paul.h

Unlike most other cars I have had, on our C5 (mark 1 2.2.hdi VTR hatchback), the rear light and fog light are a combined double filament bulb and the rear stop light is a separate single filament bulb.

I broke one of the bolts since it cross threaded when putting it back but at first I thought it was tight due to the loctite - this was before I decided the best way was to drill out the loctite once a bolt was out. Anyway, removed the caliper and drilled the bit out of the arm and used a longer bolt to go through the arm with a nut on the back since the threads were damaged in the arm. A big problem was getting a new bolt long enough of the correct tensile strength - the original bolt is 10.8 (stamped on the bolt head) - normal high tensile bolts are only 8.8 and not as strong. In the end I was able to source a 12.9 cap head bolt. From memory the original bolt is 10mm diameter and 150mm long and 1.25 thread - usual bolts are 1.5 thread. The cap head bolt I used was 160mm long, sufficient for a high tensile nut (only 8.8 available) and washer. Until I got the cap head I used high tensile threaded bar with a nut on each end to allow the car to be used for a few days.

I have not replaced them and suspect most people would not unless they were damaged or had been overtightened and stretched. If you decide to replace them and do not go to Citroen, make sure you get the correct tensile strength which should be marked on the bolt head, something like 8.8 or 10.9. The higher the number the stronger the bolt. You may also find the thread is a metric fine one so the bolts are not readily available at a car accessory shop. If the pads are due for replacement there is a good chance the discs also need replacing.

Few things if you are going to take the scuttle off if you have not done this before; - the plastic trim at each end of the scuttle is held on by a single screw and also by a peg that goes in to a plastic sleeve in the bodywork - do not waggle the trim to remove it or the peg may snap off (my experience). - a puller may be needed to remove the wiper arms. Before removing may be useful to mark the arm positions on the top of the spindles. Normally would mark the wiper position on the windscreen but yours are not parked correctly. - the scuttle needs to be lifted over the wiper arm spindles and then slid down off the bottom of the windscreen. With the scuttle off, you will see the air intake to the cabin and understand how rain goes down the wiper spindle grommet or off the bottom of the windscreen and into the intake eventually appearing in the driver's footwell as it runs down the inside of the bulkhead. I did a post on how I cured this problem by putting a plate over the intake fastened to the wiper mounting, drilling drain holes in the intake box, putting a wall of sealant at the back of the box behind the drilled holes, sealing the intake where it meets the bulkhead, sealing the top edge of the scuttle against the glass although this did not last that long. Since doing these mods over 2 years ago the problem has not returned.

With the cat removed you may find the exhaust emissions may no longer meet MOT standards.

If it is laquer on the light lens surface, the right type of paint thinners should wipe it off but check it does not attack the plastic lens first.

It may be some sort of software problem - when the engine is off and I think the key removed, if you immediately pull on the wiper stalk the wipers should go to the middle vertical position so they can be changed. Maybe something has happened with this. If you try it see if the wipers go to the normal parked position. If you do a single wipe does this stop after one wipe or continue ?

There must be a leak somewhere from what I have read. The checks so far appear to exclude the obvious ones such as the water pump and a head gasket leak into the cylinders and oil systems. Others include - head gasket leak to the outside of the engine block - look for stains down the side of the engine. I had this on a Saab 900, only appeared when the engine was hot but the water evaporated immediately since the block was hot. - a hose leak. - cabin heater matrix leak - with the heater on (but not the air con) does the air into the cabin smell a bit. Once the engine is hot have a look under the car to see if there are any signs of water (or staining) dripping out from approx under the driver's seat where there is the air con water drain which exits above the fuel cooler. - engine radiator leak. - engine core plug leak. - expansion bottle cap problem. - bleed screw cap leak. If you are just topping up with water then there is a chance there will not be any staining to see so a leak will be harder to find.

If you get stuck sourcing a new or second hand part, if it is a metal part that has broken then it may be possible to weld it back together. If so, do it off the car and removed from the seat bits with the air bag so nothing is set on fire or the air bag may be set off by electrical current.

If anyone lives in Warrington, WMP on Manchester Road (A57) charge about £16 for Haynes manuals.

