FridgemagnetC5

It pains me to my very core to admit this, but I must concede defeat and I have requested a quote from my local Citroen dealers. It's the intermediate bearing on the RH driveshaft that's the killer - it's very inaccessible on the 2.2 HDi engine and it's more than I can physically do with just ramps and jacks. I've done the same procedure before with the LH driveshaft and that's relatively easy. Thank-you again to paul.h for the very helpful gearbox information - I hope at least this thread provides useful figures for others who are uncertain about the oil capacity of the ML6C gearbox with the cooling fins as the figures quoted by Haynes would lead to a nasty overfill.

Thanks paul.h, much appreciated. I was back at the Citroen dealers again today to pick up some parts and showed my gearbox pic to one of the senior mechanics there and he confirms what you're saying above - the drain-and-fill capacity is 1.9 litres. Confusingly this is also the from-bone-dry capacity of the smaller ML6C unit without the cooling fins, at least according to Haynes. Of which, given that Haynes list the cooling-finned ML6C as having a 2.6 litre capacity (with no qualifiers), I wonder how many people have over-filled their gearboxes and blown a seal* based on this? I'll do the job tomorrow if weather permits, measure the volume of oil I drain out and report back. *It's just a bit of snow on my moustache, honest.

Yes, and yes. I went to replace the rear discs and pads in a 2001 C5 a few years back and noticed that the new discs were jamming in the calliper. Initially I thought I had bought the wrong discs, but no, it was galvanic/electrolytic corrosion pushing the calipers out of alignment. IIRC the rear callipers are formed of two alloy assemblies that part when the fixing bolts are removed, so be prepared for brake fluid spills. Also the Haynes manual says to use new bolts on reassembly, so there's that to consider. With my callipers in their corroded state I did notice a very variable performance in braking. The brakes were OK most of the time, but every now and then (generally after going through a big puddle) the brakes would be very weak. These issues went away once the calliper corrosion was removed and everything was back in alignment again.

Anyone know what the oil capacity for the 6 speed manual gearbox in a 2007 2.2 HDi (170 bhp) C5 is? The Haynes manual helpfully lists two types of ML6C gearboxes - with and without cooling fins, and these take 2.6 and 1.9 litres of oil respectively. My helpful local Citroen dealers ran my VIN through their system and it came back with 1.9 litres, but I'm not sure if I believe this as my gearbox seems to have cooling fins. Here is the pic of my gearbox: http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y225/MrFMagnet/Vroom/20160401_145323.jpg I also ran my VIN through Service Box and it came back with the model "BVM ML6 CL", though I was unable to find the oil capacity. I know the oil is supposedly good for life but I need to remove a driveshaft soon; also there seems to be a slight leak from a gasket so the oil level might be a little low, otherwise I'd just measure what comes out. Does anyone recognise the particular flavour of gearbox in the pic above?

I recently replaced all the front suspension and steering bushes and balljoints on my 2007 C5, and am now recovering from the effort. This was prompted after I got the tracking aligned recently - the garage reported it was way out, and indeed after adjustment the steering was very free and easy driving away from the garage. This happy state of affairs lasted until I reached the first junction in the road and the act of braking shifted the geometry out of whack again. I had a set of control arm bushes, lower balljoints*, drop links and track rod ends that were bought for my previous Mk1 C5 which died before I could fit them, and happily they were the same spec. Unhappily I was completely unable to remove the front control arm bushes so I had to bite the bullet and buy new control arm assemblies that came with bushes pre-fitted**. Given that the control arms themselves are unlikely to fail I assume the only reason there's a market for the arm-with-bushes assembly is that the bushes are a pig to remove. I also changed the brake discs and pads as they were heavily scored, and I have noticed a big change in the ABS characteristics. Previously the ABS threshold was quite low and was characterised by rapid BANG! BANG! BANG!s that could be felt through the brake pedal. Now the threshold is much higher, and tests on a gravel track and an empty bit of wet road indicate that the interval between ABS releases is longer and I can no longer feel it through the pedal. I did have a bit of a fright though: while the car was up on blocks I had to run the engine to alter the suspension height, and an ABS sensor was dangling off while I did this. When the job was done I drove the car off for the first time and there was a horrible grinding noise coming from the front (probably a servo having a fit) and the ESP (traction control) light was flickering on and off. The noise stopped after a few seconds of driving, but then a few minutes later I got an ESP Failure warning on the cabin display. I turned the ignition off and on again and the ESP has been fine since, and tests on a gravel road indicates it's kicking in when it should. tl;dr: The suspension components do indeed affect the braking characteristics, as do scored discs or misaligned hubs. * Not easy to remove as the threads were corroded. I had to remove the hub assembly, cut two flats into the balljoint flange and clamp that in a big bench vice. Also requires a special balljoint socket for refitting, and a massive torque wrench for the balljoint and driveshaft nut. ** Consequently I have spare control arm bushes if anyone wants them.

