paul.h

So Peke has replaced the suspension pump and not the power steering pump. To clarify, we need to know is it a suspension fluid return pipe that is blowing off or is it a power steering pipe.

Have a search on this forum, this has been covered before. If it is not just the cabin pollen filter then you can get disinfecting sprays specifically for the air con to remove mould that builds up on the air con matrix behind the pollen filter. It happens on all cars, especially if the air con is switched off as the car is stopped so the matrix is left damp (condensation from the air it is cooling). It is better to knock it off a mile or so before stopping so it can dry off quicker. These sprays can cost up to about £20 but an alternative is Dettol anti bacterial surface cleanser which is non bleach, no taint, no odour (noted on the product front label so do not get the wrong one and spray bleach in the car) and about £1.80 from supermarkets. The problem with the C5 though is spraying it on the matrix since removing the filter (so it lets the spray through) then leaves a hole which needs filling if a spray is used that requires the air to be recirculated or sprayed in from the outside. You either need to fit a cover or apply the spray direct to the matrix - I have done the latter using an unused clean Hoselock garden sprayer from a garden centre. With the pollen filter removed the sprayer lance was inserted in the space and the spray directed all over the matrix and left to dry.

If you have the service book, it lists the things to be done/checked. There are some differences for petrol and diesel engines. Most likely items are air filter (every 40k miles), oil and filter change, cabin pollen filter, fuel filter drain or change at 40k miles if a diesel, spark plugs if a petrol, changing the brake fluid, other checks. Any work on brakes are extra to a service. Costs vary on work done so you need to confirm what will be done - eg for older cars my dealer does a lube service changing the oil/filter and checks other items for £80 (which is good considering synthetic oil/filter/sump plug are over half this to do yourself and you do not have the bother of buying bits and disposing of the old oil), there is a next service up which also includes the air and fuel filter changes for about twice this cost. For younger cars a Citroen service I think is about £200.

It is to do with the radio. Does it go if the radio is switched off or the band changed using the left hand button with the wavy line ? Just looked in the radio manual that came with our car. On page 24 Radio Mode, FM AST is FM automatic pre-setting (autostore function). It memorises the 6 strongest FM radio stations on the FM3 memory bank by holding down the button for more than 2 seconds. This wipes the previous 6 stations.

You could try with the car parked and the engine running to make sure the engine fan cuts in and to see if it goes to high temperature, also touch the radiator top inlet hose so when it warms you know the thermostat opens. Make sure the radiator is not blocked externally, water pump is running ok. I suspect sensor bad wiring/poor connection (unless by-passing the sensor) may not be the problem since the sensor works by reducing its resistance as it gets warm whereas these may increase the resistance. The French RTA manual for hdi engines gives resistance values for the temp sensor as follows but may not apply to the other engines but you could compare old and new sensors. The hdi high temp alarm is 118°C. DegC / ohms ----------- 0 / 15710 to 16930 10 / 9650 to 10260 20 / 6080 to 6400 30 / 3930 to 4120 40 / 2600 to 2710 50 / 1770 to 1830 60 / 1220 to 1270 80 / 620 to 636 90 / 400 100 / 320. This reminds me of the 2 occasions our C3 has gone to high temp in 3 years. Both were on the same journey on 25th December 2 years apart and below freezing outside (the only times this car has made this journey). 1st time in the last 100 yards of the 60 mile trip and 2nd after about 40 miles on the M62 on a hilly bit but still about 70 mph. Lots of checks as above and using a code reader for live data and nothing found wrong after 1st time and 2nd time slowed down and kept the cabin fan on which allowed the temp gauge to be controlled up/down (so the sensor thought the temp was real). For the rest of the 3 years nothing so I have not replaced anything yet but have a new thermostat and sensor ready. The C3 also has a 2nd sensor which on high temp goes to earth and gives the warnings/starts engine fan but it does not look as if the C5 has this.

For the air con to work, you need the cabin fan also on. If you then push the air con button you should hear a click under the bonnet from the compressor at the lower right side (looking to the front from inside the car) as its clutch is pulled in. If you have no noise then it is likely the system needs regassing - cost in the region of £100. Citroen/Kwik Fit/other garages will do this.

