paul.h

Welcome to the forum. You might need a diagnostic check to see what is happening. I sometimes notice air bubbles in the pipes around the fuel filter on our C5 and it runs ok, so I suspect this is normal but if they were always appearing then maybe not but if you had an air leak then it may struggle to start. When was the fuel filter last replaced ? How many miles has the car done and what type of driving - short trips or mainly longer ones - just thinking the exhaust dpf might be blocking/regenerating which could be checked in a diagnostic.

When you click on View Vehicle and then on the photo to enlarge it to full screen your van looks good.

A link to the post from the other member with a H van. You could get in touch via a message, the easiest way is to move the cursor over their name and then click on send message. http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/23656-new-member-with-a-citroen-h-van/

Thankyou for the post. If I ever need work doing on our cars that I am unable to do I use a dealer, they should know what they are doing and have already done most jobs before, so should be able to do them quicker and use the right tools/procedures. Have you done most of the 158k miles on your car, if so what other things have you had to do on it ?

Welcome to the forum. We did have somebody join the forum last year with a similar van but from memory only made 1 post.

Welcome to the forum. You can get Citroen's workshop procedures through ebay to put on your computer, it is called Citroen service box and includes parts diagrams and wiring diagrams. The earliest date I could quickly see was 1996 so I take it your van is about 1998. As an example http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Citroen-Service-Box-1-2014-TIS-EPC-WDS-/381321373493 It does not usually tell you how to change the oil in as much detail as a Haynes manual but will give quantities and torque settings.

I do not think the plastic pipe with the water in it will go down that far to be behind that side panel, it more likely runs under the roof, possibly needing the roof lining to be lowered a bit at the back. Possible places for the pipe to split are where it bends as the tailgate is opened so if you open the tailgate and see where the pipe comes from the roof into the tailgate, you may be able to remove the grommet at the body to get to the split - then you could try a pipe connector or maybe join in a new section. The tailgate wiring often breaks in the same area. This will give you some idea of the problem and the washer pipe can be seen amongst the broken wires http://c4owners.org/print.php?plugin:forum.41895

If it has economy mode, try the windows just after stopping the engine and then turn the key so the dash lights up. If they then work, it could be they do not work some time after if the battery voltage is low. Normally economy mode would occur after about 15 to 30 minutes from stopping the engine if there is some battery use, such as the radio or doors open, the internal light is on. It stops some electrical things working until the engine is started again to prevent the battery going flat and includes the windows, radio, internal lights.

Welcome to the forum. On our Citroens the windows only work with the key turned so the dash is lit up or the engine running. If they are in economy mode (Citroen/Peugeot thing to stop the battery going flat), they will not work until the engine has been started again (same with the radio). In your case you may need to provide a second electrical supply direct from the battery to the windows so they can be opened/closed. Or maybe it may be possible to fit a handle.

The Maintenance and Warranty guide with the service stamps gives the oil recommended by Citroen. This sometimes changes over the years but in the 2006 guide with our C5 it gives a few choices depending on if you have an exhaust dpf: - Total quartz 7000 10w-40 - I do not think this is a full synthetic so might need oil changes more often than a full synthetic. - Total quartz 9000 5w-40 - Total quartz INEO ECS 5w-30 - this is a low ash one recommended if you have a dpf. A dealer sells these but they are cheaper over the internet and are often lower priced than well known oils such as Mobil/Shell.

Welcome to the forum. The car Warranty and Maintenance guide with the service stamps gives the frequency of service items including the timing belt. I would also hope the seller has provided details of what servicing has been done including receipts to back it up. - It probably gives 12500 miles or 2 years for the normal conditions service and 10000 miles or 1 year for arduous service provided the recommended oils/filters are used. - The timing belt is 140k miles or 10 years if sooner so you probably do not need to worry about it yet. - The exhaust dpf is checked at 100k miles but the eolys fluid is topped up at 75/80k miles so unless this has been done it may need it doing. When it is topped up a diagnostic is needed to tell the car it has been topped up or you will get messages the level is low. - The diesel fuel filter is approx every 2 years at 30k miles, it is an expensive item so may often not be done. Similarly the air filter. - Brake fluid change is every 2 years so may be due if not done last year. - When I get a new to me car, I always service the brakes since this is not a normal service item and should be cleaned every year or so and if worn the discs and pads replaced. It is not usually a good idea on the 1.6 hdi to go more than a year without changing the oil/filter since they can be prone to early turbo failure. So it probably could do with the oil/filter changing as a minimum using the correct parts - probably Total INEO ECS 5w/30 oil which you can get from a dealer or over the internet. If you use a dealer to do this they should also check if the car has missed any updates but you can get this anyway by asking them or registering on the mycitroen site.

Read this for the possible pump problem http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/23976-c5-suspension-fault-pump-maxi-fuse-blowing-fault-code-p1351/

Which engine does it have - size and if petrol or diesel ? On some engines the crank shaft position sensor is next to the crank shaft pulley and on others can be on the clutch bell housing. They are usually easy to change being held by a bolt. When this sensor is faulty the engine will not normally run so if your engine is running and your problem is the rpm is not being shown, it could be a problem with the gauge.

Welcome to the forum.

If it needs packing out with wood then you could use different thickness front and back to allow for the different wheel base.

Nice to know it was not an expensive fix and chances are it was due a new battery anyway, just had to do it a year or 2 sooner than you may have expected. If you need a battery charger Lidl have an offer at the moment of a smart type for £13.99. Got one this week and tried it on a caravan battery. Charges at 3.8 amps to 14 volts, then drops down to 0.8 and then 0.1 amps to bring it up to 14.4 volts to give a full charge. It displays the voltage whilst doing it and once fully charged it stops but can be left on and will charge again if the voltage drops. It says to disconnect the battery so can not be left connected to the car like a trickle charger CEK.

