C5 HDI - couple of things..

[addo]

Sounds rather like hydraulic locking now.

[Northern_Mike]

Sounds rather like hydraulic locking now.

Yes. Oh. The battery is dead too.

The previous owner seems to show no remorse and expects me to believe that this car which was in good working order when he had it, has turned to sh1t in less than 150 miles.



Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4

[Gibbo2286]

I'm the alleged villain of the piece in this case so let's get the story straight.

I've been using this car for two years and during that time I've maintained it to the full, anything that needed doing has been done as and when it showed up.

When I first got it it had the engine management light showing and was running as so many of them are in safe mode, I fixed this with a new MAF and at the same time replaced all three electrovalves.

I gave the car a thorough service, changed all the filters including the pollen filter and the car was performing as it should, I fitted four new Continental tyres. I also fitted a new stepper motor in the speedo because it was a bit erratic.

About a year into my ownership the clutch release bearing started getting a bit noisy so I looked out for a new clutch on Ebay and on the 'for sale' section here, I was lucky to get one (I think from a poster on here) a brand new Valeo complete clutch which I fitted myself, the car has never given any other major problems in May this year I fitted a new Exide battery when the previous on died of old age.

In the meantime I had the chance to buy a later lower mileage car (from a seller on here) which had a head gasket problem and I've run the two cars alternately whilst preparing the later one, I finally did the head gasket last month and decided it was time to sell off one or the other, but which?

I posted the early one on Ebay at what I considered to be a fair price considering the age and condition, Mike placed a bid then contacted me to see if I'd sell him the car as a 'buy it now'' for his first bid, I declined and he retracted his bid, I had received a message from another Ebayer informing me that the person who had bid on the car was a serial bid retractor so I wasn't surprised.
I was surprised when the auction was coming to an end that he had re-instated his bid.

He came to collect the car on Friday, I'd forgotten to mention in the ad that the temperature gauge was faulty (I'd discussed it on here previously and intended to fix it before it sold but hadn't got round to it) I told him about it as soon as he arrived, he checked the car over asked if he could road test it and assured me that he had insurance cover, he was given the key and let to go off on his own while I chatted to his mate who'd brought him up.

On his return he said it was fine, drove much better than a previous one he'd owned, had the bonnet up again and checked further.

He walked around for a while thinking, then said "I think I'll leave it, I don't like the gauge problem." I didn't press him to complete just shook his hand and said "Thanks for your interest." and he went on his way.

I had by now decided to keep the car and sell on the later one but on Saturday lunchtime he came on the phone asked if the car was still available, he'd been on the French Car Forum and read up on the gauge problem decided it was an easy fix and would like to come up at four with the cash and drive the car away, four came and went and I thought he'd changed his mind again but he eventually arrived at six thirty, we did the deal and the rest you know from his posts.

There have been some suggestions that the car is hydraulic locked but my feeling is that he's left something switched on over night and just flattened the battery, the car has never failed to start even with the old tired battery that I replaced in May, it's never needed a radiator top up.

Before I offered it for sale I replaced the timing belt and auxiliary belt because I hadn't got any written history of it being done and it's usually the first question that gets asked when you come to sell, I put a new water pump on at the same time, common sense if you don't want to have to go over the same ground again if a water pump fails after you've done the belt.

The gauge problem for clarity was simply that when I switched on with the engine cold the needle moved up to the midway position and when the engine came up to running temperature it moved up higher, although never into the red, I guessed it might be the sender sensor or maybe a poor connection on the back of the panel.

I've now got my first ever negative feed back on Ebay spoiling 497 positives

[Stickyfinger]

BEFORE any more posts on the matter....YOU HAVE 100% the RIGHT to post the above reply.

It is CORRECT that both sides of the matter are seen and considered.

Ummm.....reading all the posts now, there are some strange contradictions and some unusual actions/diagnostic efforts by the present owner. That said WITHOUT seeing the car I decline to step either way.

Can an INDEPENDENT member get involved and help mediate....that is IF Gibbo wishes to, it is his right to say sale done and walk away.
Northern_Mike, to make any more accusations would be ill advised now, my advice is ask a well known member here to inspect it and offer their opinion.....any one near him that does NOT KNOW Gibbo ?

Just my way of thinking, sorry for both.

[Northern_Mike]

Who said Gibbo didn't have the right to reply?

