Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although standard maintenance is designed to keep your Jeep Compass running smoothly over time, some unforeseen 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 written this content to help you in the event that you notice a burnt plastic smell originating from your Jeep Compass . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, 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 Jeep Compass? .

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The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Jeep Compass

So we begin our guideline with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Jeep Compass . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good indicator. Obviously, recent vehicles 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 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. Nevertheless, over time, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Jeep Compass. 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 specifically made of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate totally 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 block of your Jeep Compass.
  • Faulty hose wear: This circumstance happens specifically on Jeep Compass 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 bring about 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 problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less common, specifically present on Jeep Compass’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 originates from on a Jeep Compass?

And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you locate the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Jeep Compass . Now that you know the different possible roots 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 Jeep Compass smells hot, don’t hesitate to browse 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 see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our content to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Jeep Compass.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may also make 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 see if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, replace them.
  • Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Jeep Compass, a body component, verify all wheel arches, that no component rubs against

    To get more tips on the Jeep Compass, take a look at the Jeep Compass category.