Ronin

Welcome to the forum m8. I could be mistaken but I believe you can get them. I have seen an outer joint listed while trawling the web for parts etc, not just full shafts listed. Check here: http://www.carparts-direct.co.uk/cv_joints_detail.cfm I must congratulate you on the cost of the car. The way I look at it, even if you have to spend £1000 on it to get it perfect you will still be below the book value. Believe me, there aren't many perfect cars that age out there for that amount so you have bought a hell of a lot of car for very little.... Good job.

There is a section in your owners manual on how to turn off auto lights. As far as wheel balancing goes. Yes I would still get it checked out even if the vibration is gone. New tyres need time to settle in and more often than not the vibration will return. Ring around a few local tyre specialists first and check to see if they have the bolt type hub for your alloys. Trust me it's worth doing m8 or you might find that uneven wear on those brand new tyre's may occur.

Your welcome Peter, anytime m8 ,I'm just glad you found the culprit.

Y reg 01 plate C5 sx 1.8 16v 135,500 miles. for £700 about 5 months ago No problems and everything works so far. I'm impressed with the comfort and the handling even though it's just the H3 and not the + model. Performance is ok for a 1.8ltr but it seems a bit of a short geared car, more like a typical 1.4 or 1.6 car It seems like its close ratio'd too. Is this normal? All I can tell you is my brother in law's C5 Seems to have taller gearing! Saying that the poke it has between 50 - 100 mph(private roads of course) is quite impressive and leaves a lot of larger powered car owners scratching their heads. I get about 75 miles to £10 = 38.6 mpg so I can't really complain. So far I've replaced two dipped beam bulbs which went together, The stereo as the CD didn't work, front and rear pads for mintex pads, fully serviced by me. I had a side wall puncture about a week ago but thankfully it was the oldest tyre on the car so it has 4 new Uniroyal's (I swear by them) on now. Previous to me owning it, it had a new full exhaust system fitted along with new cat. It had a knock sensor replaced, timing belt, drive belts and new clutch fitted. It also had new spheres fitted about 40,000 miles ago along with a pair of A/R bar droplinks. The guy I bought it off had it from new but felt he had spent enough money on it.... Hehehe my gain, his loss as most of the common issues had been fixed. I'm just expecting the rear arm bearings to go but so far so good. It's never let me down yet and some people still think c5's are unreliable! It does however have a slight "tick" coming from the o/s/f camshaft area but Ive had the rocker cover off and checked the lifters and cam lobes for wear or scoring and found nothing any Ideas guys? It's not loud but annoying when I can't see anything wrong and the car performes well.

Yes they do m8 with no problems and look as if they were designed with the car. I got mine from the local Halfords (order in within 3 days at a tenner). No screws needed it just clips in. The cover goes over the two switches "boot release & central locking" either side of the stereo so you won't need to use the two extra switch covers from OEM. The only thing I found was a bit shoddy was the bottom lip of the new fascia was a bit sharp and unfinished but a quick zip along with some 800 grit sand paper soon sorted that out. ;)

Sorry Cloughie can you be more specific m8? Give us a full run down on what you are feeling, hearing on one particular event or time frame etc. There could be many things that could be the problem m8. We can try and help you but a little more info makes sure that we can get a good starting point and give you the right advice ok m8. Don't scimp on any detail no matter how small. ;) It could be clutch/flywheel, engine /gearbox mounts, diesel fueling pump issues, sensor problems, braking or even belt/timing issues. The extra info you give will help a lot

I hope you get this sorted m8, I'll keep my fingers crossed too. I can't emphasise enough how important it is to get the cranckshaft bottom pulley thoroughly checked too. I spoke to my dealer service manager (Croxdale Citroen) and threw a few questions his way regarding this issue. I just wish all Citroen service managers were as approachable as he has been. Obviosly he started by saying "without looking at the car" He too has seen this problem twice on C5's and both times it has been the DMF flywheel and bottom pulley. The flywheel puts undue pressure on the anti-vibration damper section of the crankshaft bottom pulley. One case he had seen the rubber damper seperated , the other case it looked fine but they changed it as a precaution. "That is assuming it is the same issue of course"! he gave an all knowing wink at the end of his comment. He also said probable causes to these falures were down to: 1. too many fifth to third gear changes and booting it puts pressure on the DMF at some stage of the cars life. leading to excessive play. 2. Riding the clutch as one owner was renowned for it after going through 2 clutches on a his previous C3 in 40,000 miles. 3. Not lifting off the accelerator fully during gear change (the same owner lol) I wouldn't have deemed it important as I can imagine how much money this is costing you but now now knowing what happens in these instances I would feel uncomfortable not advising about the possibility. Let us know the outcome m8 and I wish you luck.

