Keeping an eye on your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Although standard routine service is supposed to keep your Ford Escape running smoothly over time, some unpredicted 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 breakdown, that’s why our team has made this content to help you in the event that you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your Ford Escape . To help you check that it is nothing serious, first we will outline the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to discover the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Ford Escape? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Ford Escape
So we begin our article with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Ford Escape . Generally, 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 significant 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 objective 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 objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, with time, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Ford Escape. 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 mainly done of rubber, will decline and no longer rotate entirely on its axis. With the friction that this will bring about 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 Ford Escape.
- Defective hose wear: This case happens specifically on Ford Escape 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 parts to wear out more 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 melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less common, specifically present on Ford Escape’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body parts that may have been bent may 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 Ford Escape?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Ford Escape . 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 fix your issue quickly. If your Ford Escape smells hot, don’t think twice to read our content 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 change it. Do not think twice to consult our content to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Ford Escape.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not think twice to change 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, change them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Ford Escape, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
To find more tips on the Ford Escape, take a look at the Ford Escape category.
