paul.h

Once jump starting the C5 from a C3 I got the jump leads the wrong way at one end and got away with it since the leads melted. Now I have painted white + and - on the batteries. Later C5s have red plus connectors but our C3 has black.

You do not mention the car but it is the air con evaporator temperature sensor. At low temperature it stops the air con to avoid freezing any water vapour that condenses on the evaporator matrix from the air to the cabin. If the car is a Citroen and you provide the model details we can provide the part number and official Citroen part name. For example, if it is a mark 1 C3, 1.4 petrol then there is a choice of part nos. depending on whether it has climate control and the car RPO no. but could be 6445RP or 6445KP or 6445ZT and is called Evaporator sensor.

Oil in a diesel always seems to be black soon after it is changed. New oils tend to be thinner for fuel economy. I changed the oil on our C3 after 16k miles (petrol engine on 2 year or 20k mile interval) and the old and new are runny, 5w30 full synthetic. I was at our local Citroen dealer today and asked in the service department about reliability of the diesels in C3 engines 1.4 and 1.6 and turbo failures (thinking about getting one). On the 1.6 on all cars, he said they had only changed maybe 12 turbos out of thousands of cars, but his car was one of them, a 1.6 hdi C5 saloon which from memory he bought new a couple of years ago and would have been serviced there. On some the impellor nut had come loose but others down to maintenance. If the oil level is too high it ought to be lowered to avoid the risk of it being sucked into the engine and used as fuel, which could be a cause of being unable to stop the engine (diesel runaway). It has been mentioned on here in the last few months. Something else to prolong turbos is to not switch off the engine just after stopping the car, but to let it idle for a while whilst it cools - this will be in the handbook of most cars but may not be practised by many.

For used spares ebay is usually a start, for the actual spare or to locate a breaker who may have a car being taken apart. For a rear light, you may find it better to go to your dealer for a new one (from my experience of rear lights for a C3). A used one may not be adequately perfect (cracks/scratches/damage to locating lugs) so better to inspect before buying, could be half the price of a new one. New copy parts may not fit as well as Citroen ones either, whether from on-line sources or from such as Eurocarparts and some may cost as much as Citroen ones.

Welcome to the forum. It is good to have a knowledgeable Citroen mechanic as a member and your contributions are appreciated.

Welcome to the forum. Please do not take it personally, but you will find coastline taxis is a leading expert on C5 cars, has repaired many 1.6 hdi engines and provides good advice to protect your car - lots of oil/filter changes, good quality oil, help when needed from the forum which members are more than happy to provide and with luck you will not suffer turbo problems. Some time ago I read an article on why manufacturers were installing smaller engines and from what I can remember, it was to meet EU directives on emissions from their range of cars. If the manufacturers exceeded their limits they would be fined. The smaller engines would run at a more efficient point but at higher revs to get the power but use less fuel - however, this could be at the expense of higher maintenance/repair costs so the car buyer would not necessarily save any money, particularly as the car got older.

I do not know if this applies in all their stores, but the prices at our local one seem to be always different to the website, sometimes more and sometimes less, so it could be worth phoning first.

Welcome to the forum. You could check the battery voltage. If low the C5 can give odd electrical problems.

Over 400 miles later and the needle still seems ok using PVA wood glue down the needle shaft.

it may be faulty if it is tripping at about 25°C ambient temperature and needs body temp to work.

Maybe the oil drain plug washer is leaking, that should be about the middle. However, looks as if you will need to go under and have a look but if it has an undertray, it could be from anywhere or even the last oil filter change spillage.

Not the caravan this time, but helping our daughter move house. Was only meant to be 2 days but a few things were found that needed sorting so away 4 days. On our C3, 2003 model, there are buttons at the ends of the clock display. Hold in the left one until it flashes, then a press on it to select the parameter to be changed. Use the right button to change the value, then the left for the next parameter. Once done, leave it and it should exit adjustment mode. For the newer models the procedure should be in the handbooks on service.citroen but a quick look shows the digital clock is adjusted the same on all models. The radio display is shown being done through the radio Menu button. http://service.citroen.com/ddb/

Further to this and 300 miles, it may be time to replace the coil pack. It came up with fault code P1327 the other day and an internet search suggests a new coil pack is needed. One source comments on the green corrosion being a problem and when new the contact is shiny brass. Also is suggested is replacing the spark plugs with Citroen original types - I had put some Bosch super 4 FR78x on recently to replace the same type I had been using for the last 2 years and previous 4 years.

Plate means the number plate - 53 registered between September 2003 and March 2004, 04 registered between March 2004 and September 2004.

People on here have various code readers and some Chinese copies of the Citroen Lexia which goes on a lap top, but you could have a look on the Gendan website. There is a list of codes on here under the Petrol, LPG etc section. Also you can ask on here and internet searches are useful. On many Citroens the OEBD 16 pin port is in the glovebox under a small pull off panel, on some it is in the central armrest compartment under maybe a cover. If you get one, plug it in/remove it, with the ignitoin key out but it then needs to be turned to the dash lit position and for live data with the engine running.