Would it be at all possible to send me a copy over too please m8 :rolleyes: bellyinuk@msn.com Thanks m8

I'm sorry m8 but i haven't done it yet although i'm pretty sure it is quite an easy affair. Have a look around this C5 section and you will find a post about "bumpers". If I remember correctly you have to remove the black plastic bump strip and the securing points are behind there, I could be wrong though m8. Sorry I can't help you beyond that.

I would say that it was bulbs. It happened to me the same way. Citroen have a habit of making sure when one goes so does the other at the same time. Maybe its a safety issue that makes you realize instead of running around with just one headlight on. How many times have we seen that on the roads. On the other hand though if it is meant to be that way its also bloody dangerous on a country lane in mid bend! :rolleyes:

As far as tyre pressures go. I check mine every week without fail and use the same pump in the same fuel station. I once was actually sad enough to try 3 different filling station pumps in my immediate area and found they were all registering different psi's, one as much as 7 psi less! Another was 5 psi more! I bought a cheap tyre pressure checker from halfords and now use the filling station with the closest reading after they had the machine calibrated once I showed them the difference. The halfords TPC was only -1 psi out after calibration on the pump. Never take air pumps at face value. If in doubt, ask when it was calibrated. Remember it's your money they are wasting in fuel economy and tyre wear if it's wrong and then some filling stations have the cheek to charge you 20p for the priveleage. :rolleyes:

The boot spoiler will cause drag, that's what they are designed to do. However I would agree with RB and leave it on, It will not make any difference to the mpg unless your speed is above 85mph constantly. Spoilers on all modern cars are for aesthetic purposes and offer no downforce advantages what so ever. The only cars that it does help with are the likes of subaru imprezza turbo's and Evo's and even then it only has a slight stability effect above 100mph. Fact: Remember this story? It was in the papers and on the news... Humberside police once had a couple of escort cosworth's in the 90's complete with the picnic table sized whale tails!. They removed the spoilers and found the car was actually faster but a little bit more twitchy at speeds above 100+. They went one further and replaced the front spoiler with a standard escort bumper in order to get over speed humps quickly and again the car was a little faster but actually balanced the twichy handling. They never reported any increase in fuel economy though. Unfortunately a pursuit driver totalled one into a farmers field during a chase and the insurance wouldn't pay out because the police workshop had "modified" the vehicle! Needless to say the spoilers were replaced on the other cossie much to the dismay of the other pursuit drivers. Humberside Constabulary tried to sue Ford UK for damage to the crashed vehicle, Their arguement was that they had proved ford had made an inherently unstable car with all the spoiler addititions! It never made it to court but Humberside got a brand new cossie powered escort in a rs2000 spec bodykit free from Ford. Now that was comedy you just can't buy B) :lol: :lol:

Thats really good to hear m8, Im pleased it was something simple instead of the rear radius arm bearings. This knuckle joint though, did he show you where it is located? It might be helpful to other owners who are worried about wierd noises. We've had a few ask in recent weeks. ;)

Hey m8, you are more than welcome. We are all here to help each other with little bits of info. On a related note the crank pulley has some kind of anti-vibration rubber damper securing system which can peel away with time. Paul(screwloose) had posted some info on honest john site about it. You may find interesting. Paul is like a trainee doctor when it comes to mechanical advice, He reads it or experiences then thats all the advice he can give lol... I think you will get the jist of what he is trying to say though http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=62929 He hopes you get it sorted m8.

