Smerflet

One further question please. My 2007 C5 has been off the road for five weeks over the summer whilst I dismantled and cleaned out the dreaded 1.6HDi engine after encountering lubrication failure due to coke in the oil from the injectors. I'm sure you know the story! Anyway, the front end of the C5 was supported on axle stands for 5 weeks during which time the front axles were suspended on mid-air, for better or worse with the suspension set in the lowest position: don't ask me why I did this - it's been a long and very frustrating summer! Anyway on completion, the pump is now much noisier than previously and it takes longer to get up to full height, sometimes not making it at all. Further, I've had a couple of occasions after driving for while - time for the LDS fluid to get hot - when I've heard a pop and hiss from under the bonnet after which the top of the LDS fluid reservoir is wet with oil. Back in May I changed the spheres and topped-up the LDS fluid but not excessively - see above. I now suspect that through hanging the wheels up in the air for so long I've caused air to get in somewhere and mess with the bled state of the Hydractive suspension. I'm yet to attempt to bleed the system again, but I'm concerned that I might have damaged the pump which certainly doesn't sound as smooth and effective as it did before. However, as far as I can see, at least the reservoir doesn't seem to have split with the pressure therein. Please can anyone advise me what might have happened? Thanks, Stu

Thanks Paul. Will investigate when I've rebuilt the engine!

Thanks Paul. Close to a solution now at the engine end, but struggling to find a route for either tube or wire from the engine compartment into the vehicle. Any ideas on the best routing please? Stu

I fitted Monroe spheres to my 1.6 HDi C5 MkII Estate after 120k. I have no other experience of typical C5 ride comfort but, in my assessment, from abysmal, the ride is now superb. Stu

I also have this annoying flatspot/hesitation or whatever it is. After reading this thread and repeating it elsewhere, someone informed me my EGR doesn't have a vac solenoid and on checking the car (and Haynes) I see he's right, it's opened and closed by a stepper motor. In my case, I plan to remove and clean my EGR as there's a lot of soot deposited around the cooler that needs fixing too, otherwise I have no idea what else could be causing this problem as it's not confined to low rpm (it'll manifest around 3krpm if I apply more throttle and hold for higher revs before gear change). ie, it seems to correlate more to the brief "off-throttle and back on-throttle" period when changing gears, rather than a specific rpm zone on acceleration. Additionally, in #28 re the assertion "The egr valve should only work when warmed up..." etc. I was prompted to check this as I was sure I've seen live data from my EGR before it was fully warmed up and sure enough found out I was right. Okay, we're in the middle of summer but I have a recording showing coolant temp on startup was 16C and the EGR was being commanded to open almost instantly. It's certainly fully active from cold. Regarding EGR and hesitation, I changed the valve on my 1.6HDi 2007 C5 which solved the problem only for it to return a few days later. In the end I determined that there was intermittent electrical contact within at least one channel of the connector to the EGR valve. From what I could see, none of the contacts had lost their 'springiness' and I cleaned both ends of the connection as well as I could however the problem kept returning after each connection/disconnection. Ultimately I slightly twisted each flat pin on the EGR valve connector using fine-nosed pliers, not by much, just a couple of degrees, and this seems to have given a longer term solution to the problem. Go easy on the twist though as the pins could shear off at their base. Hope this helps. Stu

Hi all, Recently experienced total blockage of the oil pick-up strainer on my 57 reg 1.6 HDi C5 Estate and received the usual STOP warning. Of course this happened right in the wilds of Scotland! The first indication I got of reducing oil pressure was a noisy engine top end which I'd put down to the cam timing chain tensioner wearing-out. However, now that it's sorted - replaced the pick-up tube - the top end seems back to normal again. My question is, has anyone implemented some form of oil pressure monitoring to pre-warn of this issue? I have seen a guy on YouTube measure pressure at the turbo oil feed point - easiest point to access - using an industrial gauge. However I wonder if this would stand the vibration in the longer term. Ideally I'd manifold a pressure transducer onto the M16 x 1.5 threaded pressure switch port, but I think that access is very restricted. Then again getting a compact transducer of sufficient robustness and a matching gauge, all at a reasonable price, feels like a tall order. Any thoughts or ideas? Stu

