Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Although classic routine service is supposed to keep your Toyota Hilux 4 running smoothly with time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. In this article 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 written this content to help you in the event that you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Toyota Hilux 4 . To help you check that it is nothing serious, 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 find the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Toyota Hilux 4? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Toyota Hilux 4
So we start our content with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Toyota Hilux 4 . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good signal. 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 main possible origin of such an odor. In truth, 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 as well has a second action as a temperature regulator. However, over time, the oil will lose its effectiveness and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Toyota Hilux 4. 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 principally made of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will bring about the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will create a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Toyota Hilux 4.
- Defective hose wear: This case arises specifically on Toyota Hilux 4 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car contrary to what you might think will bring about the plastic parts to wear out more fairly 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 problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, specifically present on Toyota Hilux 4’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 as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Toyota Hilux 4?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you find the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Toyota Hilux 4 . 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 solve your issue quickly. If your Toyota Hilux 4 smells hot, don’t hesitate to go through 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 change it. Do not hesitate to consult our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Toyota Hilux 4.
- 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 hesitate to change 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 bring about the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Toyota Hilux 4, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
Whenever you have any additional questions about the Toyota Hilux 4, do not hesitate to consult our Toyota Hilux 4 category.
