Keeping an eye on your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although conventional maintenance is supposed to keep your Citroen C3 running smoothly with time, some unforeseen breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car 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 written this content to help you in the event you notice a burnt plastic smell coming from your Citroen C3 . 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 discover the origin of this burnt plastic smell on your Citroen C3? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Citroen C3
So we begin our guideline with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Citroen C3 . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good indicator. In fact, recent cars are full of it and it could be the sign of a major breakdown. Below we will talk about the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the most important possible source 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 also has a second function as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, as time passes, the oil will lose its effectiveness 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. 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 deteriorate and no longer rotate entirely on its axis. With the friction that this will bring about 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 Citroen C3.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance occurs especially on Citroen C3 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 believe will bring about the plastic parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be troubled 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 general, especially present on Citroen C3’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 originates from on a Citroen C3?
And now, to finish our content, we’re going to try to help you discover the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Citroen C3 . 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 solve your issue quickly. If your Citroen C3 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 discover debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to replace it. Do not think twice to consult our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Citroen C3.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor state, it may 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 discover if any are frayed or melted. If this is the circumstance, replace 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, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
If you need more guides on the Citroen C3, go to our Citroen C3 category.
