Taking care of your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Although conventional routine service is supposed to keep your Chevrolet Impala running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to speak about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has created this article to help you in case you detect a burnt plastic smell caused by your Chevrolet Impala . To help you check that it is nothing significant, 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 discover the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Chevrolet Impala? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Chevrolet Impala
So we start our article with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Chevrolet Impala . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. Indeed, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a important malfunction. Down below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin of such an odor. Indeed, 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 damaged, it also has a second action as a temperature regulator. However, over time, the oil will lose its effectiveness 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 Chevrolet Impala. 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 decline and no longer rotate completely 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 block of your Chevrolet Impala.
- Defective hose wear: This case arises specifically on Chevrolet Impala that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might think 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 might melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, specifically present on Chevrolet Impala’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 comes from on a Chevrolet Impala?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Chevrolet Impala . 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 solve your problem quickly. If your Chevrolet Impala smells hot, don’t hesitate to browse our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and check that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Chevrolet Impala.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might 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 discover 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 Chevrolet Impala, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
To discover more tips on the Chevrolet Impala, take a look at the Chevrolet Impala category.
