Johndouglas

It's to keep it cool

+Why don't you just leave the aircon switched on. I don't think mine has ever been turned off. All I use are the two temperature control switches.

Does the rear window in the tailgate open? Ever since the C5 estates came on to the scene, they have all given trouble in the tailgate window department after a few years. When I bought my previous C5 new in 2005, I asked the salesman about the fault and he assured me that it had been sorted. But after only three years, the boot door began to open on its own. I would get out of the car and bang it closed; get back into the driving seat and as I closed my door, the boot and window would both open. Sometimes if I closed my drivers door very carefully, I could manage it without the boot opening. As I never used the window opening facility, and also as I was abroad, I removed the cover from the tailgate and disconnected the solenoid. Once that was done I had no more problem. I never bothered to reconnect it and fix the problem. Somewhere on the 'net there's a full description with photos of the repair procedure.

Have you tried bleeding the brake lines?

Is the cam shaft in one piece? Often when the belt snaps, the shaft breaks into three pieces. Then the pulley would turn without too much resistance.

What year and model are we looking at here? I don't think you've said.

Check the wiring in the bellows where it enters the car near to the hinge. Also remove the switch for testing.

Any dampness in the footwells?

Hello & welcome to the forum. Your review makes an interesting read. Having a 1.6 under your bonnet, keep the oil & filter changes done a bit before schedule, otherwise you'll be needing a new turbo.

Probably Yes - As a code reader it is a very simple version but if it does what it says on the tin - that it will read and erase engine codes, then it should do the trick. But when I was away on holiday with my C5, a local garage read my faults and turned them off, charging me only £20.

Are you having to top-up the coolant reservoir?

When you did the BSI reset, did you hold the lock button down for 10 seconds? If not try another reset like this:- Put the driver's window down, lift the bonnet and ensure all equipment is switched off. Ensure all doors are closed and remove key from the ignition. Wait for 3 minutes, disconnect the vehicle battery and wait 15 seconds. Reconnect the vehicle battery, wait a further 10 seconds (do not open doors.). Switch on the side lights through the driver's window. Switch on the ignition and check system's functionality. Hold lock button on key down for 10 seconds. Remove key open & close door test central locking system. Start the engine and complete the system's check. Reset the clock and date.

Eventually - maybe around 90-100K you will get a warning on the dashboard that your fluid level is low. If you ignore it, other warning messages will come up together with the EML being lit. Ignore those warnings and the engine will go into limp mode. That means it won't rev at more than 2000rpm. Sure - you can erase the warnings but they will quickly return. The answer is to refill the additive tank with Eolys fluid (about £40 per litre) and maybe get the particle filter cleaned. Both jobs are do-able DIY - although you'll need a Lexia to reset the counter for the additive.

The liquid is Eolys fluid and it's contained in a hidden 5litre tank at the n/s end of the main fuel tank. When you fill up with diesel your onboard computer injects only milli-litres of fluid. Every 300 or so miles the system regenerates by making the particle filter very hot so that the particles of soot are burnt instead of being blasted out into the atmosphere. The 5 litres of fluid will last up to 90-100K miles, by which time the tank will need to be refilled and the on board computer reset. At the same time the particle filter may need replacing but often it just needs a clean. To keep the particle filter working at its best, it's advisable to follow the recommendations and use low ash oil when changing the engine oil. That's an oil to a C2 or C3 standard

Hello & welcome to the forum. I too started with a BX in 1990 and went through Xantias and C5's - but all diesels.

How is the battery in the plip. Might be worth trying a new one.

Try this. These instructions are for an earlier model than yours, but they may work. Have the ignition on but radio off. Push in the button to left of the display and hold it in. After 3 or 4 seconds, you will get "Language: English". Keep pressing the button to scroll through the menus until you get to the time and date. Push the button on the right to change any window that is flashing, then the button on the left to change to the next window. When all the windows have stopped flashing, it may be set!

You may know someone with a code reader but most garages use them. It's a quick job to plug one in.

Consider a C5 in VTR form from around 2010 onwards. You'll get a 160bhp 2 ltr engine on a platform that has normal steel suspension. Much less to go wrong without the hydropnuematic suspension of the Exclusive models. Don't get me wrong! The Citroen suspension gives a fantastic ride and can go for years without trouble, but the VTR's are undoubtedly simpler to maintain.

Well for starters get it connected to a code reader and see if there are any fault codes listed. Maybe if they are deleted they won't come back.

No unfortunately it doesn't! It hasn't worked for some time. Best you can do is upload to Photobucket or Flickr then post the link.

You unlock a C5 and by the time you are seated, the suspension should be at its 'normal' level - even before you start the engine. It shouldn't be necessary to move the height control. Even if the suspension had been left at the 'wrong' height, the vehicle would correct itself by the time you had reached 20mph. Obviously there is something not right with this vehicle. It may be that the height correctors are just 'sticky', but it might also be something more expensive. Also the 2ltr engine as fitted in most C5s is considered to be better and more reliable than the 2.2. The vibrations you felt at the front wheel after you had switched off would more than likely be the suspension pump still running. It's situated under the bonnet over the o/s front wheel. Unless you can obtain a reasonable warranty and an undertaking that the fault has been corrected, I would leave it.

A few posts back Steve suggested you try and get the injectors out. How are they looking? They're well known for being very difficult to move and they've got to come out before you can remove the head.

For arduous conditions Citroen recommend servicing every 12500 miles or every year. Since my car gets to southern Spain each year, I treat its mileage as arduous.

Hello Mike. As far as I can tell the wheel torque figures should be 90Nm or 66lb/ft. Regarding the SD card, when I collected my C5 - which is the same as yours apart from mine being an estate version, the salesman discovered the card was missing. In spite of his promises to put it in the post, it never arrived. Being impatient, I found an up-to-date one on ebay for £30. Since it has no Citroen/Peugeot markings on it, it might be a pirated copy, but it seems to work OK. Look at item 121329492167.