Taking care of your car permanently is the best thing you can do. Nevertheless classic routine service is designed to keep your Citroen Xantia running smoothly over time, some unexpected breakdowns can add heavily to your annual car budget. In this article we’re going to focus on your sense of smell, and the clues it can give you about a possible breakdown, that’s why our team has written this article to help you in the event that you notice a burnt plastic smell caused by your Citroen Xantia . To help you check that it is nothing severe, first we will highlight the different things that can generate 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 Xantia? .
The different possible roots and risks of smell of burnt plastic on a Citroen Xantia
So we start our content page with the different possible roots of burnt plastic smell on a Citroen Xantia . In general, noticing a plastic or rubber smell is never a good sign. In truth, modern vehicles are full of it and it could be the sign of a critical breakdown. Below we will review the different possible origins of burnt plastic smell:
- Transmission oil: This is the main possible source of such an odor. In truth, 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 damaged, it as well has a second function as a temperature regulator. Nevertheless, in the long run, the oil will lose its performance and will not lubricate the parts and regulate the temperature as well, which will trigger the oil to overheat and thus give off that burnt plastic smell on your Citroen Xantia. 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 mainly made of rubber, will decline and no longer rotate entirely on its axis. With the friction that this will trigger the plastic will heat up and burn out, this reaction will generate a strong smell of burnt plastic or rubber in the engine block of your Citroen Xantia.
- Defective hose wear: This circumstance happens especially on Citroen Xantia that are starting to get a few years old or that have stayed a long time without rolling. In reality, storing your vehicle contrary to what you might presume will trigger 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 possibly melt. The risk of this problem is the breakage of the accessory belt.
- A body component: Less basic, especially present on Citroen Xantia’s that have suffered a small shock. Following a front or rear impact, wheel arches, bumpers or other plastic body parts that may possibly have been bent may possibly 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 Xantia?
And now, to finish our article, we’re going to try to help you find the source of the smell of burnt plastic on your Citroen Xantia . Now that you know the different possible roots of this smell, we’ll just have to do some checks to get rid of the tracks that don’t concern you and fix your problem quickly. If your Citroen Xantia smells hot, don’t think twice to go through our article on this topic.
- Transmission oil: Nothing could be less complicated, 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 think twice to consult our article to find out how to change the gearbox oil on a Citroen Xantia.
- Accessory Belt: Visually check that your accessory belt is not in poor condition, it may possibly also make a whistling sound if it is in poor condition. Do not think twice 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, replace them.
- Body parts: Last but not least, the last element that can trigger the smell of plastic or burnt rubber on your Citroen Xantia, a body component, check all wheel arches, that no component rubs against
To find more tips on the Citroen Xantia, take a look at the Citroen Xantia category.