I think I have just worked out how to post a link, please correct if this is wrong. For this you need the URL of a post - to get this do a right mouse click on the relevant topic/post on a contents page. Then click on properties and the URL will be displayed. With the left mouse button highlight the URL and then copy it using the right mouse button. Then in the post you want to reply to, click on the green button at the top with + on it to insert the link and then right click the mouse to copy the URL.

Is there anything that you do different every 9 days (driven or calendar ?) such as fill up with diesel, a particular journey, set off earlier in the day, etc ? Did it start occurring after a particular event such as a part replacement or service ? Possibilities could include an electrical problem, fueling problem, temperature sensor, thermostat, fuel filter, water in the fuel, air filter, exhaust particulate filter, air flow meter, etc. but these are likely to give problems all the time.

I have had this before on other cars, fit new tyres of a different make to the old and the car then pulls to one side and found nothing wrong. Were the old tyres worn unevenly to indicate a tracking problem, if not I would be tempted to fit the new ones at the back and see if the steering reverts back to normal. It is often recommended to fit the best tyres at the rear to avoid possible rear end skidding. I assume the new tyres are both identical although possibly not the same as the rear.

I recently replaced the driver's side front strut top bearing since it had become noisy after the coil spring was replaced - it sounded as though the coil was being wound up going over bumps and when the steering was turned. The Haynes manual says to remove the hub bearing housing with the strut and the French RTA manual does not include this step. I did not need to remove the housing which saves time and money on parts (new hub nut and any others which need replacing). Key steps are to compress the coil spring whilst still on the car to allow the bottom of the strut to be removed up from the housing and to push it out of the housing using a 2 leg puller. 1. Slacken the strut top nut. This needs a 7mm allen key in the top of the piston to stop it turning as the nut is undone. I found an old spark plug socket was ideal since it had a long reach and flats on the outside for a ring spanner so the allen key could go down the middle. A ring spanner on the allen key acted as a lever to stop it turning. 2. Jack up car, remove wheel and support on an axle stand. 3. Unclip the brake hose and ABS sensor wire from the strut. 4. Disconnect the anti roll bar link from the strut - a torx bit is needed to stop the joint rotating as the nut is undone. Lever the anti roll bar to allow the link to pull out of the strut. 5. Remove the coil spring cups that were fitted to early cars in case/when the spring breaks. 6. Remove the nut and bolt from the back of the bearing housing where it clamps the strut. The RTA manual shows a lever being used to open up the clamp bit, I tried a chisel but think it had no effect. Spray WD40 or similar around the bottom of the strut where it goes through the bearing housing. 7. Use spring compressors to compress the coil spring so it can be turned indicating the tension on the strut has been removed. Ideally 3 compressors would be used and try to include the narrower top and bottom coils. 8. Use a lever under the bottom end of the strut and held against part of the car and then use a hammer to knock the bearing housing down to free it from the strut. It will only go part of the way but then I used a 2 leg puller to push the strut up and out of the bearing housing - the success/ease of this depends on the spring being compressed. The hammering bit I read in a Car Mechanics mag on replacing a strut in I think a Passat but then on one side they removed the bearing housing but they had not compressed the spring or considered a puller. 9. Fully remove the strut top nut and lift the strut out. At this point I replaced the strut top bearing - I found the bearing had come apart and some of the balls had moved out of position. The new bearing kit and spring top cup cost about £50. 10. Using emery paper fully clean the bearing housing where the strut fits in and similarly at the bottom of the strut. Apply grease to these areas to help refitting. I also tried to open up the slot in the housing with the chisel but this may not have done anything. 11. With the coil spring fully compressed, refit the strut back in the bearing housing - it will need waggling about whilst applying downward force to fit it in. There is a 'tongue on the back of the strut which goes into the housing slot. 12. At the top of the strut, line up the bearing mounting lug with the hole in the car inner wing and then fit the top nut to the piston - a new nut should be used but if one is ordered note that the part numbers for the nuts at Citroen are mixed up so I ended up with the wrong one and used locktite on the old one. Do not do this step until after 11 since it will limit the amount of waggling and prevent the strut being fitted (my experience). 13. Refit the other bits in the reverse order to above and the job is done. Time wise, DIY on the drive allow a few hours, this first go took me a lot longer since I had to learn the above but the next time will be quicker. When the dealer initially replaced the springs I think they said it would be about 1 hour but I suspect they dropped the subframe.

