Jonno

Just an update - new MAF sensor fitted (£36 for a new one off e-bay) had been quoted between £77 and £85 from local motor factors and £135 from dealers. Replaced a couple of dodgy rubber vacuum hoses (the ones for the turbo solenoids) and the car runs like a dream. The economy has improved, town driving can be up to 45mpg and mid fifties for motorway cruising is fairly easily achievable. Happy bunny now!! Still might get it chipped at evolution over the next few months to give it that extra bit of power plus they guarantee an increase in fuel economy or money back.

Right - intercooler removed and cleaned, not much in there really. MAF sensor cleaned. This has improved things a little. All I need now is someone with dolly fingers to adjust the throttle cable - what a pig to get at!! I am considering taking it to evolution chips to get it remapped once I have sorted the bits that I can, anyone got any feedback on their work??

Thanks for the early reply Random - will check those thngs out. just an update its a relatively low miler at 67k

I have a 2003 C5 HDi and Iam a little dissapointed in its performance. Seems very sluggish on acceleration. It will cruise all day at 70mph+ but sure takes its time getting there. There are no warnings coming up, no management light illuminating so no real indications of any problems. Its just that I feel as though it is not performing as it should. All brakes are free so there is nothing holding it back in that way. It doesnt seem to want to accelerate in 5th at all just as though there is a lack of power, must admit I have my doubts as to whether the turbo is spooling up ok. Your thoughts would be much appreciated and any home checks I could do before getting dealers involved. Jonno

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j102/lincsniva/spares005.jpg

http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j102/lincsniva/spares001.jpg Unfortunately not a great pic of the control unit for the blower unit but it gives you some idea what it looks like for a mk11 xsara The unit is located within the motor housing and that can be accessed from under the dashboard/glovebox area. The motor is held in by three 6mm headed screws (one of thems a clat to get to) but once out the unit can easily be changed out. The motor can be removed from its holder - once the connecting cables have been removed - by undoing a couple of cross headed screws. All in all probably about a half hours job -- the only bad bit is the price of genuine citroen parts at around just over £100 !!!!!!!!!

I will probably replace both sides link rods to be sure (but will get them from somewhere like GSF as Citroens want to charge £39 each!! - reckon I could get two for less than that from GSF)

My 2.0 HDi has developed an annoying rattle when going over bumps in the road, a smooth road and theres no rattle at all, but it seems to be coming from drivers front side. I thought initially it was a bottom ball joint loose but that checked out fine. Another thought was the anti roll bar joints etc but they too are tight. I know noises are inherently difficult to trace but the best description I can give is it does in fact sound like an anti roll bar joint loose. Checked all suspension attachments and cant find any play anywhere, also checked security of plastic underpan etc and thats fine. The annoying thing is it is just a knock type rattle sound but I cant feel anything through the steering, floor etc that would pinpoint its source. It does it no matter what the vehicle is doing - accelerating, braking, turning and coasting. Anyone had anything similar and what cause they found?

Are the plastic lugs ok? if they have worn or broken then there will be little holding the cap in place and any positive crankcase pressure will pop off the cap. New cap is probably under a fiver from citroen dealers. If the rocker cover lugs are damaged I may have a spare cover somewhere for a 2.0HDi that you could purchase cheaply, it will be buried deep in one of my sheds somewhere so may take a little time sourcing.

My 110HDi hatchback is on 195/55/15 tyres.

While you may have power to the glowplugs could it be that they may not be functioning as they should? Don't know whether the 1.9td utilises the glowplugs readily, the 2.0HDi I believe only uses them when the ambient temperature drops below freezing (open to correction on that)

T55 mate I got a draper set 1/2" drive with multiple bits for around £8 they did the job ok. Mind you I did have to use an extension bar to crack them - if you need to do that I suggest placing an axle stand at the pivot point so that you dont twist the torx bit out of the cap head bolt.

You will need a torx bit to get the carrier off - and they will be tight! don't forget to put threadlock on them when you refit

There are, aparently so I have been told by my friendly motor factors, two different brake pads available for the xsara HDi, mine were the more expensive Bosch type unfortunately - hey no matter there is only a few quid difference anyway. I got a full set of discs (front and rear) plus a full set of pads (front and rear) for just a tad over £100. Not a bad job to do either as long as the caliper carrier bolts come out ok. If you are only doing pad change then no bother at all - probably 3/4hr job all told with a cuppa break too. I just gave the motor factors my reg number and they said here these are the ones you want.

I would guess that the BSI unit may need a reset by citroen dealers?? It seems that most control circuits have some dealings with the Built-in Systems Interface in one way or another.

couple of questions: does yours have air con? have you noticed any sweet smell? If it has air con check that the drain is clear so that any condensation can run away instead of pooling (there will be a rubber tube under the car towards the rear of the engie which should be clear of obstructions) If you have a sweet smell it could be that the heater matrix is weeping slightly and allowing coolant to be evaporated into the passenger compartment. not a particularly easy fix but doable nonetheless. just a real clat to change the matrix.

Do you have access to locking tools to stop the pump, camshaft and crank turning? If you are going to change it yourself go for a reputable belt manufacturer like Gates and don't forget to change the tensioning rollers too. The cam belt kit is available for around £70 quid if i remember right, and fitting charges can differ quite dramatically between reccomended garages and main dealers if you go down that route average charges probably around £200 maybe for the whole job including belt and tensioner. Maybe worth considering changing the water pump too while you have the opportunity (around £30 or less for a waterpump)

That's worrying - how could you prove your actual speeds if caught by a gatso? Hope you get a definitive answer and a cure for the problem - interesting one isn't it

Remember the old pug 205's - when I worked at a peugeot garage back in the early eighties we were allowed (although not strictly adhered to) 45 minutes for a clutch change. Certainly couldn't do it in that time now with all the electronical wiring etc in the way

That sounds most correct there, I suppose you could always tape the broken off fob part near to the ignition switch (hidden if you intend to keep it there) so the ignition immobiliser recognises the original key. That is probably going to be your cheapest option as a "chipped" key is going to be fairly expensive.

Just be aware that new rear pads are no where near as thick a friction material as the front pads - probably around half the thickness. The pistons should screw back into the calipers relatively easily but do need to be pushed in as well - just as techbod said. I used a flat blade screwdriver on mine (on its side in the castellations of the piston) and it worked a treat. Another way of trying to undo the mangled disc retaining screw is to try moving it with a centre punch to initially release it - failing that drill the head of the screw off and hopefully there should be enough of the screw threads left sticking out once the disc is off to get a pair of molegrips on it. If you dont manage to get it out all is not lost as the disc is going to be held in place by the wheel bolts anyway - all it means is the disc will have to be aligned with the rear hub flange to screw the bolts in.

Is the original central locking inefective? What problems have you got with the present system if fitted?

A lot will depend on where it is leaking from. Is it a leak from the pump itself, the hoses to and from the pump,the resevoir or the steering rack?

2.0 HDi is self priming if I remember right, - it uses the electric pump in the tank to fill the system untill it cuts out on pressure control.

Shouldn't use any power steering oil - it recirculates. And you would be able to steer if the pump didn't work - it has to for safety reasons. If the steering is that heavy it is either the pump or the steering rack that could be the problem.