Taking care of your car at all times is the best thing you can do. Although conventional routine service is supposed to keep your Citroen C5 Aircross running smoothly with time, some unpredicted 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 breakdown, that’s why our team has created this content to help you in the event that you identify a burnt plastic smell originating from your Citroen C5 Aircross . To help you check that it is nothing significant, 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 source of this burnt plastic smell on your Citroen C5 Aircross? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Citroen C5 Aircross
So we begin our guideline with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Citroen C5 Aircross . Generally, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. In truth, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical breakdown. 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 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, over 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 Citroen C5 Aircross. 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 done of rubber, will decline and no longer rotate totally on its axis. With the friction that this will trigger the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will produce a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine unit block of your Citroen C5 Aircross.
- Faulty hose wear: This case occurs especially on Citroen C5 Aircross 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 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 melt. The risk of this issue is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Citroen C5 Aircross’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 as well pre-wear out your tyres.
How to find out where the smell of burning plastic comes from on a Citroen C5 Aircross?
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 Citroen C5 Aircross . 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 C5 Aircross smells hot, don’t think twice to read 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 think twice to consult our content to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Citroen C5 Aircross.
- 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 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 trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Citroen C5 Aircross, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
If you want more guides on the Citroen C5 Aircross, go to our Citroen C5 Aircross category.
