Taking care of your car on a regular basis is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless classic maintenance is designed to keep your Citroen C3 Picasso running smoothly over time, some unforeseen 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 article to help you in case you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Citroen C3 Picasso . To help you verify that it is nothing significant, first we will detail the different things that can generate 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 Citroen C3 Picasso? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Citroen C3 Picasso
So we start our content with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Citroen C3 Picasso . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. In fact, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a major breakdown. Down below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source of such an odor. In fact, the objective 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 objective as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, with time, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and control the temperature as well, which will bring about the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Citroen C3 Picasso. 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 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 Citroen C3 Picasso.
- Defective hose wear: This case arises specifically on Citroen C3 Picasso that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car contrary to what you might believe will bring about 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 may melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less general, specifically present on Citroen C3 Picasso’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 also pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Citroen C3 Picasso?
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 Citroen C3 Picasso . 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 fix your issue quickly. If your Citroen C3 Picasso smells hot, don’t hesitate to go through 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 discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our article to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Citroen C3 Picasso.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may also make a whistling sound if it is in poor state. Do not hesitate to replace it.
- Hoses: For hoses, you will need to visually verify all your hoses to discover 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 Citroen C3 Picasso, a body part, verify all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
Whenever you have any further questions about the Citroen C3 Picasso, do not hesitate to consult our Citroen C3 Picasso category.
