Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although classic routine service is supposed to keep your Ford S-max running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today 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 made this content page to help you in the event that you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Ford S-max . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will outline the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to locate the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Ford S-max? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Ford S-max
So we start our guideline with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Ford S-max . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. Obviously, modern vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant malfunction. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible source of such an odor. Obviously, 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 broken, it as well has a second action as a temperature regulator. However, over time, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Ford S-max. 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 principally made of rubber, will decline 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 produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Ford S-max.
- Faulty hose wear: This case occurs specifically on Ford S-max that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your vehicle unlike what you might think will trigger the plastic 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 melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less common, specifically present on Ford S-max’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 as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Ford S-max?
And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you locate the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Ford S-max . Now that you know the different possible origins 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 S-max smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our content page on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, open your transmission oil cap (when cold) and verify 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 content page to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Ford S-max.
- 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 hesitate to replace it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Ford S-max, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If you wish more guides on the Ford S-max, go to our Ford S-max category.
