All Things V6...

[DHallworth]

After a busy start to the week, I finally got an hour in the workshop tonight to finish the C5.

I depressurised the hydraulic system and set the fluid level in the reservoir and then started the car. The suspension came up and the steering was cycled from side to side a few times. The steering is lovely and light and I’m pleased to say that the connection to the rack is bone dry and both ends of the rubber joining pipe are also bone dry.

Didn’t have time to get the car off the ramp and out of the workshop tonight as it meant moving another 3 cars first. However, I’ll hopefully get it outside tomorrow.

Then I can try and have a look at the 2.7 and see what that’s like underneath. It’s fate it teetering on the edge at the moment. It’ll either be fixed or stripped for parts to keep the 3.0 on the road.

David.

[CitroJim]

Good news David

Fingers crossed for the 2.7...

[DHallworth]

Right, in an attempt to simplify things, I’m reducing my fleet slightly. It’s grown significantly recently so I’m thinning the numbers.

I’ve decided that I don’t have the time to sort the 2.7 or strip it for spares so it’s going to be advertised for sale shortly.

David.

[DHallworth]

Well, yesterday was a strange day. 2 cars departed within 30 minutes of each other!

The first one I'm still distraught about...

Despite weeks of fighting with them, my insurance company refused to allow me to keep the car after they paid out on it. If I want it back, I now have to follow it to Copart and buy it back from the auction. Really, really gutted about that one. After a year or trying to source a windscreen, enough was enough. There are a couple which have recently appeared on eBay but the insurers wouldn't go outside of their approved channels.

Secondly, the silver C5 was collected by its new keeper and is on its way to the North East of England. The new owner appeared very pleased with it when it was loaded onto a trailer so that's good

Yesterday evening I then started work on the red 3.0 HDI Exclusive C5 I've kept. I stripped it down to do the timing belt. It all came apart very nicely and I'm hoping to get it mostly back together this evening. I've got the timing belt kit, the water pump is arriving today, and I'm just waiting for a thermostat housing to arrive. That's due on Saturday morning at present though unfortunately

The timing belt on these isn't difficult but there's a fair amount of stripping down to do to get to the belt.

The sump on this one is leaking and unfortunately it's not the gasket so I'm waiting on a sump arriving too.

Plan then is:

Remove and refit new sump with new sump gasket.
Engine Oil and Filter Change
Fuel Filter Change
Air Filter Change
Pollen Filter Change
Gearbox oil change
Fuel pump belt change

Once all of the above has been done then the 3.0 HDI C5 will be in fighting fit form to start accumulating some miles

David.

[myglaren]

Damned shame about the C6 David. Insurance companies can be infuriating.

[GiveMeABreak]

Gutted.

[DHallworth]

I've been arguing with mine until I was blue in the face.

Apparently the car isn't classed as a write off and doesn't have a category marker on it. It's classed as "Bridge to gap" apparently. When this applies they can't allow the keeper to retain the salvage under any circumstances.

What's more infuriating is they did offer me this, I accepted and they agreed that the settlement would be made and paid out quickly.

48hrs later they called me back and said they'd made a mistake and they couldn't honour the original agreement. That's when I blew up.

[GiveMeABreak]

That's Crazy - I think I'd have been Buster Bloodvessel if that happened to me.

[Rp0thejester]

So it was a write off and then not a write off? If that's the case then surely your verbal agreement is it's a write off, in which case they should honour that agreement. I'd ask for a recording of the phone call and take it to court

[DHallworth]

It gets to the point that it’s not worth the hassle.

In the end I got a fair payout and if I want the car back I can buy it from Copart.

[Stickyfinger]

well its not listed yet....still waiting for my bargain c6....

[DHallworth]

The C6 still isn't listed with Copart I hope it's fairing OK parked in their yard.

As of this morning the red 3.0 HDI C5 is now legal

It's had a few things done to it since it arrived now...

The power steering pipe has been fixed.
It's had a timing belt, water pump and fuel pump belt.
A full service including air, oil, and fuel filters along with a gearbox oil change.
Whilst the oil was drained the sump was replaced as it was leaking oil from a corroded spot.
I noticed the drivers side wishbone that had been replaced had the wrong bush on it so a new wishbone was fitted.
When I was working on the wishbone I noticed play in the drop link so that was changed and whilst I was changing that I changed the FRIP joint and the pivot bush on that side too.

I normally use a 5w30 engine oil in the 3.0 HDi but after watching video's on a Land Rover channel about grades of oil and oil pressures in Discovery's using the same 3.0 engine, I changed to a 5w40 C3 fully synthetic Shell Helix oil this time around. The engine in this car was never noisy before but it runs even quieter now.

It's now driving very nicely and will be a lovely car.

David.

[CitroJim]

Excellent news on the C5 David

[DHallworth]

After a day of using the C5 I decided that I wasn’t happy with the ride on it at all. It felt fidgety on the road and just didn’t ride properly.

I whipped the 2 front spheres off and found the OS one had ruptured and the NS one was at 25 bar. They should be 50 bar.

A quick call to Allied Parts in Glasgow who are the Citroen parts hub found them in stock so I had a trip up on Saturday morning for a pair of spheres. It’s now riding very well again

David.

[CitroJim]

Excellent