I am pleased you have sorted the problem. What model, year, mileage, engine size, fuel is your car, any particular petrol stations you tend to use ?

On the early C3 (and Picasso) there was a recall that fit a strong cup at the bottom of the front springs so when mine broke it stopped the bits going down to the tyre and brake hose and the car could still be driven. These clamp on with 2 bolts and only take minutes to fit. If they are not expensive then as a damage limitation it may be worthwhile buying and fitting them yourself. If doing the job, the top connection of the anti roll bar link needs to be removed which needs a small torx bit in the end to stop it turning whilst undoing the nut.

The drain from the air con comes out of the side of the box at the left side of the drivers footwell and connects here to a rubber hose which from memory comes out above the diesel fuel cooler under the car below the driver's seat area. To access the top of the hose connection you need to remove the driver's left foot rest and the plastic covers to the left of the foot rest. You can then try pouring water down the hose to see if it is clear. However, a quick easier way is to put the cabin fan on full, directed to the centre vents and then close the vents - air should be felt blowing out from the end of the hose under the car if it is clear. I have found Dettol surface cleanser (non bleach) in the clear hand spray bottle is effective. Problem with the C5 is the matrix is quite long (when the pollen filter is removed) so trying to spray over all of it is not easy. I have recently bought a garden spray with a lance that can reach to the end of the matrix through the opening for the pollen filter but have still to give it a go.

The RTA French manual for the mark 1 2.2 hdi gives a coolant capacity of 10.7 litres - the same as the 2.0 hdi. The mark 2 2.2 hdi is not covered in any of the manuals - Haynes or RTA. The RTA manual for the mark 2 2.0 hdi gives capacity as 10.7 litres without additional heater (chauffage) and 11.7 litres with additional heater (not quite sure what this means). For the 1.6 litre hdi the same capacities are given as 6.5 and 7.5 litres.

Does the window still wind down as normal but not up ? I had a Saab where the driver's window would wind down but not up - the contacts within the switch had burnt giving a poor connection but once cleaned up everything was ok. If you still have the door panel off you could see if there is any voltage at the motor wiring connection when you try to operate the window. You can also put a 12 volt supply direct to the motor to wind it up/down - this would also avoid the anti-pinch which if the window is stiff to move may stop the window going up as normal. Then you will know if it is the motor or supply to it. A common wiring fault on a car would be where it goes in to the door it can break with door use. Do all the other windows work and from all the switches ? A fuse check should also be done.

I have used Dettol anti bacterial surface cleaner spray (non bleach type) available from most shops for about £1.70. You need to remove the pollen filter and then spray it in to the opening, preferably with the air con evaporator matrix cold and wet (after just running the air con) to catch the spray. Then leave for a while to dry out and kill off all the bugs before refitting the filter. I have used this on a few cars and it works well, better than a purpose designed product which left the car smelling of apples but still a bit like a wet dog. If possible use a fine spray - I have bought a garden spray with a lance which I will try later which should give better access over the length of the matrix. To prevent the smell/bugs recurring I usually turn off the air con but leave the fan and air flow going about a mile from the end of a journey so the matrix can dry out.

In the June 2009 Car Mechanics mag there is a short article on the Tips From The Trade section showing one of these cones being used on a Peugeot 209. Their cone also has a metal frame to help push the boot along the cone.

A google search on 'CV joint cone' came back with Bailcast Duraboot - I remember now this was the make of gaiter I used. The website with a pdf from bailcast shows a picture of an air operated boot spreader and also a plastic cone similar to the one I used. The boot has a guarantee of 2 years. Likely cost to do the job yourself with one of these is around £20 including the boot, cone and probably a new hub nut but including time to get the bits and do the job you can say goodbye to up to a day. So an extra £47 for somebody to do the job for you (and guarantee it) looks good.

techbod mentions a cone in his note. These can be bought for a few pounds from car accessory shops and allow a boot to be stretched over the CV joint without having to split it. I have used one of these, maybe on a Nissan and it worked ok. From memory, the boot is turned inside out, the cone greased with something like washing up liquid and the boot slid on from the narrow end and then over the CV joint and then turned inside out again. The boot may have been a stretch type but I am not sure.

There are some posts on this forum on doors not opening since it appears to be a common problem, a search should find then. One easy check is trying to lock the doors with the key fob whilst one of the doors is left open - the central locking should then unlock all the doors.