Keeping an eye on your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless standard maintenance is designed to keep your Ram ProMaster running smoothly with time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article 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 created this content page to help you in the event you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Ram ProMaster . To help you check that it is nothing serious, first we will highlight the different things that can produce a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to discover the source of this burnt plastic smell on your Ram ProMaster? .

smell-burnt-plastic-ram-promaster

The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Ram ProMaster

So we commence our article with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Ram ProMaster . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good signal. Indeed, modern cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical breakdown. Down below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:

  • Transmission oil: This is the most important possible origin of such an odor. Indeed, 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 also has a second function as a temperature regulator. However, in the long run, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the auto parts and control the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Ram ProMaster. 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 degrade and no longer rotate entirely on its axis. With the friction that this will trigger 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 Ram ProMaster.
  • Faulty hose wear: This circumstance occurs especially on Ram ProMaster 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 think will trigger the plastic auto parts to wear out more fairly 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 problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less common, especially present on Ram ProMaster’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 also pre-wear out your tyres.

How to find out where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Ram ProMaster?

And now, to finish our content page, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Ram ProMaster . 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 fix your issue quickly. If your Ram ProMaster smells hot, don’t think twice to read our content page 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 find out debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content page to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Ram ProMaster.
  • Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it might 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 check all your hoses to find out if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, change them.
  • Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Ram ProMaster, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    If you want more tutorials on the Ram ProMaster, go to our Ram ProMaster category.