paul.h

The heater unit has now been replaced, £1352 at the dealer, and it now works normally. I kept the heater and whilst there is nothing obvious to see, the warm air flap is 2 separate flaps that move together linked by a plastic rod. When trying to move the flaps with the cam on the side of the heater, they are very stiff to move and need more effort than can be achieved with the rotary switch cable which is quite flexible and just bends. Possibly grease in the right places may help but the unit is 2 plastic halves welded together so could get damaged whilst breaking it apart. I did start doing this just to have a look but the air con evaporator matrix and relief valve are built in to it and oil started to run out, so not wanting to mess up the kitchen floor gave up. Maybe a stonger cable such as used on bicycle brakes would help but a special fitting is needed to clip it to the heater control panel and the existing cable sleeve is too narrow to fit a new cable inside it.

The C5 110 and 90 bhp 2.0 hdi engines for the 2001 to 2004 model do not have a dpf, only this model with the 2.2 hdi engine. However, the 2004 to 2008 model has a dpf on all the hdi engines. Whilst there are companies that will remove the dpf and the ecu software so the car does not think it is there, these companies are getting round the law by probably saying it is for off road use only. It appears it is not illegal to remove a dpf but it is illegal to drive a car with a dpf removed with a possible £1000 fine. Since it is now an illegal practice this forum can not recommend removing the dpf from a car that had one installed when originally made. Any posts that suggest removing the dpf or other parts of the car that can affect the emissions are the opinion of the poster and do not represent the views of the forum, its moderators and admin. It also needs to be pointed out again that any modifications to a car should be notified to the car insurer. Failing to do this can invalidate the insurance which is one thing if you need to make a claim for damage to your car but if any third parties are claiming against you then if your insurer does not pay out can seriously affect your finances, or if they do pay out they may try to get the money back from you. It is one thing getting a car through the MOT but getting it through an insurance assessor looking for ways to not pay out may be a different matter. This topic says somebody had a claim and the insurer paid for a diagnostic and inspection to see if the car was standard before paying out http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/306194-insurance-and-dealer-related-questions-about-dpf-removal/ This article in the Guardian suggests there may be MOT changes 2017/2018 to better check for dpf removal https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/apr/17/diesel-particulate-filter-removal-air-pollution-department-for-transport On another forum I found a post by somebody who had told the insurer the dpf had been removed but then in 2014 the insurer said it had to be put back or they would not insure him - his solution was to sell the car (Honda).

Interesting, explains why over the last few years cars are being supplied with what appears to be too small engines, just to cheat the emissions rules.

The thermostat opening temperature is usually about 90°C, so you should not really be able to touch the hoses or on the rubber bits only for a split second. Any hot metal bits will cause burns if touched. The engine fan should cut in at 96°C so the normal coolant temperature will be about 90 to 96°C once warmed up.

Is this for the 2003 C5 2.0 hdi you were thinking of buying ?

Sounds like the thermostat. You could touch the cabin heater hoses at the back of the bulkhead to see if they are hot in and out of the cabin to get an idea if the matrix is blocked, but it is not likely with the anti freeze Citroen use. If you had a code reader you could check the coolant temperature but if not then it is cheapest to just replace the thermostat. Try not to loose the coolant so it can be put back in, otherwise you will need to get some from a Citroen dealer to make sure it is the correct long life type.

A basic check on the thermostat is to see if the radiator top hose starts to get warm soon after starting the engine. It should not happen until the engine is hot if the thermostat is ok. It is possible the previous owner has removed the thermostat since a new one comes with a plastic housing so could be around £20 (at least it was like this on our 2003 C3 1.4 petrol). Looking at a handbook for a 2008 C3 does not show a temperature gauge of any sort on the speedo display.

Welcome to the forum. The heater on the C3 usually can give out a good blast of very warm air, is this the case on the low blower speeds ? Also the temperature gauge if you have one should be on the middle position, our 2003 C3 gauge was not a needle type gauge but orange bars that lit up as the engine warmed. If you had a code reader that gives live data you could check the coolant temperature to see if the engine thermostat is faulty and not letting the engine warm up enough, which I suspect is the problem.

I would check the seat frame is not damaged since it has been on here they can break. If you can afford it the 2004 facelift C5 is a bit better than the earlier one but avoid the 1.6 hdi engine. The earlier 2.0 hdi does not have an exhaust dpf (both 90 and 110 bhp engines), the 2.2 hdi does and the 2004 on hdi engines all have a dpf. On the C5 technical section there is a pinned topic of common problems to have a look at.

These people look as if they could repair the seat base http://www.restallgroup.co.uk/index.php?id=66 so maybe there are similar companies in Spain. On our 2003 C3 I had considered injecting a spray foam filler into the driver's seat base to replace the foam that had been lost but never gave it a try.

