Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional routine service is designed to keep your Fiat 500 running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. Today we’re going to look at 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 the event that you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your Fiat 500 . 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 car, then, in a second step, how to discover the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Fiat 500? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Fiat 500
So we begin our content page with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Fiat 500 . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. In truth, modern 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 most important possible source of such an odor. In truth, 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 damaged, it also has a second function as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, in the long run, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Fiat 500. 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 made of rubber, will deteriorate and no longer rotate entirely 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 Fiat 500.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance arises especially on Fiat 500 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 parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be affected 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 common, especially present on Fiat 500’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body 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 originates from on a Fiat 500?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you discover the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Fiat 500 . 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 fix your issue quickly. If your Fiat 500 smells hot, don’t think twice 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 discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Fiat 500.
- 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 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, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Fiat 500, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
Whenever you have any further questions about the Fiat 500, do not hesitate to consult our Fiat 500 category.