Thanks Paul, I'm thinking the same way - put the suspension on the lowest setting and draw off excess. I think it likely that when the pressure is relased in the tank there's a bit of a maelstom with air bubbling back through the LDS, throwing it up to the cap. I certainly don't drive sufficiently vigourously to throw it around too much. Regarding expansion, I think it is possible that if the level - after topping-up - is just below the fill line when cold then thermal expsnsion could then fill the ullage. Are split tanks a reality? Seems odd that there's not a pressure relief valve somewhere - there's one in the coolant system so why not on the LDS? Thanks again, Stu

Paul, Please can I request your view on the following. Today I decided to recheck the LDS fluid level immediately after a 1.5 hour drive. The reservoir seemed to be under a fair bit of pressure and as I released the cap, fluid was ejected around the cap. I could also hear a fair bit of 'bubbling' in the system as I released the pressure. The level of fluid in the reservoir (at normal ride height) was quite high but not quite up to the hole in the side of the filler. Having heard stories of reservoirs splitting under pressure, I'm a bit concerned that now there's too much LDS in the system: could this be the case? I don't understand why the level is so high now, the level having not even been visible when I filled-up immediately after the sphere change. I'm sure that expansion due to heating could not have resulted in such an increase in fluid volume, or am I wrong? Also if I drop the ride height with it potentially over the MAX level marker, will this result in more fluid returning to the reservoir, again risking splitting under pressure? Should I do this with the cap off and allow the LDS to overflow? Sorry for so many questions, but I want to get this right! Thanks, Stu

Thanks Paul, Any guidance as to what degree of leakage then justifies taking action please? Stu

Paul, Thanks for that. Regarding the vent pipe, please can you clarify: does the pipe vent into a closed volume which then acts to retain leaking fluid to stop it landing on the deck? If so does ot have a large capacity? Thanks again, Stu PS are you aware whether a system low on fluid will 'self purge' if the level is filled? PPS the pump def. sounds different now. Any thoughts why please?

Finally got around to replacing all four spheres today. Once I'd loosened them - cheap tool from eBay absolutely invaluable - the process was pretty straightforward, and bleeding was surprisingly simple. The result? Well, I'd say that the ride has been pretty much transformed: the pitching and wallowing appears to much better controlled and the car now feels 'right'. The big surprise for me was, having lost perhaps 200cc of LDS through bleeding and dismantling, I needed a full 2 litres of LDS to fill the tank to the minimum level. This raises the question, previously hinted at by paul.h: was it necessary to change the spheres, or was the system just short on fluid? I'd assured myself that if the LDS level was critically low then the car would not assume the 'high' position, and I'm still unsure of this. However with the quantity of LDS in the reservoir the pump 'sounds' different, but this might just be the effect of fresh oil? Ah well, it's done now, and I've ordered some more LDS to keep topping-up the system to counteract the slight wetness on the N/S rear strut. Thanks for your comments. Stu

Please see the following image: http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af17/GiveMeABreak2/FCF/Sphere%20Info.png http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af17/GiveMeABreak2/FCF/Sphere%20Info.png

Mike, My other car is a 2001 VW Passat so, yes, I might be judging it by the wrong standards! I've also had 2.0HDi mk2 Xsara estates x2 - conventional suspension of course. I'm almost certain that damping is achieved on the 'wet' side of the sphere, as shown in certain images on Google. That is unless it's Hydractive 3+ where, from what I can see, the damping is variable and in the strut body.

For better or worse I ordered the Monroe versions from Germany today, plus 2 litres of LDS too.

The last time I had to buy a locking wheel nut tool from a Citroen Main dealer it was £59. I used it once to remove the remains of the bolt I'd messed-up trying this and that, then I replaced all locking nuts with another set of PSA originals off eBay for £20. I then sold the tool I used only once on ebay for £32. Moral of the story for me: don't mess about with these. Just bite the bullet and pay for the proper Citroen tool. The only fly in the ointment was that the dealer wouldn't sell me one unless I had the full V5 in my name which, having just bought the car (with a moderately fast rear wheel puncture!) I hadn't got. Once I had the V5 away we went....