Taking care of your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless classic routine service is supposed to keep your Nissan Leaf running smoothly over time, some unpredicted 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 breakdown, that’s why our team has written this article to help you in the event you notice a burnt plastic smell caused by your Nissan Leaf . To help you check that it is nothing significant, first we will detail the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to discover the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Nissan Leaf? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Nissan Leaf
So we commence our guideline with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Nissan Leaf . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. In fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical breakdown. Down 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 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 as well has a second objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, in the long run, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the auto 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 Nissan Leaf. 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 decline and no longer rotate completely 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 Nissan Leaf.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance happens specifically on Nissan Leaf 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 believe will bring about 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 might melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, specifically present on Nissan Leaf’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto parts that might have been bent might 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 comes from on a Nissan Leaf?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Nissan Leaf . 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 solve your issue quickly. If your Nissan Leaf smells hot, don’t think twice to browse 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 change it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Nissan Leaf.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might also produce 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 discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, 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 Nissan Leaf, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you wish more tutorials on the Nissan Leaf, go to our Nissan Leaf category.