There are wiring diagrams in the back of the Haynes manual but whether they are specific to your car I am not sure since Haynes now use words such as typical for their diagrams. I think Citroen also change wiring over the years, we had this with our Picasso and the wire colours were different to Haynes when I was fitting a towbar. Due to copyright I think people are reluctant to copy things on to the internet and it is probably against the rules of the forum so requests tend not to be answered. WMP in Warrington sell Haynes manuals at a low price if you ever need one and they are also in libraries.

I have also jump started our C5 a few times over the last 2 years since it may go a month between uses and the battery goes flat, from our old Picasso and more recently from our C3. I even connected the jump leads the wrong way round once on the C3 and apart from melting the jump leads I have had no problems.

I would copy this to the C2 forum pages and see if other people with the same car have a similar problem.

If it is like the C3 it may have 2 temperature sensors, one for the gauge and one for high temperature which also sets off the engine fan and warnings. I looked in the Haynes C5 manual but this only shows the one sensor but it does not cover the 3 litre petrol car. If it does happen again put the cabin heater on full to minimise any damage if it is a real high temperature. I would also make some other checks in case the thermostat is not working properly.

If there is a blockage causing a pressure build up it would have to be on the tank side return of where the pipe blows off so will limit checks needed. Is the replacement pump identical to the old pump and not giving a higher flow (which would increase the pressure drop across the piping) or higher pressure ? Why did you replace it, had something broken off it internally which could now be in the piping ? The French RTA manual says the pump gives 100 bar (145 psi) but most of this will be lost over the steering rack but if you do have a blockage on the return side of the rack then up to the blockage point you could see this pressure. Maybe you could try poking a wire down the piping and the tank inlet. When I last unscrewed the cap on the fluid reservoir there was slight pressure inside (similar to opening a radiator cap) so I would also make sure any hose clips are tight.

You will have seen this but on the Questions page, Citrophile has a post 10/6/2010 on tyres but he has not yet noted what he finally bought. I have stuck with Michelins in recent years for our cars since they have given high mileage. I have noticed though that the tread patterns change even though the tyres retain the same names so whether they last as long I have yet to find out.

What year, model, engine, mileage is the car ? Our 1.4 sx 2003 petrol beeps when the petrol tank level is low and then there is also a low level light at the side of the gauge. It sometimes beeps a few times for no obvious reasons when I first start it up but there are no fault codes. The only time the engine management light came on was when a fuel injector failed when it got wet from rain leaking passed the wiper washer jets - a common fault, search for the posts on this but you need to seal the jets against the bonnet and check the washer piping below the jets are not leaking at the joints. It ran very poorly when the injector failed but the dealer replaced it under the warranty so no cost to me.

Gendan do a good range. I got the Sealey one for Citroens (we have C3/4/5) but you do not need to pay that much. You can contact them about coverage but this one works on our 2003 1.4 petrol. They should all work from 2001 for petrol and 2004 for diesel - the Sealey one works on our 2004 mark 1 C5 2.2hdi.

17½ mph per 1000rpm does not seem right, more like 3rd gear. Most cars in top gear will be 25 to 35 mph per 1000 rpm depending on engine size. Is it an auto gearbox ?

At my dealer, when you take the car you sign a form which lists the work you are having done eg service/MOT/brakes bleeding. Then if they find anything else, they phone and get you to agree to it before they start. These are for your and their benefit and probably form the basis of a legal contract. Now if you have not agreed to any work being done outside of the service list then I expect it would not be legal and you can ask for the work to be undone. Do you have a list of the service items completed ? Out of interest, what exactly have they done to the brakes ? Are you able to name the garage ?

