Keeping an eye on your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Although standard maintenance is designed to keep your Lincoln MKZ running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to look at 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 case you identify a burnt plastic smell caused by your Lincoln MKZ . 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 locate the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Lincoln MKZ? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Lincoln MKZ
So we start our article with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Lincoln MKZ . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. In actual fact, modern vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a major 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 actual fact, the function 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 function 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 bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Lincoln MKZ. 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 done of rubber, will deteriorate 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 create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Lincoln MKZ.
- Defective hose wear: This case happens especially on Lincoln MKZ that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car unlike what you might presume will bring about the plastic auto parts to wear out more quickly. Hoses are the first to be troubled 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 problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Lincoln MKZ’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 identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Lincoln MKZ?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you locate the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Lincoln MKZ . Now that you know the different possible origins of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to eliminate the tracks that don’t concern you and resolve your problem quickly. If your Lincoln MKZ smells hot, don’t think twice to read our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be easier, 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 replace it. Do not think twice to consult our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Lincoln MKZ.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may possibly also make a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not think twice to replace 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 case, replace them.
- Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Lincoln MKZ, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you want more tutorials on the Lincoln MKZ, go to our Lincoln MKZ category.
