Keeping an eye on your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless conventional routine service is supposed to keep your Citroen Berlingo running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to look at your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible malfunction, that’s why our team has written this article to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Citroen Berlingo . 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 car, then, in a second step, how to find the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Citroen Berlingo? .
The different possible origins and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Citroen Berlingo
So we begin our article with the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell on a Citroen Berlingo . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. In actual fact, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a major malfunction. 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. In actual fact, the action 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 as well has a second action as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, with time, the oil will lose its efficiency and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Citroen Berlingo. 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 specifically done of rubber, will degrade and no longer rotate completely on its axis. With the friction that this will cause 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 Citroen Berlingo.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance arises especially on Citroen Berlingo that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your car unlike what you might think will cause 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, especially present on Citroen Berlingo’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 identify where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Citroen Berlingo?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you find the origin of the smell of burnt plastic on your Citroen Berlingo . Now that you know the different possible roots of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to eliminate the tracks that don’t concern you and solve your problem quickly. If your Citroen Berlingo smells hot, don’t hesitate to go through our article 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 change it. Do not hesitate to consult our article to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Citroen Berlingo.
- 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 hesitate to change 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 parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Citroen Berlingo, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
To find more tips on the Citroen Berlingo, take a look at the Citroen Berlingo category.
