Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Although standard maintenance is designed to keep your Toyota Corolla running smoothly with time, some unforeseen 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 malfunction, that’s why our team has made this content to help you in the event that you notice a burnt plastic smell originating from your Toyota Corolla . To help you verify that it is nothing severe, first we will highlight the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your car, then, in a second step, how to locate the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Toyota Corolla? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Toyota Corolla
So we begin our article content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Toyota Corolla . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good signal. In fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a major malfunction. Down below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible origin of such an odor. In fact, the function 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 function as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, in the long run, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Toyota Corolla. 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 done of rubber, will decline and no longer rotate completely on its axis. With the friction that this will trigger the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Toyota Corolla.
- Defective hose wear: This case happens specifically on Toyota Corolla that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might presume will trigger the plastic 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 Toyota Corolla’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body 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 Toyota Corolla?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you locate the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Toyota Corolla . 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 resolve your issue quickly. If your Toyota Corolla smells hot, don’t hesitate to read 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 see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to consult our content to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Toyota Corolla.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it may also make a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not hesitate to change 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 case, change them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Toyota Corolla, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you wish more guides on the Toyota Corolla, go to our Toyota Corolla category.
