C5 4 speed automatic

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Tintin
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Re: C5 4 speed automatic

Post by Tintin »

Thank you very much for the guides Ben82 and CitroJim, this is excellent stuff! I am looking forward to getting this job done and I'm sure my C5 is too after 220000kms. Hopefully I won't encounter any problems on the way.
Thanks again for your generous info
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Re: C5 4 speed automatic

Post by Bandit12 »

Hi Tintin, As Ben82 says Ive done the oil change a couple of times and it defo makes a difference. As said earlier these gearboxes are very fussy with oil and you must only use the oil recommended earlier in this thread. Not sure about australia but in the UK it comes in 1 litre bottles. Although the box holds about 6-7 litres it will only drain about 4 litres. I suggest buying 5 litres just to make sure.

you will also need a lexia diagnostic tool.

The oil change is not complicated just time consuming as the car has to be level. There are 2 plugs, one is the drain plug situated on the bottom of teh gearbox and the other is on the side further back about an inch up from the bottom. This is the level plug. Both take the same size allen key (8 or 10mm I think) I suggest loosening (but not removing at this stage) the level plug before draining the oil as worse case scenario is you drain the oil then round off the level plug making it very tricky to then remove.

Refilling is a bit trickier as you need to remove the airbox to reveal a little blue plastic cap. This is the gearbox breather and a simple push fit. carefully lift it out with a pair of pliers levered underneath it. Oil goes in here. the hole is really small so I suggest buying a cheap but small plastic funnel. Shops like Asda,tesco etc sell them here but never been to Australia so unsure what you have at your neck o the woods.
The drained oil will most likely come out black and teh new oil is a golden colour but smells like cats wee!

To refill I suggest putting in 4 litres, leave the car running in park to warm the oil up. Using the lexia hooked up to the car as the gearbox oil needs to be between 54-58 (working from memory and I could be wrong so I'll double check that and confirm asap) degrees centigrade to be the right viscosity. With the gearbox at the right temperature and the engine running with the car in park you then need to remove the level plug. When the flow slows to a steady drip (yes completely subjective, unscientfic and daft I know) then put the level plug back in.

Now switch off engine, wipe any excess oil off sump etc and take car for a gentle drive fro a few miles before checking underneath car for any further leaks.

After that you are good to go.

I suggest identifying the 2 gearbox plugs and the blue plastic breather before doing anything.

It does sound a bit of a faff and takes me about 1-2 hours from start to finish. The draining is the easy bit, carefully making sure you have the gearbox at the right temperature and then draining off the excess just requires a bit of time and patience.

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Re: C5 4 speed automatic

Post by CitroJim »

One thing I do to make the change a bit easier is if I'm sure the 'box is leak free (i.e. no oil leaks visible and all dry) then I make a reasonable assumption the old oil level is right as none can be consumed except through leaks.

I then carefully measure the quantity of old ATF that drains out and then refill with exactly the same quantity of new ATF.

I keep a litre measuring jug expressly and only for measuring ATF...
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Re: C5 4 speed automatic

Post by Mandrake »

Excellent write up Bandit! =D>

The only thing I would add to it is that cleanliness of what goes into the gearbox is critical. You're actually supposed to use a very fine gauze filter in the funnel to make sure that no dirt or foreign bodies find their way into the oil in the gearbox - the tolerances in the valve block are very fine and any gritty material will cause malfunction or damage in the valve block.

I have to confess that I have not used a filter in the funnel for the gearbox oil changes I've done :oops: but I have made sure the hose and funnel are scrupulously clean (and have not been used for any other purpose) and been very careful not to allow anything to fall into the funnel during filling. (Hair, leaves, dirt etc)

Likewise, if you decide to use the "measure the old oil and fill the same amount" approach, do NOT use the same measuring jug for old and new oil. Make sure the measuring jug for new oil is clean and dry and has not been used for any other purpose, ideally brand new. A couple of new identical graduated 1 litre plastic measuring jugs from your nearest supermarket are ideal for the job.

Changing the oil is not a difficult job (especially on older models like mine with a dipstick for both filling and measuring) but it is time consuming and it does require care and patience to get the level correct and ensure cleanliness during the whole process.
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Re: C5 4 speed automatic

Post by CitroJim »

I just wash mine out with solvent between changes and dry thoroughly with a new piece of lint-free rag Simon...

I fully agree about the cleanliness being absolutely essential at all stages of the job and you can see instantly that if you do as I do the measuring jug is quite clean enough for the job in hand... I use mine for nothing else but ATF and that applies to my filling rig too...
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Re: C5 4 speed automatic

Post by Bandit12 »

thanks for the compliment Mandrake.

Yes I second (or is it now third?) that about the cleanliness. I suggest using a clean cloth and wiping the gearbox so its clean around the drain/filler plugs and defo around the blue plastic breather cap before any attempt is made to loosen anything. I also however confess I used a brand new funnel but didnt use a filter. I regularly change oil on my motorbike and also work in an operating theatre so I'm fairly confident of my cleanliness technique ;-)
I also used a 1 metre builders rule with bubble for checking the car was level front to back and side to side (you would be surprised at the camber some English roads have) Got to get rid of all that rainwater somehow i guess! :-)

It does make me laugh that a high tech gearbox like this one that relies on a lexia for exact oil temperatures during the changing process uses the method "when the steady stream of oil becomes a steady drip the correct level has been acheived". I know they are supposed to be sealed for life but honestly! A village idiot could come up with a better system!

anyway good luck with it mate:-)

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Re: C5 4 speed automatic

Post by daviemck2006 »

Village idiot here. I'd better not buy something with an al4 then[emoji12] [emoji23] [emoji23]
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Re: C5 4 speed automatic

Post by citroenxm »

daviemck2006 wrote:Village idiot here. I'd better not buy something with an al4 then[emoji12] [emoji23] [emoji23]


OR a ZF 4 HP 20 box as they are almost the same!!!
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Post by addo »

I love the 4HP18 though! You accelerate, and lift off like when you shift in a manual - and it upshifts for you! :-D
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Re:

Post by citroenxm »

addo wrote:I love the 4HP18 though! You accelerate, and lift off like when you shift in a manual - and it upshifts for you! :-D
The al4 does that for me with the hdi 2.0 8v in the c5 .. I quite like it..
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Re: Re:

Post by CitroJim »

citroenxm wrote:
addo wrote:I love the 4HP18 though! You accelerate, and lift off like when you shift in a manual - and it upshifts for you! :-D
The al4 does that for me with the hdi 2.0 8v in the c5 .. I quite like it..
Something the HP20 does not do as a rule... It's by design of the ECU programming...
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Re: Re:

Post by citroenxm »

CitroJim wrote:
citroenxm wrote:
addo wrote:I love the 4HP18 though! You accelerate, and lift off like when you shift in a manual - and it upshifts for you! :-D
The al4 does that for me with the hdi 2.0 8v in the c5 .. I quite like it..
Something the HP20 does not do as a rule... It's by design of the ECU programming...
Clever stuff... :-D ... Bosch isnt it.. ?
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Northern_Mike

Re: Re:

Post by Northern_Mike »

CitroJim wrote:
citroenxm wrote:
addo wrote:I love the 4HP18 though! You accelerate, and lift off like when you shift in a manual - and it upshifts for you! :-D
The al4 does that for me with the hdi 2.0 8v in the c5 .. I quite like it..
Something the HP20 does not do as a rule... It's by design of the ECU programming...
This is one of the things I both like and dislike about that gearbox.
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