Taking care of your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard routine service is designed to keep your Mitsubishi Lancer running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car 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 article to help you in the event you identify a burnt plastic smell coming from your Mitsubishi Lancer . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will detail the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to locate the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Mitsubishi Lancer? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Mitsubishi Lancer
So we start our guideline with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Mitsubishi Lancer . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. In fact, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical malfunction. Below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible origin 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 damaged, it as well has a second function as a temperature regulator. However, as time passes, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Mitsubishi Lancer. 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 made of rubber, will deteriorate 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 Mitsubishi Lancer.
- Faulty hose wear: This circumstance arises specifically on Mitsubishi Lancer that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car contrary to what you might think will cause 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 basic, specifically present on Mitsubishi Lancer’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 Mitsubishi Lancer?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Mitsubishi Lancer . 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 fix your issue quickly. If your Mitsubishi Lancer smells hot, don’t think twice to read 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 replace it. Do not think twice to consult our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Mitsubishi Lancer.
- 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 think twice to replace 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 circumstance, change them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Mitsubishi Lancer, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you have any additional questions about the Mitsubishi Lancer, do not hesitate to consult our Mitsubishi Lancer category.