Louis Barbour Rignall Garage Rignall Road Gt Missenden HP16 9AW Tel 01494 864112 www.rignall-garage.co.uk PTS Developments Units 1&2 South Barn Gardeners Green Farm Heathlands Road Wokingham Berks RG40 3AS Tel 01344 771778 www.ptsdevlopments.com Installation Services Brookside (next to the "Last Inn" pub) Hengoed Oswestry Shropshire SY10 7EQ tel 01691 670003 Richard Dalton Citroen Specialist Audley Service Station 75 Nantwich Road Audley nr Stoke on Trent ST7 8DJ tel 01782 720418 Chris Jacobs CGS Autosystems Units 1-2A Theresa St Gloucester NB Believed now closed October 2006 Owen G Motors Coychurch Road Bridgend Wales CF31 2AP tel 01656667768 Wyvern Garage Woolaston Lydney Gloucestershire GL15 6BT tel 01594 529298 Voiture Technique Services 10-11 Cattell Rd Warwick CV34 4JN tel 01926 402101 Phil Wells Engineering Unit 3 & 4 Westwood Cottage Rockhill Chelsfield, Orpington BR6 7PP tel 01959 532525 Andy Lamb Curbridge Motor Co 8A Bury Farm Curbridge Botley Southampton Tel 01489 780782 AP Autocare Whitehouse Place Bedminster Bristol BS3 4BL tel 0117 963 8916 Bristol 2cv (Cit Specialist) 16A Hampton Rd Redland Bristol BS6 6HJ tel 0117 907 3330 Desborough Motors 15 Desborough Lane Plymouth PL4 9PJ tel 01752 229229 Lloyds Auto Repairs 2 Cwm Road Hafod Swansea SA1 2AY tel 01792 641843 European Autos Rear of 2 Partridge Road Cardiff CF24 3QX tel 02920 495865 Bijou Motor Services Rear of 99-101 Newport Road Cwmcarn Gwent NP1 7LZ tel 01495 271033 Mid Kent Citroen Centre 265 London Road West Malling Kent ME19 5AE tel 01732 845264 (near Junction 4 M20) Preservation Garage Services (PGS) Unit 17 Millers Rd Ladbrooke Park Warwick CV34 5AE tel 01926 419799 R Edwards & Sons (Cit breakers/repairs) Oak Lodge Buckwyns Chase Billericay CM12 0TN tel 01277 651486 Ray Williams of Burnham 239 Berwick Ave Trading Estate Slough SL1 4QT tel 01753 576853 www.ray-williams.co.uk Keith Davis Citroen Specialist Parsonage Garage Middle Lane Aldford Chester CH3 6JA tel 01244-620399 Mike Chedzoy Motors Greenbrook Terrace Taunton Somerset TA1 1UU tel 01823 270666 Eurocarcare (Citronome) Beaufort Court Mansfield Road Derby DE21 4FA tel 01332 345869 www.citronome.co.uk Chevronic Centre Unit D, Old Oak Ind Estate Arlesey Bedfordshire SG15 6XA tel 01462 731733 www.chevronics.co.uk Cleaver Cars (Bob Cleaver) 67 Loverock Rd Reading RG30 1DZ tel 0118 9576405 Scotroen Motors(Norrie Taylor) Blackford House Charterhall Grove Edinburgh EH9 3HT tel 0131 667 0602 Cartech of Shrewsbury Unit D3 Greenwood Court Shrewsbury SY1 3TB tel 01743 460090 Modern Citroen Services Unit 1, 1622 Bristol Road South Birmingham B45 9TY tel 0121 4759191 Barry Coombs MIMI Unit 3 Spring Lane South Malvern Link Malvern, Worcs tel 01684 566500 Bourne Citroen Centre Unit 1, Eastgate Industrial Estate Cherry Holt Road Bourne Lincs PE10 9JY www.bourne-citroen-centre.co.uk Chevron Car Centre Unit 4, Romford Road Stafford ST16 3DZ tel 01785 223336 Dave Stott Motors Charlotte St Middlesborough TS2 1DT tel 01642 224805 Citronics Southdown Ind Est Southdown Road Harpenden Herts AL5 1PW tel 01582 766511 CH Salter and Sons Ltd 9-11 Alansway Finnimore Industrial Estate Ottery St Mary Devon EX11 1NR 01404 812054 www.chsalter.co.uk A B C X M Servicing Unit 15 Wainer Close Lincoln LN6 3RY tel 01522 500333 Aston Repair Depot (David Ball) The Square Aston Bampton Oxfordshire OX18 2BT tel 01993 850305 PTS Citroen Service Centre Rear of 1-5 St Johns Road Isleworth, Middx TW7 6NA tel 0208 560 3267 MWR (Mark Waghorn) The Arches 11 & 12 Latchmere Road Battersea London SW11 2DR tel 0207 924 2477 www.mwrmotors.co.uk T.L Motors (Tim Lane) School Lane Toller Porcorum Dorchester DT2 0DF tel 01300 320219 Dave Ashworth 7 Cowley Road Blackpool FY4 4NE tel 01253 696294 Braggs of Briston 71 Church Street Briston Melton Constable Norfolk NR24 2LE tel 01263861385 Carprep (John Drew) Robins Cook Business Centre Kingsmill Lane Redhill RH1 5JX tel 01737 779900 www.carprep.co.uk Paris Retro Old Quarry Eastcourt Road Temple Cloud BS39 5BU tel 01761 453500 Mike Hesford Brookside Garage 5 Swallow Units Alphinbrook Road Marsh Barton Exeter EX2 8QF tel 01392 255858 Mark Dunn Citroen Specialist 13 Witton Ditch Road Ramsbury Wilts SN8 2PF tel 01672 521053 Pryton Engineering The Workshop Pavenhill Purton nr SWindon Wilts SN5 4DB tel 01793 772090 Brian Fursdon Unit 14, St. James Rd Corby Northamptonshire NN18 8AL Tel: 01536 401198 Alan Parr, CitroenTune The Garage, Enfield Street St. Helens, Merseyside WA10 3UL Tel: 01744 23935 Witmun Engineering 67a Nutfield Road Merstham Redhill Surrey RH1 3ER tel. John Witty on 01737 644828

