Taking care of your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard maintenance is supposed to keep your Chevrolet Silverado running smoothly with time, some unexpected 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 made this content page to help you in case you detect a burnt plastic smell caused by your Chevrolet Silverado . To help you check that it is nothing significant, first we will detail the different things that can create 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 Silverado? .

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The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Chevrolet Silverado

So we start our content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Chevrolet Silverado . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. Indeed, modern cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a important breakdown. Down 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 action of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different elements of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not damaged, it also has a second action as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, as time passes, 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 Chevrolet Silverado. 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 made of rubber, will degrade 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 Chevrolet Silverado.
  • Faulty hose wear: This circumstance occurs especially on Chevrolet Silverado 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 believe 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 possibly melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less basic, especially present on Chevrolet Silverado’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that may possibly have been bent may possibly 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 Silverado?

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 Chevrolet Silverado . 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 resolve your issue quickly. If your Chevrolet Silverado 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 discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content page to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Chevrolet Silverado.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may possibly 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 discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, change them.
  • Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Chevrolet Silverado, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    To get more tips on the Chevrolet Silverado, take a look at the Chevrolet Silverado category.