Keeping an eye on your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless classic routine service is designed to keep your Dodge Journey running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to talk about 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 detect a burnt plastic smell coming from your Dodge Journey . To help you check that it is nothing serious, first we will detail the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to find the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Dodge Journey? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Dodge Journey
So we start our content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Dodge Journey . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. In actual fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant breakdown. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible source of such an odor. In actual fact, the function 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 also has a second function 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 cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Dodge Journey. 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 mainly made of rubber, will decline and no longer rotate entirely on its axis. With the friction that this will cause the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Dodge Journey.
- Defective hose wear: This case occurs especially on Dodge Journey that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car contrary to what you might presume will cause the plastic auto parts to wear out more fairly 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 may possibly melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Dodge Journey’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 find out where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Dodge Journey?
And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you find the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Dodge Journey . 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 Dodge Journey smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our content page on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, 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 page to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Dodge Journey.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it may possibly also make a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. 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 cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Dodge Journey, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
To get more tips on the Dodge Journey, take a look at the Dodge Journey category.