It's just a personal thing, but I would avoid the 19 inch alloy wheels and go for the standard 17 inch, just because they're more comfortable. Also less likely to be damaged on big potholes in the road.

OK, now I'm confused! The real giveaway for the Hydractive 3+ suspension in the 2008+ models is the presence of the height adjuster buttons, on the centre console near the handbrake. There should be a "Sport" button between the up/down buttons, indicating H3+. Go to Autotrader and compare the fuel consumption figures for the 2.2 (173 bhp) and 2.0 (160 bhp) engines. The 2.0s are much more economical, and even though you'll get £0.03p less per mile in expenses you may find the better fuel economy more than compensates. My 2007 2.2 (173 bhp) will do about 50 mpg at 70 mph (115 km/h). The same engine in a 2008+ is a couple of mpg worse off.

Thank-you for your kind help paul.h and coastline taxis - I think I've fixed it now. I went through the BSI reset procedure, as outlined on this site, and now I'm only showing a depollution fault (I think this latches once tripped and has to be cleared through the diagnostics interface). The BSI must have crashed and scrambled its brains. Alas I fixed it too late to save the car as I need to be mobile and so went out and bought a 2007 2.2 HDi VTR+, which I'm very happy with (apart from the lack of armrests, which I will have to retrofit). It's a beast. I managed to fix the old C5 2 days after I bought the new one... The old C5 will have to go to the scrappies in a couple of weeks as there's too much wrong with it to economically fix. I'm having the parking sensors, K&N air filter, battery, CD autochanger, spare alloy wheel and rear view mirror off it, but if anyone wants anything else then feel free to PM me. It's a 2003 2.2 HDi 138 bhp Exclusive with 100k on the clock. The flywheel, clutch, nearside wing mirror, and intercooler are no good, but the rest is sweet. Interior is cream leather.

The Hydractive suspension is the only reason I drive a Citroen; it certainly ain't for the electrics. I've got a 2007 2.2 173 bhp, and I've driven a 2008 Mk3 with the same engine, and there's a huge difference - the older car is much faster (this is evident in the official 0-60mph times too). I can only assume the Mk3 is heavier. That said, the later 2.0 160 bhp Mk3s are, for some reason I don't understand, faster than the 2.2 173 bhp on the same chassis. Better fuel economy too. I'd give the 2.2 Mk3s a miss, and sadly all the Mk3 saloons too as I need to carry stuff (why did Citroen lose both the hatchback and the rear windscreen wiper?), but I'd be tempted by a 160 bhp estate. But not for a few years as I'm quite fond of the one I've got at the moment. If it's Hydractive 3+ suspension you're after then it's very confusing as to which models have it fitted. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe only the 2.2 HDI (and 3.0 V6 petrol?) in the 2001-2008 range had it; all the rest were mere Hydractive 3, no matter what the trim level. In the 2008+ range only the Exclusive models have 3+, no matter what the engine size. All the rest have spring dampers. Sometimes an advert will claim a 2008+ C5 is an Exclusive when it isn't: the way to tell is that the Exclusives have an electronic handbrake.

Sorry stevej60, misinterpreted your OP. If the car is going in for a Citroen service then their plug-in diagnostic gear should tell you what's wrong. The aircon does seem to have a number of interlocks, so if a critical item is faulty it disables everything else.