Ok I've checked and Citroen share the same parts with Peugeot for both hdi models. Three words, one part..... D.M.F. or dual mass flywheel.... It causes the impression of clutch slip when it is on its way out even though the clutch is healthy. I rang Paul, my m8 with the same issues on his 407 2.0 hdi and he told me that : "It took the peugeot main dealer tech's four rebuilds, four timing belts, one waterpump, four rollers and two tensioner assemblies before they realised what the problem was and still they were adamant the clutch was ok". Does this sound familiar? He went to an independant peugeot mechanic and he diagnosed the problem right away. the DMF was replaced as well as the crankshaft pulley as a precaution and he has had no further issues. The DMF was lagging through slippage , thus slipping and increasing the crankshaft speed and what is connected to the crankshaft? Exactly... the bottom end pulley that turns the timing belt, the belt was therefore trying to jump the teeth to keep the timing correct and bearing in mind that the weakest link in all this is actually the belt, it then comes as no surprise for it to shred. Ask them to check the DMF. A replacement solid flywheel can be obtained from Valeo for £200..ish. Apparently these are much better and offer smoother gear changes and of course prevent further timing issues. Thank my m8 later ;) Lord knows it cost him enough to find out.

Ok m8, no problem. You can tell a lot from a snapped cam belt in the way it is damaged. It can throw up some areas to start looking for the re-occuring problem. If this second belt has gone in a similar manner then we can presume a mechanical link in the belt's route is to blame. I think the clutch slip has a related issue to why the cambelt is going so quickly. It could have some bearing on it if the engine was over revving continiously but if not, it sounds as if it's a symptom rather than a cause. There is very good reasons why I'm asking these questions. so bear with me and get as much info from the technicians as you can. Let us know what you can see when the belt is removed m8 ok and we can take it from there. If I was a betting man I would put a couple of quid on it being one of two things at the moment. I've seen a similar issue to this on a friends 03 plate Peugeot 407 hdi and you wouldn't believe what was causing it. The trouble is that I'm not too sure if the C5 has the same set up particularly the crankshaft and pulley's. You could ask the technicians this question.

