paul.h

The units you are using for the torque settings of the screws are a bit odd mixing SI and imperial units - N - Newtons being SI and pounds being imperial. Normally see Nm for SI torque values and lb.f.ft for imperial values. 25 Nm is about 18 lb.f.ft.

Possibly the cable has snapped or come unhooked at the handle or bonnet end. From underneath it may be possible to reach up to the catch and release it - then do the necessary repair. If this is the problem then it would be easier on a car lift at a garage. Checking the handle end will be easiest to try first.

Most likely there will be an oil seal that has worn and needs replacing. Years ago I had to do this. There was a metal disc which had to be pulled off and under this were 2 seals, nothing special about them but only replaced the outer one. If you can measure the internal and external diameter needed then you may be able to get one from a seal supplier. They must be available since you can buy remanufactured steering racks for around £300 - see the eurocarparts web site.

The motor is under the scuttle below the windscreen. Remove this by pulling off the rubber strip at the lower edge, undo 5 screws, depress a retaining tab and lift off the outer panel, release left hand inner panel from the rubber strip at the base of the winscreen and lift the panel off, remove the rubber grommet from the wiper spindle then remove the right inner panel. All from Haynes manual.

Haynes shows 4 fuses going to the headlights - F9/10/11/12 with 10 and 12 for the right hand dip and main beams. The side lights are shown taking a feed from the BSI. The main beams share the same supply up to the fuses and the dip beams share the same supply up to the fuses so your problem must start from just before the fuses, through the circuit and to the earth point. You could check the earth point for the RH headlight and the wiring and connector from the engine fuse box.

I have measured the current to the towbar by using a meter in place of the fuses - 1 was 23 mA and the other 5 mA so over a month this could be equivalent to about 20 Ah out of the battery. The battery is supposed to be about 70 Ah so the towbar loss despite small, is significant over a few weeks. I have left the fuses out until needed again. In the car handbook it says to disconnect the battery if the car is not going to be used for a month - the battery going flat may therefore be a design feature.

In case this is not obvious - when you remove the cover from the air filter you see the clean side so this should always look like new. You have to lift out the filter to see the dirty side to check if it needs replacing.

Had nothing at all like this on our C3 in 3½ years. WD40 may wash off the grease. Try a look under the lever rubber boot to see if anything obvious. Also check if selector cable ball joints are worn or need greasing - Haynes may help.

Does anyone know if the alarm battery is at the alarm unit or the alarm siren before I start taking things apart to see if the battery is due for replacement ? This is a follow up to looking for a possible reason (if any) for the main battery going flat over about 3 weeks.

If I do not run our 2.2 hdi 2004 mark 1 every 3 weeks the battery voltage drops too low to start the engine. A few times I have jump started it, this time I took the battery off and have given it a full charge. I did buy a Jump Start 900 from Machine Mart but that is not powerfull enough to start the car. It has been like this all the time we have had the car, 4 years. The towbar relay box has a red LED on it so maybe that gives a small but constant drain so I may pull the fuse and measure the current draw on it. Also having read the above again I may investigate the alarm battery.

If you have climate control then maybe the flap that controls the air flow across the heater is sticking - could be a fault with the motor that moves it.

See what happens when it gets cold again which drops the battery voltage slightly. It is worth checking the voltage at the battery with a meter if you have one, should be about 12.5 volts but in our case when down to about 12.2 volts the problems start.

Could be a worn out clutch grinding in to the flywheel but pushing on the clutch pedal lifts it off so the noise goes, if not could be a gearbox bearing but these normally whine when worn (at least the ones I have had). Either way, it looks as if the gearbox may have to come off. If there is a removable plate at the bottom of the bell housing (flywheel lower cover plate - Haynes words) this could be removed and a look for bits of clutch/metal made. Do all the C5s have a DMF or is it just the diesel ones (as suggested in Haynes) ? Other easier things to discount first include worn out brake pads, a bit of grit/twig against a brake disc/backing plate (had this at the local recycling centre), rear brake caliper catching against a wheel due to corrosion of caliper/suspension arm.

