Taking care of your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although conventional routine service is designed to keep your Nissan X-trail running smoothly over time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article we’re going to talk about your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has made this article to help you in the event you notice a burnt plastic smell caused by your Nissan X-trail . 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 discover the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Nissan X-trail? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Nissan X-trail
So we commence our article with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Nissan X-trail . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good signal. In fact, modern vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a significant 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 damaged, it as well has a second objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, as time passes, the oil will lose its performance 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 X-trail. 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 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 produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Nissan X-trail.
- Faulty hose wear: This circumstance arises especially on Nissan X-trail that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might think 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 possibly melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less common, especially present on Nissan X-trail’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 as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Nissan X-trail?
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 X-trail . Now that you know the different possible roots of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to eliminate the tracks that don’t concern you and solve your issue quickly. If your Nissan X-trail smells hot, don’t think twice to go through our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be simpler, 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 X-trail.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may possibly 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 cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Nissan X-trail, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
To find more tips on the Nissan X-trail, take a look at the Nissan X-trail category.
