Keeping an eye on your car on daily basis is the best thing you can do. Although standard maintenance is supposed to keep your Citroen C5 running smoothly with time, some unpredicted breakdowns can add heavily to your annual motor vehicle budget. Today we’re going to talk about 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 case you detect a burnt plastic smell caused by your Citroen C5 . To help you check that it is nothing significant, first we will highlight the different things that can create a burnt plastic smell on your motor vehicle, then, in a second step, how to discover the cause of this burnt plastic smell on your Citroen C5? .
The different possible sources and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Citroen C5
So we begin our article content with the different possible sources of burnt plastic smell on a Citroen C5 . Generally speaking, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is hardly ever a good sign. Indeed, recent vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a major breakdown. 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. Indeed, the function of gear or transmission oil is to lubricate the different components of your gearbox so that all the gears and pinions are not broken, it as well has a second function as a temperature regulator. However, as time passes, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the auto parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will cause the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Citroen C5. 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 mainly made of rubber, will deteriorate 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 C5.
- Faulty hose wear: This circumstance arises especially on Citroen C5 that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In fact, storing your car unlike what you might presume will cause the plastic auto parts to wear out more fairly quickly. Hoses are the first to be suffering from 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’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body auto 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 identify where the smell of burning plastic originates from on a Citroen C5?
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 . 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 resolve your problem quickly. If your Citroen C5 smells hot, don’t hesitate to read our content 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 see debris inside, and it is darker, it’s time to change it. Do not hesitate to seek advice from our content to identify how to change the gearbox oil on a Citroen C5.
- 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 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 circumstance, replace them.
- Body auto parts: Last but not least, the last element that can cause the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Citroen C5, a body part, check all wheel arches, that no part rubs against
To get more tips on the Citroen C5, take a look at the Citroen C5 category.
