Taking care of your car all the time is the best thing you can do. Although classic maintenance is supposed to keep your Toyota Hilux 3 running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today we’re going to look at 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 case you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Toyota Hilux 3 . To help you check that it is nothing serious, first we will outline the different things that can create 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 Toyota Hilux 3? .

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The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Toyota Hilux 3

So we begin our article content with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Toyota Hilux 3 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. In truth, recent cars 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 most important possible origin of such an odor. In truth, the objective 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 also has a second objective as a temperature regulator. However, with time, 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 Toyota Hilux 3. 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 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 Toyota Hilux 3.
  • Defective hose wear: This case occurs specifically on Toyota Hilux 3 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 presume will trigger the plastic 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 may possibly melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
  • A body component: Less general, specifically present on Toyota Hilux 3’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body parts that may possibly have been bent may possibly 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 Toyota Hilux 3?

And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you discover the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Toyota Hilux 3 . Now that you know the different possible origins of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to get rid of the tracks that don’t concern you and resolve your issue quickly. If your Toyota Hilux 3 smells hot, don’t think twice to browse our content 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 see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to seek advice from our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Toyota Hilux 3.
  • 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 replace it.
  • Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually check 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 Hilux 3, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against

    If you need more guides on the Toyota Hilux 3, go to our Toyota Hilux 3 category.