Keeping an eye on your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional routine service is designed to keep your Honda Pilot running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to focus on your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has made this content page to help you in case you detect a burnt plastic smell originating from your Honda Pilot . To help you verify that it is nothing serious, first we will highlight the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to discover the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Honda Pilot? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Honda Pilot
So we start our content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Honda Pilot . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. Obviously, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a major breakdown. 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 objective of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different elements 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 efficiency and will not lubricate the auto parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Honda Pilot. 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 specifically done of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate completely 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 Pilot.
- Defective hose wear: This case arises especially on Honda Pilot 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 cause the plastic auto parts to wear out more quickly. Hoses are the first to be impacted 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 basic, especially present on Honda Pilot’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto 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 Honda Pilot?
And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you discover the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Honda Pilot . 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 resolve your issue quickly. If your Honda Pilot smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our content page 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 discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to consult our content page to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Honda Pilot.
- 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 change 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, 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 Pilot, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
To get more tips on the Honda Pilot, take a look at the Honda Pilot category.
