Taking care of your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional maintenance is designed to keep your GMC Acadia running smoothly with time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to focus on your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has made this content to help you in the event you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your GMC Acadia . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will highlight the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to find the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your GMC Acadia? .

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The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a GMC Acadia

So we begin our article content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a GMC Acadia . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. In actual fact, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant malfunction. Down 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 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 also has a second action as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, in the long run, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the auto 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 GMC Acadia. 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 completely on its axis. With the friction that this will bring about 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 GMC Acadia.
  • Defective hose wear: This case happens especially on GMC Acadia 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 presume will bring about the plastic auto 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 might melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less general, especially present on GMC Acadia’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that might have been bent might 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 GMC Acadia?

And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you find the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your GMC Acadia . 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 GMC Acadia smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our content 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 find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a GMC Acadia.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it might also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not hesitate to replace it.
  • Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to find out if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, change them.
  • Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your GMC Acadia, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    In the event that you have any further questions about the GMC Acadia, do not hesitate to consult our GMC Acadia category.