2.2 Hdi Broken Plastic Ball Joint

[Robin Earl]

While doing the weekly check under the bonnet, I have noticed that a thin rod emerging from thde general direction of the bulkhead has parted company with a "brass" slider / rocker attached to the rhs of the cylinder head. The plastic ball joint connecting the 2 components has snapped. What does this assembly do and is it o.k. to drive until I can get a new assemby from a Citroen dealer. Any thoughts or help much appreciated.

[Lincolnshire Poacher]

Found the same broken ball joint on my 2.2HDI Auto luckily, all the bits were present so I tried a repair using wire and epoxy resin (drilled a hole through the plastic, cut a notch in the cup, lined it all up and wired it all together, used epoxy resin to reinforce and encase the repair on one side away from the moving parts, waited, checked that it worked). The repair lasted about a week before the epoxy resin shattered, the repair made no difference to the vehicle. It's going in for a new timing belt/tensioner tomorrow; I'll see if the garage knows what the rod does.

[Randombloke]

Sounds like it's an engine steady(or damper) rod and is there to reduce movement in the engine and therefore possibly clutch judder on power take up.

 

If it's left as is then there is the chance that the other engine mounts will wear out.

[Guest rowls]

I think you'll probably find its comes one of the valves to do with the EGR system or intake system.

[davidad]

Found the same broken ball joint on my 2.2HDI Auto luckily, all the bits were present so I tried a repair using wire and epoxy resin (drilled a hole through the plastic, cut a notch in the cup, lined it all up and wired it all together, used epoxy resin to reinforce and encase the repair on one side away from the moving parts, waited, checked that it worked). The repair lasted about a week before the epoxy resin shattered, the repair made no difference to the vehicle. It's going in for a new timing belt/tensioner tomorrow; I'll see if the garage knows what the rod does.

I had the same problem with my 2.2HDI at about 50k miles. It's an air intake flap controlled by vacuum from the inlet manifold and is supposed to open when the engine is under load. I took the car in because the fuel consumption had increased by about 5mpg and the engine felt a bit rough when the revs got above 3000 rpm. It was the first thing the mechanic looked for (they all do that sir!) and took about 15 minutes to replace. Mine was still under warranty.

[Guest Brian]

I had the same problem with my 2.2HDI at about 50k miles. It's an air intake flap controlled by vacuum from the inlet manifold and is supposed to open when the engine is under load. I took the car in because the fuel consumption had increased by about 5mpg and the engine felt a bit rough when the revs got above 3000 rpm. It was the first thing the mechanic looked for (they all do that sir!) and took about 15 minutes to replace. Mine was still under warranty.

Does anyone know if plastic socket section is available on its own or must I pay for the complete diaphram, rod etc., which my local agent here in Ireland claims is the case.

[Randombloke]

Does anyone know if plastic socket section is available on its own or must I pay for the complete diaphram, rod etc., which my local agent here in Ireland claims is the case.

 

 

I've got the complete assembly here. Mine has also failed but it's the diaphragm that's gone. So if you want the assembly with an undamaged ball joint but no diaphragm to make something of, send me a PM.

[Guest Chilie]

Could someone post a pic of the bit your refering to I would like to check mine out as im only getting about 30mpg at present. I was expecting better fuel consumption but i have never had a diesel until buying this one a month ago so not sure if this is to be expected.

[72dudes]

im only getting about 30mpg at present. I was expecting better fuel consumption but i have never had a diesel until buying this one a month ago so not sure if this is to be expected.

 

No, no! There's plenty of other threads about economy on this site, but even if you wear lead boots and drive only in town you'd probably get more than 30mpg!

 

Most owners report anywhere between 35 and 55 mpg. My own 2.2 HDi manual returns 44.6 MPG in mixed driving over the last 15,000 miles, so yours almost certainly has a problem.

 

Incidently, this ball joint thingy - is it related to the egr valve on other threads, as the symptoms people describe sound the same as those relating to anti-pollution/egr fault?

[myglaren]

As I have said in another thread, my fuel economy is abyssmal and deteriorating - <30mpg!

I dosed it with some injector cleaner a couple of weeks ago and it has recovered somewhat but is still rubbish compared to my Xantia 1.9TurboDiesel.

[Randombloke]

Incidently, this ball joint thingy - is it related to the egr valve on other threads, as the symptoms people describe sound the same as those relating to anti-pollution/egr fault?

 

The ball joint thingy is the Swirl Chamber control valve. Failure of it can lead to Anti Pollution fault warnings. It is not part of the EGR valve as I understand it. It is however part of the intake/exhaust system.

 

If you are comparing fuel economy figures you might want to post if your car is manual or automatic, there is a big difference in fuel consumption figures between 2.2 manual and auto, and it also seems that 6 speed 2.2 manual owners get the best fuel economy of any 2.2 engined vehicle.

 

My car improved its fuel economy a lot after the replacement of the DPF and fluid. The economy improved further after the replacement of the Swirl Chamber control valve.

 

I get low to mid forties with nothing on the car roof or towed.

 

I was told by my local independent Citroën garage that a lot of C5s suffer poor fuel economy because of slightly binding brakes. They advised me to get the car to them after a s/h purchase to have that checked.

 

They also advised me against purchase of a 2.2, saying that the 2.0 six speed was the one to go for if economy was paramount. However, they conceded that as a driving experience and for engine smoothness, the 2.2 had its advantages. It's not easy to find a 2.0 Exclusive, either. They did not think that a 35 to 38 mpg return was poor and was as good as I could expect, seeing as that's what a lot of people get.

[Guest Chilie]

My C5 a 2.2 HDI Manual - Im averaging 31MPG currently. We also own a Picasso 1.8 petrol manual which was mine until we got the C5. I bought the C5 because the picasso is brilliant and no trouble at all. The picasso was averaging 35 MPG for me and the useual runs I do, and I bought the C5 diesel thinking the economy would be better with plenty power in reserve when I wanted to enjoy myself.

 

Im currently undecided between getting the the DPF and fluid replacement done as the car has done 52k and its not showing any warning yet, or just selling it as i had / still have numerous minor problems with it. The poor fuel economy is another factor.

 

Either way im gonna loose money by either trading in or having to pay to get the parts / dealer to fix.

Issues in the 6 weeks I have owned it include

 

4 out of the 5 doors have various probs with windows / locks - 2 fixed 2 still to fix

Flat battery twice - now replaced

DPF and Eloys due replacement - didnt know about this when i bough the car as it had just been "Serviced"

Seatbelts not winding up - now fixed courtesy of the silicone spray suggestion someone made

Airbag Fault Warning - Not reoccured since clearing?

Fuel economy not what I expected

Spare Key doesent work

Gear Knob loose

Wipers squeaking

Power steering fluid seems to be evaporating - Cant find any leaks and no traces on the drive?