Keeping an eye on your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Although standard routine service is supposed to keep your Honda Insight running smoothly with time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. Today we’re going to talk about 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 caused by your Honda Insight . To help you check that it is nothing significant, first we will outline the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to discover the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Honda Insight? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Honda Insight
So we begin our content page with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Honda Insight . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. In fact, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant malfunction. Below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source of such an odor. In fact, 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 broken, it as well has a second function as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, with time, the oil will lose its efficiency 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 Honda Insight. 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 completely on its axis. With the friction that this will trigger the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Honda Insight.
- Faulty hose wear: This circumstance happens especially on Honda Insight 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 presume 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 melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, especially present on Honda Insight’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 identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Honda Insight?
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 Honda Insight . 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 Honda Insight smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, 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 change it. Do not think twice to consult our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Honda Insight.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it may also make a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not think twice to change 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 Honda Insight, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
To discover more tips on the Honda Insight, take a look at the Honda Insight category.