Just a quick few questions Peter. When you say "the belt was in shreds" was it damage to the belt along the length of the belt or was it across the belt? Also were any teeth or grooves on the belt missing or did the they all look worn? For example instead of a castle battlement look, did they look rounded on one edge? Was the back of the belt shiny or did it still have the white print on it?

Your more than welcome m8, that's what we are here for. My work mate has just bought a new C5 1.6 HDi and he is loving it. I can't believe the poke that little diesel has. Thank God that citroen have made the ride quality perfect...AGAIN. It handles well too with the latest version of the h3+ suspension. He had a 407 before and he says this is miles better. Only thing I found a problem with was the smell lol. I don't like the new car smell that citroens have at the moment.

I'm not too sure about the C5 belts as I havn't done one yet but I've had lots of experience with changing other car makes. I can only offer a generalised approach to your problem. Premature cambelt failure can happen for a few reasons. 1. The tension on the belt has been too tight or too loose. Often associated with a whining noise when tight or a rattle when loose. 2. faulty pre-tensioner or guide rollers. This causes all the symptoms of the above and leads to imminent failure. Alfa Romeo for example reccommend the guide roller and pre-tensioner to be changed during every cam belt replacement. 3. Faulty bottom pulley or waterpump pully. Pulleys can become loose with wear and can start to vibrate, causing cambelt failure. Water pump bearings often sieze or slow down with corrosion and wear. This can put extra tension on the cam belt and os associated with a high pitch squeel. 4. Damaged teeth on upper cam pulley. A lot of "DIY mechanics" try to fit cambelts with "home made" locking systems. i.e. screwdrivers! or they dont have the right tool for the rollers etc. They find it difficult to place the belt on in the correct position or tension so resort to "tapping with increasing force and language" the belt onto the teeth of the cam pulley with a hammer. Naturally this results chips and dents on the metal which wears through the belt like a strimmer on overload! 5. This one is very rare nowadays but it could be a faulty belt from new. Try a different manufacturer. Never scimp on cambelts. You get what you pay for and it will show in the miles you do. 6. OIL on the belt! check for leaks from oil seals at the top and bottom that can get onto the belt and lead it to slip. Oil seals can fail due to increased back pressure from clogged pipes and/ or over filling the engine oil. Check the dipstick to see if it pops out of the holder when driving. This is a sure sign of excessive back pressure. Most of these faults will cause eventual failure. The only way to make sure is to replace the guides/ rollers and any pump that has been on the car for a long while. prevention is far better than the cure. Most problem can be intermittent with heat and milaege so when the engine is cold a bit of play in these items can go unnoticed even to a trained eye. As far as the clutch goes, I've never heard of a clutch slip that causes belt failure unless it was excessive revs for over a short period(40 seconds + at max revs continously). If the cambelt area has oil leaks, the chances are that the other crankshaft oil seal at the gearbox end is leaking too. This results in oil on the clutch plate thus causing slip. Don't worry, these are suggestions of ALL that can go wrong and by no way means that all of these symptoms are the cause. It is more than likely that you may have one issue in this macabre list that is causing the premature failure. I hope you get it sorted m8 and I hope some of the advice i've given has helped. Please let us know how you get on m8.

1. place a small, thin, flatblade screw driver under the bottom ridge of the panel of the central locking switch and twist. It should flick out with very little effort. Do the same to the other side. You will see two torx screws that hold in the citroen head unit, remove them and the head unit will pull out of the console easily. If you want to fit the new head unit in and make it look clean and tidy, you will need a DIN conversion fascia plate. These can be purchased on the internet or Halfords "three days to order in" for around £10. Depending on the new head unit you may need an aerial converter "halfords for £3" 2. Yes the wiring harness has ISO plugs fitted, however you will not be able to use the extra Citroen display panel or steering wheel/column controls without a specialist convertor again available on the internet "around £40-£50" The head unit will work quite happily without them though. A word of warning! Some owners have reported problems with these remote converters causing other electrical gremlins so make sure they are matched to the head unit if you so choose to get one. One last point. If you loose your radio station pre-sets etc. or need to re-code the new head unit when turning it on:- check the manufacturers manual on how to keep live feed to the head unit and refer to the C5 owners manual for the re-locating the radio fuse to the power on setting. Hope it helps <_<