Aircon: The fan speed controllers aren't the most reliable of items, and if there's no fan running then the aircon will be locked out. If it's basic aircon then there's a resistor pack in the passenger footwell, next to the cabin filter. These burn out, but even if they do the fan should still run on the maximum speed setting. If it's climate control then there's an electronic module to the left of the steering column in the driver's footwell. You'll need to remove a small steering column fuzzy cover to access this (quick and easy). The most common faults on these tend to be dry solder joints or a blown MOSFET. If you have to solder a fix you'll need a powerful iron, and don't use ordinary lead/tin solder as it's not reliable with gold-flashed PCBs - use lead-free (RoHS) solder, or lead/tin/silver solder. There are companies that fix these modules, and I've seen them new online for about £20 or so.

I've had a couple of these go, both on XMs and C5s (I believe the sensor is the same spec for these two models, and I once successfully fitted an XM sensor to a C5). They should be more reliable than they are, given that it's just a simple thermistor that changes resistance with temperature. I couldn't be bothered stripping down the door to find the sensor plug so I just took the glass off the wing mirror, cut the old sensor wires and soldered on the new sensor. I used a bit of heatshrink sleeving over the solder joints to prevent shorting/corrosion/errors due to leakage currents in damp weather. It doesn't matter which way round the two wires are attached as they aren't polarised.

Sorry jamied, I've taken towbars off a 2003 and a 2007 C5 and the wiring colour codes match the Caravan Club doc that paul.h posted. You'll have to work it out the hard way on yours. Cheers Johndouglas. The towbar from the 2007 C5 is too rusty to re-use so that'll have to go to the steel recycling skip down the local tip. I've a nice one for a 2001-2004 C5 hatchback if anyone's interested. I'm in the Fareham area (the taint between Southampton and Portsmouth); PM me if you need a towbar for this model at a bargain price.

Thanks Johndouglas, I may have misinterpreted jamied's post as saying the colours of his wires are non-standard compared to paul.h's Caravan Club link. I'll make a note anyway when I take my unwanted towbar off, and if those colours don't match the CC spec either then I'll post my findings. You're right though; safer to start at the relay and take it from there.

I've got an '07 C5 with a towbar fitted with twin 7-pin sockets. I'm about to remove the towbar in the next couple of days, but before I do I'll make a note of the wiring arrangement and post it in this thread for you.

Thank-you coastline taxis, that's a very good tip. I haven't checked the passenger glovebox fuses, just the ones in the engine bay, I didn't realise that BSI unit was anything other than a distribution panel/fusebox, so I may have been looking in the wrong place by poking around at the engine ECU. The wiring loom in that area is certainly a disgraceful bit of design though, and I can see how it might be damaged by passenger's feet or the brake link rod. I might buy a Lexia diagnostic tool this week, as they look like a useful piece of kit to have and I'll be driving Citroens for as long as there are Hydractive suspension models available. Thank-you once again paul.h. The battery was from my previous 2.0 HDI C5 that I part exchanged for my current one, but not before swapping over the battery, wiper blades and K&N air filter. I'm aware that there's a complex procedure for reconnecting the battery but <shameful face> I've never followed it and seem to get away with it. </shameful face> I generally charge the battery in-situ while it's still connected to the car. I clip on the charger leads while the charger is unpowered and then turn in on at the mains. To disconnect I turn off the mains first and then remove the charger leads. This is probably frowned upon, but I can't see how this method would give rise to overvoltage spikes unless it's a rubbish charger. I never connect/disconnect a charger while the charger is powered by the mains as this would cause overvoltage spikes every time. I'm an electronic designer. "The shoemaker's children are the worst shod."

Thanks again paul.h! The quiescent battery voltage is 12.85 volts, and the battery should be a good 'un as I only bought it a few months ago and it gets a regular external charge. The air filter is a K&N that was cleaned about 1,000 miles ago. Setting the cabin ventilation fan speed manually makes no difference, it just cycles between fast and off. I can't believe that all the "faults" that the car display screen lists are genuine, given that they all appeared at the same time and their only common feature is having sensory inputs to the ECU. I've just checked the Maxi fuses (hidden unless you remove the engine fuse box) and they're all OK. There's a relay under the ECU but a bit if research tells me this is just for the glow plugs. I declare the car officially dead. Which is a shame as I've only had it 6 weeks, and I've just bought a full set of steering balljoints and front suspension bushes (but fortunately haven't had time to fit). If it was just the ECU I'd somehow sort it, but it also needs a new flywheel and clutch, there's a small suspension fluid leak in a pipe by the bulkhead, plus some minor bits and bobs. The ECU was the last straw. I'll get another C5 and keep this one on the driveway for a couple of weeks. If I can find a solution to this problem in that time then it'll live again; if not then it's a one-way trip to the local scrappies. A shame, as the 2.2 is a really nice car to drive... almost as nice as my old XM.