Fact is - I have a car with a failed Head gasket. Which doesn't start. It's currently at a Citroen Independent.

Fact - I drove it from Lydney to RG2 0HS, 94.2 miles, where it gave me a low coolant warning, and after a rest period, it bubbled out when I went to put more in.

Fact - when I went to it the next day, about lunchtime, so a good 14 hours rest , I opened the coolant cap, and it blew coolant all over me under considerable pressure.

Fact - it used about a litre and a half of coolant during the 20 miles I drove in it on Monday. It pressurised.

Fact - On Tuesday, when I went to move it, it wouldn't start. Everything lit up as it should have done, the suspension pumped up, so the battery wasn't totally dead. Tried a jump start from the Berlingo, nothing. Did the BSI reset procedure. Nothing. Tested the battery. It was fine. I should have known this anyway.

Gave up today, called the AA. I was wrong about the hydraulic lock. The water appears to be in the sump. Anyway, it still wouldn't crank over, so he put lead direct to the starter from the battery and it sprung into life. Turned it off. Wouldn't start. Did the battery lead trick again, it started. So, I rang the Citroen Indy, and drove it down there while it was still running, which is where it is now, so, there's a problem with the ignition switch, the fusebox, or the connection between the two fuseboxes (this is what I've been told).

When I get the car back, I'll post a picture of the AA man's report mentioning the HGF and starter problem, and whatever notes the garage make.

If Gibbo had told me on Saturday he'd changed his mind, I'd not have gone down.



This is my fuel receipt from leaving Lydney. I'm not sure where the "turned up at 6:30" came from. Yes, we were late, but that's because we took the wrong bridge as I wasn't looking properly..

I am aware that Gibbo could have driven round at his pottering speed for some time in an HDI without noticing a HGF, as the engines run cool and don't generate that much pressure anyway.

What Gibbo says is correct - It has been well maintained, but something was clearly not done right, or the HGF wasn't noticed. Why it's suddenly decided not to start is another mystery..

Anyway, as far as I'm concerned the matter is now closed. I bought a duffer, it happens. It's rather inconvenient and will end up costing me considerably more than it should have, but that's life.

[Stempy]

Hope you can get it fixed up, it's a shame when a deal goes bad, I've had a similar experience and it's not nice. Best to try and stay civilised though.

[Stickyfinger]

Who said Gibbo didn't have the right to reply?

Nobody, I said he had the right.

Fact - I drove it from Lydney to RG2 0HS, 94.2 miles, where it gave me a low coolant warning, and after a rest period, it bubbled out when I went to put more in.

Fact - when I went to it the next day, about lunchtime, so a good 14 hours rest , I opened the coolant cap, and it blew coolant all over me under considerable pressure.

Fact - it used about a litre and a half of coolant during the 20 miles I drove in it on Monday. It pressurized.

Sorry to be dumb, but WHY the heck were you even driving a car with a mystery coolant loss and an over pressurized cooling system ???
Should you not of STOPPED even trying to starti it (let alone driving 20 miles !") as soon as you discovered this fault ?

[Northern_Mike]

WHY do SHOUT a LOT? It's considered rather rude on the internet.

Anyway, we were trying to bleed it properly, following CitroenXM's advice about taking it for a quick run after bleeding it through both bleed screws.

How am I supposed to get it anywhere, or trace the fault, if it's not running? Having owned 130-odd cars and trained then worked as a mechanic, rebuilt my own engines, rebuilt entire cars and motorcycles in the past, I do have some idea what I'm doing..

Oh, and it's "should have"...

[Northern_Mike]

Hope you can get it fixed up, it's a shame when a deal goes bad, I've had a similar experience and it's not nice. Best to try and stay civilised though.

Yes, I agree Stempy. I may have appeared a little peeved, as I think I have every right to be, but sh1t happens, and the world still turns. The matter is now closed as far as I'm concerned.

I apologise here, publicly, for accusing Gibbo of stitching me up. The car clearly has some faults, he says he didn't know about them, so I will take his word on that. I wish him well.

The matter is now closed.

[h2ocooler]

If it was Head gasket would the pressure not have leaked out when left it for the 14 hours?

The cars I have had that blew the head gasket would blow the water out when running but when they were left and cooled there would be no (or very little) pressure when the cap was removed, these were all waterway to cylinder as it would have to be to blow the water out.
Is the oil level rising as you say the water is going into the sump or can you see water on the dipstick?