Makes you wonder if these free tracking checks at tyre fitters are the cause of badly worn tyres. Maybe they are not doing it right, maybe by having tyres wear quicker they sell more tyres. For the last few decades I have turned down these free checks and since then not suffered bad wear, but if I had it likely would have been a worn suspension part that might be found at the service or MOT and not need a tracking adjustment as the fix.

Having just searched on 1.6 hdi timing chain failure, I understand you thinking about replacing the chain since they do appear to wear. As an example https://www.frenchcarforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=40166 (already posted by Rookie2 above) In the Citroen service box procedures it lists invoicing times and to replace the chain and its tensioner it gives 8½ hours, just the chain tensioner 0.8 hours whereas to replace the timing belt and water pump 4.3 hours. So if you want the belt/tensioner, water pump, chain and its tensioner it is possibly about 9½ hours - so about an extra 5 hours compared to just the belt/pump/its tensioner. I do not know what labour rate your mechanic charges but if you include the £100 for parts mentioned by MikeLane, then it could be around £400 to £500 extra on top of the timing belt replacement. However, and I do not know if this is possible, if you could source a split link chain and if there is enough space to fit it to the cam shafts without moving them, then it would possibly not be much more than replacing the tensioner. The chain and tensioner might be part no. 0816J1 (or the chain on its own 0816F6 to rpo 10534) but you should check this using your car vin. A look on ebay gives prices from about £60 to £140.

Odd electrical problems are sometimes due to a low battery voltage. Without the engine running you should measure about 12.5 to 12.7 volts. Cutting out when the engine warms up could be a faulty crank shaft sensor. I think the steering angle sensor is built in to the comms 2000 switch unit under the steering wheel - if this is faulty it would also affect the esp/asr. The vehicle speed probably comes from one of the abs sensors so maybe there is a problem with one of these. Depollution system can refer to anything related to engine emmisions and not necessarily the dpf.

I am not sure about this but I think people who try a used ecu usually get the keys and possibly the bsi so the immobiliser is not a problem. It would need a diagnostic to tell the ecu what equipment your car has and it might include the injectors, esp, cruise control, air con, something on the radio so it is recognised since they are usually coded to the car (or you could also get the used one), other options. You could consider having your ecu checked and fixed if you are convinced this is the problem.

The alarm may have its own battery as a back up. The alarm going off if the door is unlocked using a key is normal (our C3 would do this) but will stop once the engine is started. It seems as if it could be the car battery, possibly it went flat or maybe it has become disconnected. If you have a meter check its voltage, should be about 12.5 to 12.7 volts without the engine running, much less and it needs charging or replacing. We had a Xsara Picasso that went dead when a maxi fuse failed so if your battery is ok then you need to look at fuses and also if there is a fused link on the battery. Do any of the car lights work such as the indicators ?

If you look in the Haynes manual for the 1.6 hdi, the chain joins the 2 camshafts since the belt only drives one of the camshafts. To check the chain needs the cam cover removing and to replace it needs the camshafts removing - if you have gone to the bother of removing the camshafts you may as well replace the chain and its tensioner since you will have paid quite a bit of labour. You will also need to check the gears on the shafts and the bearings - if these are worn you will be in to a lot of expense and possibly a low mileage used cylinder head may be an option. If you are going to have the chain checked, do it before starting to replace the belt since to replace it needs the belt removing but if you do not have the parts or quick access to them and they need replacing the belt has to come off again, unless the car can be off the road for a bit.

Welcome to the forum. Does the engine turn over when trying to start it ? I am not sure what is wrong but possibly the car battery needs charging, maybe one of the maxi fuses has blown and possibly the keys need initialising to the car - this will be in the handbook under key fob battery replacement and may be something like put the key in the ignition, turn the key so the dash lights up and then hold down the fob door lock button until the doors lock. You could also try a bsi reset http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/15093-bsi-reset/ If none of this works and the immobilser is not recognising the keys then you may be best using a Citroen dealer to sort it.

Shortly after turning off the engine and removing the key, if you pull the wiper stalk towards you the wipers will go to the vertical position which lets you replace them or possibly wash the car easier. When you start the engine again repeat the pull on the wiper stalk and they will go back to the normal parked position. Possibly you are catching the stalk as you get out of the car. If you are not doing this, are there any other problems with the wipers - if not it may be cheaper to live with it since it could indicate a problem with the wiper motor so the wipers are not parking properly. Or it could possibly be a problem with the wiper stalk which is usually part of the comms 2000 switch unit under the steering wheel, needing a new switch unit. You could also try a bsi reset in case it is just a glitsch. Another thing you could do is check the battery voltage in case it needs charging since odd electrical problems can be a result of a poor battery.

Which engine is it ? If a petrol one it may need a service of new air filter and the throttle plate cleaning to remove any carbon build up. Use carburettor cleaner spray or a cloth wet with white spirit/turps to wipe the throttle plate and inside the throttle body. This is a usual service task since carbon build up can reduce the small gap and the air flow when on tick over causing the engine to stall. I would do this first before spending money on a diagnostic. If you unplug the pedal electrical connector you may get the engine management light come on and a fault code stored. The light should go off after you stop the engine and plug the pedal back in and then restart the engine. We had to replace the pedal on our 2003 C3 1.4 petrol since when pressing the pedal the engine revs did not increase smoothly making it difficult to set off. Unplugging the pedal will probably put the car in limp mode if it runs (you will not be able to drive the car without the pedal connected) so the revs will be a fixed amount which may not really tell you much about the pedal though.