Keeping an eye on your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Although standard routine service is designed to keep your Renault Espace 5 running smoothly with time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle 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 made this article to help you in case you identify a burnt plastic smell caused by your Renault Espace 5 . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will detail the different things that can create 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 Renault Espace 5? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Renault Espace 5
So we start our article with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Renault Espace 5 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good indicator. In fact, modern cars 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 most important possible source of such an odor. In fact, the action 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 also has a second action as a temperature regulator. However, as time passes, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Renault Espace 5. 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 deteriorate 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 create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Renault Espace 5.
- Faulty hose wear: This circumstance arises specifically on Renault Espace 5 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 trigger the plastic parts to wear out more 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 might melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, specifically present on Renault Espace 5’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body 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 identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Renault Espace 5?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you discover the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Renault Espace 5 . 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 problem quickly. If your Renault Espace 5 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 verify that your oil is reddish in colour and fluid enough. If you see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Renault Espace 5.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it might also make a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not think twice to replace it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to see if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Renault Espace 5, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you need more tutorials on the Renault Espace 5, go to our Renault Espace 5 category.
