Keeping an eye on your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although conventional maintenance is supposed to keep your Honda Element running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today 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 that you identify a burnt plastic smell originating from your Honda Element . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, first we will detail the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to locate the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Honda Element? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Honda Element
So we commence our content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Honda Element . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. In fact, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant malfunction. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin of such an odor. In fact, the objective 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 objective 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 Honda Element. 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 made of rubber, will degrade 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 generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Honda Element.
- Defective hose wear: This case occurs specifically on Honda Element that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your vehicle unlike what you might believe will cause the plastic auto parts to wear out more 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 issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, specifically present on Honda Element’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 Honda Element?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Honda Element . 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 solve your issue quickly. If your Honda Element 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 verify that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to consult our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Honda Element.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may possibly also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not think twice to replace it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to see 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 cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Honda Element, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If you have any further questions about the Honda Element, do not hesitate to consult our Honda Element category.