I have a brochure from 2003 which gives official figures as 26.2 / 45.6 / 35.8 mpg for urban / extra urban / combined cycles. So if you are just doing round town journies and especially short ones in this particularly cold weather then you are about right with your consumption. However, if not then things to consider will include a brake service in case they are binding, checking if the air filter is clean and other service items.

Zeroing the clock and date I have had when starting due to low battery voltage but have not had it cut out once started. If the battery is ok (approx 12.5 volts) then possbilities may may include a faulty ignition switch. Do you get 3 beeps when starting which the handbook includes low battery voltage as one of the warnings ?

I am pleased this turned out ok for you in the end, the cost was minimal and the radiator had a hole in it so that had to be replaced. Once you have the Haynes manual, next a ½" drive socket set, open ended and ring spanners and before you know it Machine Mart is a good day out looking at/buying tools. Plus you will save alot of money by doing your own repairs/servicing and it makes older cars economic to run.

Following may or not help. Our 2003 C3 has 2 buttons either side of the clock. Hold left one in until it starts flashing, push again to advance to next adjustment, push in right one to change value and keep repeating until everything is set. Our 2008 C4 has settings adjusted via the menu button on the radio.

Have you checked the spare tyre pressure if the others are ok

Should be in the car handbook. It may vary depending on model year so you would need to provide this if you do not have the handbook.

Similar posts in the C5 forum have suggested the sensor in the door mirror needed replacing.

When the C3 went to an indicated high temp on the M62 I put the cabin heater on max and the blower on max and opened a window so I did not get too hot. Plus I also slowed down a bit and the indicated temp came back down. Effectively I was using the cabin heater as an extra radiator and was fairly confident to do this without risking damage since on the one earlier occasion 2 years previously nothing wrong was found. The back up plan was to get the RAC to tow the car home.

I have just looked on the Saxo sub forum and there is a post there where the engine fan did not come on and the cure was to replace the fuse that had failed. There is also mention on one post of resetting the overheat warning but no mention of how it was done since somebody had replaced their temp sensor but the warning still came on. On our C3 it has twice in 3 years gone to max temp on the M62 in winter but nothing wrong was found though I have a new sensor and thermostat in case it happens again but there has been no need to reset anything for the temperature to show normal. Anyway, hopefully your neighbour/AA will have it sorted. If your car has a diagnostic socket (as required in petrol cars from 2001) then the AA should be able to plug it in and see what temperature the sensor is showing and decide if it seems correct.

Just for info, what year/model/engine is your car ? I have read a few posts on this forum on other cars where the temperature sensor has been faulty, sometimes giving poor running and others where it has gone to maximum soon after starting the engine. Replacement has been the cure but the problem with a faulty sensor though is you have to believe it until proven otherwise since if it is correct there is a risk of the engine overheating. I think it may have been John Douglas who had a problem I think on his Saxo like this - he visits this site frequently and is very helpful/knowledgeable and a direct contact to him may help you but he may not have picked up on this posting since it does not have Saxo in the title.

If the radio does need to be recoded (should say in the car handbook) and you do not have the code then your dealer may be able to provide it or an auto electrician should be able to read the code from the radio - I had to do this once on a Saab. However, until the code is put back in, the radio will not work at all which means no cds in it either. Make sure all the air is bled out of the coolant system and you are happy the engine thermostat is ok so opens to let coolant go to the radiator when the engine is hot and the temperature gauge is as normal in the past (try the hoses to the cabin heater to see if they are hot). However, the temperature sensor may be at fault, it is likely to be located on the cylinder head near the thermostat housing (I have not seen a Saxo engine but we have a 1.4 petrol C3 so may be similar). First with the ignition off and the key removed, just try disconnecting the electrical connector to it and see if it needs a clean as well as the sensor. Then reconnect and try the engine again. If this does not help then it may need replacing (about £20). On the C3 there are 2 sensors but this may not apply in your case. When it is on red I would have thought the rad fan should be running unless it gets its signal from a different sensor to the engine one. I can see you having to buy the Haynes manual to find out all this unless somebody here can help with the details.

You will probably find once the water in the washer bottle, pipes and jets has warmed and melted, only the fuses will need to be replaced.