expensive water leak on H.D.I C5

This is the Forum for all your Citroen Technical Questions, Problems or Advice.

Moderator: RichardW

Post Reply
guzgog
Posts: 21
Joined: 08 May 2010, 10:23
Location:
My Cars:

expensive water leak on H.D.I C5

Post by guzgog »

Hi has any body got helpful info ,after a 80 mile journey warning light came on to say i was low on water which i topped it up ran o k till return journey after which i was low on water again, looked at all water pipe joints and the cap that fits the water tank could'nt find anything wrong. Took it to my local citroen dealers which ive used for the last 5 years,there leading engineer said they pressure tested the system and it was ok he said he put a sensor up the exhaust and it pinpointed headgasket,so i gave the go a head they changed the gasket plus thermostat water pump and timing belt kit also said they found a piston conrod was bent which they replaced. Total charge was £880
Any way heres the prob just been on a 60 mile round trip and im still loseing water im in the process of returning to the garage but i would like some info of what it could be so ive got some amo for when i return it cheers Stan
Peter.N.
Moderating Team
Posts: 11563
Joined: 02 Apr 2005, 16:11
Location: Charmouth,Dorset
My Cars: Currently:

C5 X7 VTR + Satnav Hdi estate Silver
C5 X7 VTR + Hdi Estate 2008 Red

In the past: 3, CX td Safaris and about 7, XM td estates. Lovely cars.
x 1199

Re: expensive water leak on H.D.I C5

Post by Peter.N. »

Well, the symptoms sound right, if you are loosing a lot of water but there are no visible leaks its probably being blown out of the overflow/filler cap by the pressure created by the leak, look around the cap and see if there are signs of dry antifreeze. A bent conrod will most likely be caused by water ingress locking the engine, this can either come from an external source i.e. driving through deep water or it could be due to water leaking into a cylinder because the gasket is leaking. If you are still loosing water it could be that either they haven't done the job properly or that the head is cracked, did they pressure test and have the surface machined it before fitting the new gasket?

Peter
guzgog
Posts: 21
Joined: 08 May 2010, 10:23
Location:
My Cars:

Re: expensive water leak on H.D.I C5

Post by guzgog »

Thanks pete yes they had the head skimmed but dont know if they pressure tested the head afterwards, on many small journeys i dont lose a drop of water only when i run at long journeys cheers Stan.
Last edited by guzgog on 19 Sep 2013, 20:12, edited 1 time in total.
Northern_Mike

Re: expensive water leak on H.D.I C5

Post by Northern_Mike »

This is exactly what mine is doing.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 4
Peter.N.
Moderating Team
Posts: 11563
Joined: 02 Apr 2005, 16:11
Location: Charmouth,Dorset
My Cars: Currently:

C5 X7 VTR + Satnav Hdi estate Silver
C5 X7 VTR + Hdi Estate 2008 Red

In the past: 3, CX td Safaris and about 7, XM td estates. Lovely cars.
x 1199

Re: expensive water leak on H.D.I C5

Post by Peter.N. »

If the leak is only small it will be worse at high speeds and temperatures, you could try slackening the filler cap which will allow the system to vent, this can prevent the water being blown out, don't push it hard like this though as it also lowers the boiling point of the water.

Peter
User avatar
waynedance
Posts: 973
Joined: 29 May 2011, 22:56
Location:
My Cars:
x 8

Re: expensive water leak on H.D.I C5

Post by waynedance »

My old man's car used to use coolant with visual leaks but only on a run. After lots of testing we changed the expansion bottle cap and never lost any since.

Must of been loosing water as steam due to poor seals on old cap.
Volvo S80 D5.........
C5 2.2HDi Exclusive 2003 manual (now gone).
2009 Renault Megane, the misses drive.
Had a 1988 BX 19TRS Auto many moons ago.
Forgive any spelling mistakes, it's the phone not me.
User avatar
markt1
Posts: 41
Joined: 07 Sep 2013, 19:14
Location: Doncaster
My Cars:
x 1
Contact:

Re: expensive water leak on H.D.I C5

Post by markt1 »

Back in the day I had a xr3i that was spewing water like a fountain out of the expansion bottle so i took the head off and fitted new gasket had head checked out new head bolts etc only to watch it still boil up :shock: On closer inspection the expansion bottle top was out of shape so trip to scrap yard £5 later sorted thats after £120 on head... I wasn't impressed with myself :lol: :lol:
Dispatch owner going grey.
Xantidote
Posts: 1146
Joined: 03 May 2009, 22:07
Location: Merseyside
My Cars:
x 5

Re: expensive water leak on H.D.I C5

Post by Xantidote »

waynedance wrote:Must of been loosing water as steam due to poor seals on old cap
Yes, my Xantia had the same problem 8 years ago, losing water past the pressure cap. I replaced the pressure cap, and directed the overflow pipe from the header tank into a permanently fixed baked bean tin, so I now have a check on actual coolant leakage. No subsequent coolant loss. Oil & coolant are the car's life-blood.
Martin

1995 Xantia TDLX (deceased :( )
Post Reply