Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although classic routine service is designed to keep your Nissan Pathfinder running smoothly with time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. Today we’re going to speak about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has made this content to help you in the event you detect a burnt plastic smell caused by your Nissan Pathfinder . To help you verify that it is nothing serious, first we will highlight the different things that can generate a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to find the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Nissan Pathfinder? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Nissan Pathfinder
So we start our content with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Nissan Pathfinder . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good signal. In fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a important breakdown. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source 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 broken, it as well has a second function as a temperature regulator. However, over time, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the auto parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Nissan Pathfinder. 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 mainly made of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will cause the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Nissan Pathfinder.
- Defective hose wear: This case arises specifically on Nissan Pathfinder that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car unlike what you might presume will cause 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 may melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, specifically present on Nissan Pathfinder’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto 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 comes from on a Nissan Pathfinder?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you find the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Nissan Pathfinder . 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 Nissan Pathfinder smells hot, don’t think twice 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 discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to consult our content to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Nissan Pathfinder.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it may also produce a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not think twice to replace it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify 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 cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Nissan Pathfinder, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
To find more tips on the Nissan Pathfinder, take a look at the Nissan Pathfinder category.