The fan belt (auxiliary belt) is the thick ribbed one you can see. I am not sure but there may be a need for tensioning it once put back, or possibly doing it the way suggested the tension is not disturbed. If you look at the cylinder head cover with the Citroen logo on, the timing belt is hidden by a plastic cover at the left end as you look from the front of the car. To get the size of the allen key bit needed you could push a bit of paper over the head of one of them to mark it (or do a brass rubbing) and then get one to fit - or buy a set of bits to use with your socket set.

Welcome to the forum. I've had a few Saabs and liked them except I had to spend a lot of time repairing them, unlike the Citroens since. On the C5 technical section is a pinned topic of Common Problems on the C5, most are for the earlier models but one additional to yours is a leaking steering rack, so have a look at it. I am surprised there is rust on the car since I thought Citroens were galvanised.

I am not quite sure what you are asking - do you have the clutch out of the car and are trying to fix it ?

Welcome to the forum. When the garage reads/clears the fault codes get a list of them and post them on here to see if anyone can help. Also see if you can get the freeze frame data stored when the code was generated. A code reader that also reads some live engine data is far more useful than just a reader, an example http://www.gendan.co.uk/product_FXNT200.html The live data will let you check temperatures if there are any cooling system faults, check the exhaust catalyst/lambda sensors, air flow meter and others depending on the sensors on the engine. It will also give the freeze frame data.

Looking in your previous topics it is not clear if your car is a 2004 to 2008 C5 or a 2008 on C5 which may affect any replies. We only seem to have it is a 2008 2.0 hdi 136 bhp model.

The Citroen parts diagrams for the 2.0 hdi mark 1 or mark 2 (2004 to 2008 model) C5 list the clutch as a LUK, with other engines using a Valeo one. The flywheel make is not given. The mark 2 C5 LUK clutch is also noted as having automatic play adjustment that needs a special tool to set it up. coastline taxis will have more info when he is back on.

Welcome to the forum. Possibly damaged wiring somewhere, have a look at this https://citroenc3owners.com/citroen-c3-pluriel/pluriel-roof-problems-t1231.html

Maybe there is a problem with the dash/speedo unit or its connector or wiring. Beware if you try a used one from another car since on Citroens the mileage is stored on the ecu and also on the dash and if one is changed the car will then show the higher mileage of the dash or ecu. eg one car is 50k miles, other on 100k miles, then fit dash from 100k mile car to 50k mile one - the 50k mile car will now show 100k miles.

You could try the blower again out of the car against the car battery so 12 volts. If there is smoke from the wiring and it is getting hot then it must be taking a higher amperage than normal which will need the fuse checking since this should fail before the wiring melts. Also if higher than normal it would suggest a fault with the blower. If higher amps this could be causing the resistor to fail. The Haynes manual gives the blower fuse as F18, 40 amps in the engine fuse box but this should be checked against your handbook.

Where did the smoke come from ? I have read on here where sometimes the resistor pack is replaced but does not last long and the blower has needed replacing. Does the blower spin freely when checked by hand ? You could also check the blower fuse is the correct rating in case a higher value one has been put in and if it was the wiring smoking.

This may be worth reading http://www.caravantalk.co.uk/community/topic/57835-solar-power-a-guide/

You can ask but depending on wheel thefts where you use the car, you could just put a normal bolt in and just have 3 locking wheel nuts on the car. Also consider if one bolt has broken the other 3 may be about to break since chances are they have also been subjected to the same tightening torque - so a complete new set may be worth having. You could also try a car accessory shop for other makes of locking bolts which may not break as easily. This topic is worth a read http://www.citroen-owners-club.co.uk/citroen/topic/20752-how-do-i-remove-locking-wheel-nuts-without-the-key/

Welcome to the forum. Is the engine petrol or diesel ? If diesel the engine oil/filter needs frequent changing using the correct oil (listed in the Warranty and Maintenance guide) to help ensure the turbo lasts. Also when the engine is started do not rev it straight away and before turning off the engine let it idle for maybe half a minute for the turbo to slow down whilst oil is still being pumped round. For everything else make sure it works whilst you have a warranty. If in the future a suspension coil spring breaks, Citroen often replace them free of charge and do both sides. On the forum home page there is a link to the Picasso forum which you may also want to join.

The link does not seem to give enough info but I would be a bit reluctant to try a wire across the diagnostic connector - if you got the wrong pins it may possibly damage the ecu.

Being under warranty it will not cost anything either to have it checked and fixed if needed. It will also give you a chance to see how good your dealer is. I would also check the oil level - the latest 1.6 hdi engines do not all have a level measurement and rely on using the dip stick - our C4 is like this.