Indeed, the objective of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different elements of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not broken, it also has a second objective as a temperature regulator. However, with time, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the auto parts and control the temperature as well, which will bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Chevrolet Express. 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 done of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will bring about the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Chevrolet Express.
- Faulty hose wear: This case happens especially on Chevrolet Express that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car unlike what you might think will bring about 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 might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Chevrolet Express’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 identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Chevrolet Express?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Chevrolet Express . Now that you know the different possible roots of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to get rid of the tracks that don’t concern you and resolve your issue quickly. If your Chevrolet Express smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our article 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 find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not hesitate to consult our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Chevrolet Express.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it might also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. 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, replace them.
- Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Chevrolet Express, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
To find more tips on the Chevrolet Express, take a look at the Chevrolet Express category.
