C8 temperature OK?

[Bunny]

I wonder if someone could advise me, please, as I have no user guide for my recently acquired second-hand Citroen C8.

After a drive, after I stop and get out of the vehicle I notice the engine "smells hot" (I can't explain what "hot" smells like but it just does, to me anyway). My passenger has also remarked on this, without any prompting from myself.

The temperature gauge reaches 90 or above after around a mile or so of general driving. After another mile or two the gauge reads 100 or a little above and seems to hover at around that level.

Is this normal or above normal, I wonder.

I have checked the coolant level which is in line with the full marker.

Any advice would be sincerely appreciated.

[myglaren]

Can you post your VIN so the vehicle specs can be determined please.

Do the radiator fan(s)s run on with ignition off?
Do the fan(s) run at all?
Is the top hose hot? Check with a cold start that the top hose starts to get warm after a few minutes running.

[Michel]

Is the vehicle otherwise running normally? Is it an oily hot smell, or a watery coolant hot smell? Could it be someone's split oil on the engine while using the weird filler arrangement that is making the smell?

I'd not pay *too* much attention to the temperature gauge, they all vary quite a lot. If the vehicle isn't visibily overheating, it's probably ok.. It may benefit from a coolant change and a new thermostat, though it would be beneficial to get it on a Lexia (someone will post a link soon to forum members who are happy to help) when it's at this high temp, and see what the actual temperature is rather than the gauge reading.

[Bunny]

Thanks for responding.

I'll find out what you ask and get back to you.

Can you post your VIN so the vehicle specs can be determined please.

Do the radiator fan(s)s run on with ignition off?
Do the fan(s) run at all?
Is the top hose hot? Check with a cold start that the top hose starts to get warm after a few minutes running.

[GiveMeABreak]

I have the VIN already from the last query. This is a C8 FAMILY SALOON 2.0 i 16v 143 (EW10A) Manual gearbox 5.

[xantia_v6]

I would be looking for a minor oil leak from the engine top cover getting onto the exhaust manifold. If you see any evidence of this it is worth getting it fixed, as it could (if you are unlucky) start an engine fire at some time in the future.

[anton]

This is quite an old thread I came across while trying to figure out what might smell oilish after a drive on a Citroën C8 I bought a year ago. There are no visual oil leaks and it also doesn't overheat. I usually notice it on hot summer days and more on the left side than on the right side.

After some research I have to suspect the AL4 automatic transmission the motor is coupled with. That would explain why it smells on the left side, where the gearbox is. From what I read, AL4 is known for not so good cooling, so no surprise it might go hot on summer days. And it has an air vent allowing the oil to expand with a temperature rise (despite PSA calling it "sealed for life", technically it is not sealed at all). So the hot oil smell is likely coming through the vent. It doesn't smell burnt, so I hope it's not overheating and just evaporating a little, which is pretty normal.

Anyway, I'm going to replace the transmission oil after a 30000 km. It got a transmission oil valve problem just when I bought it, so it had the valves replaced and the oil changed. But that was just 1/3 of the oil replaced, so relatively frequent changes are necessary to keep it fresh I believe.

Not sure if the topic author had automatic or manual transmission but hope it helps.