The temperature indication by bars is not that accurate, if you plug in a code reader with live data you will get the values. The thermostat is meant to start opening at 89°C for petrol engines so you could see if it is working by feeling the hoses/radiator. The engine fan cuts in at 96°C which you should be able to achieve by leaving the engine running with the car parked for some time and the air con switched off (this puts on the fan regardless of engine temp). On our 1.4 petrol the second bar lights up about 70°C and the 3rd bar at about 80°C to over 96°C and I have only seen more than 3 bars on 2 occasions in 3 years but then did not have the code reader plugged in. It only runs on 2 bars in the winter. The cabin heater on our car is the hottest I have ever had so using this as an indication of a bad thermostat may not help.

You could try the same post on the I.C.E. discussion page on this forum. Despite your joke, you may be right. I put the radio on but mainly for traffic alerts and the news in case of road problems ahead and tend not to listen to music or just have it as a quiet background noise. With the roads being so busy I have enough trouble trying to concentrate on the driving. As a result, I do not know much about the radio except it works ok.

You may have sorted it by now, but if not and if you can not use brute force or heat then if you can bung up the hole, maybe a solvent may help such as turps/white spirit to soften the carbon.

The clunking noise will happen frequently when the air con is on and when not moving you will notice the noise more. Running the compressor on and off is a way of controlling the air con system by controlling the pressure of the gas being circulated. At low cabin fan speeds it may clunk more frequently than at higher speeds since less cooling of the cabin is wanted yet the compressor will have been designed for the maximum case so at low demand it will switch on and off. Our C3 is a 2003 1.4sx petrol with manual air con - may be with an auto system (climate control) there will be more control by admitting warm air rather than switching the compressor. You could try an internet search to see how a car air con system works.

The clunk noise should be from the compressor at the bottom right of the engine (looking from inside the car). This is normal and happens as the clutch on the compressor is pulled in so it runs. Should be happening frequently when the air con is on. You will also notice the engine fan will keep running to remove the heat from inside the car through the air con system. The noise on our C3 seems louder than on our other cars but could be due to being a small car and sat nearer the compressor or less soundproofing.

I have a wiring diagram in the RTA manual for the petrol cars but not sure if it covers all years. The circuit shows a supply from the battery in to the under bonnet fusebox which appears to go to a double relay which feeds the main beams and also the dip beams. A signal from the BSI pulls in the relay for main and another signal the relay for dip. From the double relay each outlet splits so all 4 beams have their separate fuses and the wires then go to the lights. The fusebox has an earth for everything in it. So my first guess would be a relay fault - see if it is installed properly and the connections are clean but it may need replacing. It may be buzzing if internals are not giving a good contact. Check for a 12 volt supply out of the relay at each fuse with the lights switched on. With the relay out you could check for 12 volts where it plugs in. Also try a supply direct from the battery to one of the fuses to by-pass the relay and both lights should work. Do the main beams work ok ? As noted above, each front light unit has its own earth but this is common to all lamps in each unit.

Next thoughts are then a fault with the steering wheel switch such as broken springs so only a light push on the steering wheel works the horn or possibly a relay fault (may be located in the under bonnet fuse box but I am not sure). Pushing the switch gives a signal to the BSI which then causes a relay to be pulled in, the other side of which takes a supply from the battery through the fuse and to the horn. I can not see a wiring fault causing it since this is only likely to earth the positive supply rather than completing a circuit. Iannez who contributes a lot to this site is a Citroen technician and may be able to help.

As a temporary measure you could pull the connector off the horn or remove its fuse (maybe fuse 13 in the fusebox under the bonnet). Does the horn work normally at all times ?

Following info is from the French RTA manuals and may help. The C5 HDI oil level sensor is fastened to the sump. On the C3 petrol the oil level sensor is fastened to the engine block just behind the oil filter. For both cars, the sensor is shown as a long probe inserted from above and going to the bottom of the sump but the visible part is just like any other sensor with a wire connector on the top. I suggest you have a look at your sump/lower part of the block to find the sensor and to check the connector, its contacts and its wiring are clean and not damaged and the connector is securely fastened to the sensor. Probably disconnecting the sensor will put the light on all the time or, if it only has one wire, then earthing this may turn the light off - or the opposite may happen. The C5 wiring diagram shows the level sensor is also used to give the oil temperature so this has 3 wires to it.