Ahh if it's a sony head unit there should be an option for pemanent power to the head unit, check your head unit serial/ model/number for faq's on the sony ICE web site. <_<

Welcome to the forums. I'll try and answer your questions ok. first of all the vibration..... Try getting your wheels re-balanced at a local tyre and exhaust centre, but avoid the big firms like kwikfit etc. (about £5.00 per wheel) it should cure the problem. Brake squeal is quite normal if the mechanic who worked on the brakes did not use any copperslip on the rear face of the pads and didnt remove enough corrosion from the calipers. It can be annoying but won't affect the braking efficiency. If it was done recently, ask them to look at it again. The chances are is that they will do exactly just that to prevent the squeal and you returning. Widows coming down when wipers work! Hmm, that's a tricky one but I would look in your owners manual for the proceedure on how to turn off the automatic rain sensor/ wiper facilty. It sounds as if this has gone faulty, so turning it off should help resolve the issue. If it doesn't then it's a trip to the auto electricians I'm afraid. The flicker of the electrics sounds like either a battery terminal is loose or dirty, judging by what you have said about the battery cover being loose, remember even if you don't here it rattling at higher engine sppeds doesn't mean it's not bouncing about.... This could be knocking the terminal connector. Or the other possibility... Sounds like an earthing problem that can be easily resolved by locating where the negative battery lead connects to the body work. Remove, sand down the contacts and body area from any corrosion and re-fit. The ticking from the fuse box can be a result of the above as the relay boxes will switch on and off momentarily with lack of power. The airbag warning will also be a result of the momentary power loss. I would favour that is possibly the reasons why you are having these electrical niggles and I would try both options as a preventative measure. Clips can be bought as a bag full from your local citroen parts department and aren't that expensive. Hope it helps. let us know how you get on please as it helps other owners with similar problems to find solutions easier.

Wheel spacers do indeed put extra wear on the bearings as well as the hubs, cv joints and wheel bolts. Trust me, its not the way to go m8. I would suggest getting hold of some light alloys 1" bigger in diameter and fitting tyres that are 10mm wider with a side wall percentage to match the rolling circumference of the original wheels to keep your speedo accurate. This will improve traction, braking and cornering grip dramatically. Try directional rain tyres too for extra confidence in wet weather, they are truly awsome : example 60 mph+ on a large roundabout in an AX GT during a down pour & it stuck like glue with Uniroyal 480's 175-60-hr14. Forget about lowered, uprated spings... They are a gimmick that only work on a dry road as a car needs body roll and some give in the wet to prevent lateral understeer. Thats why so many boy racers crash into trees in wet weather! They think the car handles better when lowered and stiffened and presume its the same on wet roads...! Given how many days we have rain, sleet and snow, it's not worth it. If you want the car to corner like it's on rails, go for a slightly stiffer anti-rollbar set up, combine this with the tyre & wheel combination and I promise you will see a massive difference. Try L.A.D. Motorsport who have had a long history with race/rally citroens. They know what they are talking about. Advice is free and you can get many parts from them that are tried and tested. In fact go and visit them if you can. They probably have a C1 demo so you could compare. I did that with my AX GT and drove theirs. The difference was unbelievable! :unsure:

Most Citroens have a limp home mode to prevent further damage ton the engine and gearbox, It could be something as simple as a gearbox sensor gone faulty. Closest specialist in the North west that I know of and have a very good reputation would be: Westroen Sphere Services 7 Nell La, Manchester, M21 8UE 0161 881 1061 They specialise in suspension and sphere issues but have a good general citroen background and don't charge the earth. Give them a ring and explain the problem, they might be able to shed some light on it but I would say that any garage is going to have to see the car in order to plug it in for fault diagnosis so be expected to travel. If you are a member of the AA or RAC, drive a mile from home. Ring themand ask them to recover the vehicle and take it to your chosen repairer. You might as well use and abuse them as thats what you pay for.