Keeping an eye on your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard routine service is designed to keep your Lexus CT running smoothly with time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle 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 originating from your Lexus CT . To help you check that it is nothing severe, 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 find the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Lexus CT? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Lexus CT
So we start our content with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Lexus CT . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good signal. Indeed, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a major malfunction. Down 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. Indeed, the action of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different elements of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not damaged, it also has a second action as a temperature regulator. However, in the long run, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Lexus CT. 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 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 create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Lexus CT.
- Faulty hose wear: This case arises specifically on Lexus CT 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 believe will cause the plastic parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be suffering from 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 issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, specifically present on Lexus CT’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body 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 Lexus CT?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you find the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Lexus CT . 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 solve your issue quickly. If your Lexus CT 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 find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not think twice to consult our article to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Lexus CT.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might also make a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not think twice to change it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check all your hoses to find out if any are frayed or melted. If this is the case, change them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Lexus CT, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If you have any additional questions about the Lexus CT, do not hesitate to consult our Lexus CT category.