Thank-you for the reply paul.h - very much appreciated. Years of owning Citroens have made me very wary of red herrings when it comes to diagnostics, but I reckon there has to be a single cause for all of these faults appearing at once. I was rather hoping it would be a dodgy earth connection that was driving the ECU crazy, but I think I've eliminated that so now suspicion points to the ECU itself. Am I right in thinking the engine management, ESP traction control, ABS brakes and cabin climate control are all controlled by the single ECU module in the C5? The Haynes manual wiring diagrams don't include the ECU. The car isn't flagging up suspension faults, and it still knows if I've got a door open or an unbuckled seatbelt. Am I also right in thinking that replacing the ECU is a major headache, and would involve new keys, ignition switch and possibly some other engine bits and a remapping too? This would be enough to kill the car in this instance, and I'm fighting to save it as I really do like the Hydractive 3+ suspension. I think my only hope is to get the ECU repaired, as it does at least still recognise the key plip signal. This suggests the memory is uncorrupted and hopefully the unit can be saved without having to get the repaired ECU remapped. Addendum: I've just found out I haven't check all the fuses after all, as there seem to be a bunch of "maxi" fuses hidden under the main fusebox.

I had this issue with a failing crankshaft pulley on my old 2.0 HDI. It took a long time (about 30,000 miles) to go from the initial slight rattle to what sounded like a terminal tappet death rattle, but it finally revealed itself by the pulley spitting bits of shredded spring everywhere. Some tips: Switching the aircon on makes the noise worse as the compressor loads the pulley more.The crankshaft bolt took ages to get out as the friction of unscrewing made it heat up, swell and jam. I had to loosen it by a quarter turn and leave it to cool for a couple of minutes. Repeat for about an hour - it's a long bolt!There's a freewheeling clutch mechanism on the alternator pulley. If this is jammed solid (as mine was) then lifting off the throttle sends excessive forces down the auxilliary belt to the crankshaft pulley, accelerating the wear and tear.I replaced the pulley with an OEM spec, and replaced the alternator with one that didn't have a seized clutch. It was all still good 100k miles later.

Hi all - first time poster, long time Citroen owner. I'd have liked to earn some karma by posting some tips I've picked up along the way, but I'll have to owe you those for now as I'm desperate all of a sudden. My 2003 C5 2.2 HDI Exclusive flagged up an ESP fault while I was driving yesterday. I parked up 5 minutes later, turned the ignition off and re-started and the fault didn't reappear so I put it down to a random glitch. So I did a bit of grocery shopping, and when I went to start the car up again it wouldn't fire up (though it cranked over OK), and all these faults were flagged up on the display: Missing tyre pressure sensors. Antipollution fault. Brake fault. ESP fault. ABS fault. Immobiliser fault. Disconnecting the battery didn't help, and the RAC guy who came out was stumped. The car got a ride home on the back of a flatbed truck, and when I went to move it a few yards by cranking the starter motor in first gear the damn thing started up! It's still showing combinations of all the above faults though, and also the cabin ventilation blower fan is cutting in and out. Sometimes the tacho needle works, sometimes it doesn't. All the fuses in the engine bay are OK, and I've removed, cleaned and refitted all the earth connections on the N/S wing, with no success. To eliminate a bad crimp I've measured the voltage between battery positive and the earth wires (by piercing the insulation) and they all read 14.2 volts (with the engine running). I've also removed all the ECU and fusebox harness connectors, sprayed with a bit of contact cleaner, and refitted. And the fuses too. I see no signs of corrosion or damage on any of these contacts. There's a solid connection between the battery negative and the ECU enclosure (which is connected to ground of the circuitboard inside). So... is my ECU dead then? Or is there something else that can cause such a total systems failure? Any help much appreciated.