C5 V6 cambelt

[Stempy]

I really ought to have the cam belt changed in my C5. It's coming up for 12 years old, and although it's only done 25k miles I still drive around with cheeks clenched

What is the collectives view of whether I should take this on myself or best left to a dealer with all the correct tools?

Also, considering the low milage I was hoping to get away with just a belt rather than the whole kit and caboodle. When I had it all done on the Xantia it was over £800.

All advice and opinions gratfully received.

[xantia_v6]

I have done a couple on a Xantia V6, and if you have the time, it is not really difficult. I would not bother with replacing the idlers at that mileage, but would have a spare water pump on hand in case there are signs that the current one is weeping.

One hint is to have the engine on a jack and raise it a couple of inches when working from above and lower it a couple of inches when working through the wheel arch to improve access.

If there is any oil weeping from the cam boxes then whip the cams out and reseal them while you are there.

[Mandrake]

Hopefully David Hallworth sees this as I'm pretty sure he did the cambelt on his C5 V6 himself just a few months ago...

[Stempy]

Thanks. My main concerns are access to the belt and getting the timing correct on reassembly without all the special tools for locking things off.

This will have to be done on my driveway without the luxury of a hydraulic lift that makes these jobs so much easier for garages. best Ive got is a pair of ramps. Mind you, I don't need the car as a daily ride so I can take my time over it if I decide to take the plunge.

[Toby_HDi]

Access on a 406 Coupe is fine so would imagine you'd be more than fine on a C5. Bolts or pins are all you need to lock the cams and crank. I think I used drill bits (shank end of course). Follow the procedure methodically and its rather simpler than you might imagine.

As mentioned, make sure you get a waterpump. My Coupe had 80k on it and the waterpump showed signs of weeping.

[Stempy]

The main difference being that the C5 has a big lump of hydraulics in the way, but I'm slowly being persuaded to have a go myself

Is the tensioner an automatic type that doesn't need a strain gauge to set it up? If so, is it easy to release?

[xantia_v6]

The tensioner is spring loaded and does not require special tools. It is set using a 1/4" square tool. On the Xantia, the most awkward task is reaching all the 7mm screws that hold the timing belt cover, as some are recessed and out of sight. The aux belt tensioner can be a bit awkward, as you need to get 2 spanners into a restricted space to release or set the tension.

[DHallworth]

I have done the timing belt on my XM V6 and my C5 V6.

It's not a bad job but isn't a job you can do quickly. There's a fair bit of stuff to move out of the way but nothing major. The LDS tank doesn't need moved or anything like that.

To lock the timing I used 5 M8 bolts with the thread turned off them and they slotted straight into the cams and the crank without any problems. Release the tension off the belt and take it off, thread the new belt on (this can be awkward due to the width of the belt) and then tension it. Take the pins out, turn it over by hand, pin it back up (at this point it's normal for the pins not to go back in so you loosen the bolts on the cam pulleys (they're a vernier type idea) and rotate the cam slowly until the pin slides in. Repeat this process several times until you can spin it over and the two arrows on the tensioner stay lined up.

I did mine over a two or three evenings with it in the shed but if you get a full day at it then it's easily doable. Even at only 25k miles I'd change the water pump.

Where are you based?

David.

[Stempy]

I'ts almost beginning to sound easy I'm quite happy to take my time over it but may leave it until the weather warms up a bit.

Is the engine easily turnable or would it be an idea to remove the spark plugs. Also should I buy a Citroen belt or after market ones ok.

I live in the deep south of England so no where near your good self.

I suppose having done a Xantia heater matrix I shouldn't be too worried.

[DHallworth]

It's not a bad job to turn over but remember it's you've got 6 cylinders so you need to pass compression 6 times per rotation and you need to rotate it 4 times! Certainly is a bit of a work out! I used a couple of ½" ratchet extensions on a long breaker bar to give plenty leverage to make it easier. I certainly wouldn't be removing the inlet manifold to take the plugs out!

Genuine Citroen belts are horrifically expensive... I think they're around £90 odd for the belt only. I've got one on the shelf in the study behind me that I got from my local dealer when they were looking to sell old stock and it's got Dayco written on it. I've also heard ContiTech belts are meant to be decent enough too.

Euro car parts are currently doing the belt for £55:

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Citro ... 196&000336" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There is however a guy on eBay selling the belt only for £39.99 with free postage:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CITROEN-C5-C6 ... 336166f5f1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

David.

[Stempy]

Thanks for the heads up, I think I will certainly be doing this when it stops raining...

[Ben82]

Just one thing for consideration, the dealers will do it for about £300 under their fixed price repairs: http://info.citroen.co.uk/finance-and-s ... e-repairs/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Doesn't include water pump though, if I recall from what David was saying when he asked about it they wanted £70 more or so for that?

There's also a pretty good guide here from the pug one: http://www.406coupeclub.org/Files/HowTo ... engine.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;