Something to consider is the source of the diesel, some supermarket ones have been reported to give problems. So could be worth trying Shell or BP for a couple of fills but these tend to cost more. For £71 you can buy your own code reader and have some change. If you do get one, one that shows live data is useful for such as checking the engine temperature. It is not worth cutting back on the oil changes when the warranty expires since the 1.6 hdi has a previous reputation for turbo failure if neglected. When you look at what you get in a service it is not much - oil/filter change, maybe a cabin filter change and a few checks. Then every 2 or 4 years an air and diesel filter change and the brake fluid change which cost extra. Plus any brake cleaning is extra.

Welcome to the forum. If the warning light has come on I would think there should be a fault code recorded, even though the cause is no longer there. The dealer (or anyone with a fault code reader) should be able to see these and tell you what they are and have an indication what is happening. Which engine is it and if a diesel I could not imagine it is related to the exhaust filter blocking since you have done a long trip (France) ? Does it happen in any particular driving style or just at random and does the car still drive normally when the warning is on ? What mileage has the car done and is the servicing up to date - air filter, fuel filter, spark plugs ? On a different topic - what do you think of the car, we have a 2003 1.4 sx petrol C3 which is due for replacement and a new C3 is a possibilty ?

Citroen sell the proper Glysantin G33 coolant in 1 litre packs for a similar price to other places, approx £5. It is coloured blue and is an OAT based antifreeze, but the different colours of antifreeze do not really mean anything. You can read up on it on the BASF website. Obviously, look to see if there is a coolant leak since the level should not be going down.

I seem to have fixed this. I removed the speedometer panel, unclipped the front and back covers and found the speedo needle was a loose fit on the motor shaft. In daylight I could see the needle shaft had 2 cracks opposite each other. The back cover was put back on, the panel plugged back to its electrical socket and following Sifaan's post, drove the car a few hundred meters to reset the motor. The needle was then put back with a bit of wood glue in the shaft (only runny glue I had that may allow future removal) at 0 mph with the engine running, the front cover clipped back on and the panel then pushed back into the dash. The needle must have been like this when made so could have happened any time. Running the car with the speedo panel disconnected gave the engine management light, fault code P0028 and warnings of speed control and anti pollution, which I had to erase.

The following has been reported by a guest member, suggesting a possible cause is pedal breakage. yes, now be careful, because the pedal started to breakage, it cracks, and should soon break.Then pedal crack,move to the left and touches the hydraulic system of a protective wall.Very well check pedal at the top where is fixing.On the top of the pedal frame is a place welded, there weak point, and there should start cracks.

Welcome to the forum. I am not sure if I can help but maybe it needs a new screen. You could check the battery voltage but if the engine is running it is unlikely to be a problem. You may have read other posts on how to see the Citroen parts diagrams on the service.citroen website, register as another professional, member of the Citroen Owners Club. The screen can be seen under Electric unit, comfort and convenience, audio/etc, travel control processor.

Citroen service site, you will need to register to see the free services parts diagrams but the handbooks can be seen without registering. http://service.citroen.com/do/changerParametres The horn could be the start of a problem with the comms 2000 unit which is the big bit under the steering wheel which includes the wiper and lights and indicator switches. However, first try 12volts direct at the horn to see if it works and check its wiring and connector. Also check the list of fuses in the handbook in case it is a fuse. You could check if the boot door has a magnet by seeing if it attracts something steel such as a key or screwdriver.

I have not seen a Pluriel before and from what it gives in the handbook (seen on Citroen Service site), it seems a bit complicated. You could check where the wiring goes through the bottom of the boot from the body in the rubber bellows to see if there are any breaks in it. I am guessing the magnet may be an electro magnet if it can be able to be switched on and off and if so then maybe it is not getting any power - however, there is no obvious mention of it in the Citroen procedures. Diagnostic equipment at a dealer can check for the boot and rear window opening control faults - it may be you need to have this done, otherwise it may be a case of checking each component and switch for a power supply and that it works and that the switches are clean and not damp. If it helps to see the different parts, you can see the Citroen diagrams on the service.citroen website, register as another professional, member of the Citroen Owners Club. The boot and rear screen can be seen under bodywork, rear section, lock.

Gendan do some decent code readers that may be worth a look at. Years ago I bought a Sealey Citroen one from Gendan, a bit expensive when compared to ones now available and the Chinese Lexias but from memory, it worked on our mark 1 C5 2.2 hdi, reg July 2004. Still need to check with the supplier though or if there is a supplier near you or somewhere on your travels, see if they will try one before buying.

The speedo needle on our C5 (2.2 hdi VTX 2007 estate) has dropped down and is now reading about 10 mph low. Would a new motor be a fix for this although the company in the link appear to be currently out of stock ? There are also posts on setting the position of the needle so maybe that is all that is needed http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/14671-c5-speedo-rev-counter/