Citroen C5 Mk1 2.2 hdi needing "some" care

[MattBLancs]

Ah, good images, will have a look at mine soon and report back.

You've triggered a thought, remember reading on the 406 Coupe forum that a member was struggling to find a replacement actuator - think that may well have been swirl flap actuator (138bhp 2.2 available in the Coupe too)

[yoseff]

Ah, good images, will have a look at mine soon and report back.

You've triggered a thought, remember reading on the 406 Coupe forum that a member was struggling to find a replacement actuator - think that may well have been swirl flap actuator (138bhp 2.2 available in the Coupe too)

Mine was ok, it was Just the vacuum tube that was broken , and that throws away a lot of bad codes when the valve wants to open at near 2000 rpm , as the vacuum is lost in the entire system.
Seems to be a known problem on these engines. Access to that tube is terrible. Lucky me that my hands barely fit there while i'm laid on top of the engine
On the place i usually buy parts , they could get me one actuator for around 80€ if i well remember... Good that wasnt needed.
This is another view from what the valve does for better understanding:

And here we can see the vacuum lines and valves on the 2.2 hdi. It helped me a bit to follow all and better understand how it works

It's in spanish , but i'm adding also this , as it can be useful for someone in the need:

[yoseff]

On the process of assembling timing belt (Hopefully ending tomorrow)
Does anyone knows how to calibrate the camshaft position sensor? I think i've read somewhere that it's to be around 1mm from the spinning part. Would be great to have a confirmation
It was perhaps too close (There was some marks on the rotating part.)

[MattBLancs]

On the process of assembling timing belt (Hopefully ending tomorrow)
Does anyone knows how to calibrate the camshaft position sensor? I think i've read somewhere that it's to be around 1mm from the spinning part. Would be great to have a confirmation
It was perhaps too close (There was some marks on the rotating part.)

I'm not certain, but have come across sensors where a new one is installed flush, and sacrificial bits that contact are then worn away by the rotating part. So if of this arrangement then the marks may be nothing to worry about? Can't recall what the sensor was now but has 4 protuberances that were what was worn down.

[yoseff]

I'm not certain, but have come across sensors where a new one is installed flush, and sacrificial bits that contact are then worn away by the rotating part. So if of this arrangement then the marks may be nothing to worry about? Can't recall what the sensor was now but has 4 protuberances that were what was worn down.

Hum... That is a possibility. This one has just a small protuberance. I'll try to find also some info on the workshop manual. Thanks for the head's up

[citroenguy]

Wow! Did read the entire thread on your saga with the C5... That was mind-blowing. Hope the car continues to start normally now.

Had also a situation with my 2.0Hdi long ago , but it was that it would turn off the engine when more acceleration was required. Not funny to discover while overtaking and with a truck coming in the opposite direction.
Long story short , after changing a few things , like tank pump , injectors, fuel filter , one part from the high pressure diesel pump and the pressure sensor - finally , it was the high pressure diesel pump (Fitted a bad second hand one , but then had to get a refurbished one from Bosh - Problem finally solved)

I just got the 2.2 recently , and as i could not get any evidence of the belt being changed , i'm assuming it is the original one, and that's one of the main reasons i'm not using the car yet - dont want to risk. It will just be driven to the mechanic , and then belt(s) changed. Got an original timing belt kit (at a good value - probably some stock clearance) a Dolz water pump and a Dayco accessory belt (I think the original is also Dayco).
Now it's just a mater of the friend mechanic get some time to work on it

Did a lot of km last year on a X7 C5 2.0 tourer 163 (working car) and it's engine seems already "good enough" for it's weight. Imagine that the added 10 horses , and specially the extra torque on the biturbo , will make it even more pleasant to use.

By the way, Hdi-Tuning (not trying to "advertise" it, but Steve, AFAIK, is expert on Hdi's finetuning) seems to do wonderful things on those two engines too. 2.0 163 goes to 190 / 420Nm and the Biturbo goes to 200 / 400Nm
The older 2.2 Mk1 goes "just" from 133 to 170 / 370Nm (On the "Stage 1") , but is also (4kg) lighter than the X7 (According to auto-data website specs).

Thank you, yes it's behaving at present - will be cross my fingers time again shortly as off to work in it again today. Was fine Monday and Tuesday but not really in a comfortable position till I have turned the key.


I have wondered about remaps previously (particularly on my 306 HDi - was good fun as standard but always felt a bit more Go would be even better. Never got around to it) but would be somewhat concerned about the gearbox on the 2.2 with extra torque to contend with - to me it's telling there was never a manual V6 HDi option (auto only) nor when the later 2.2 was updated from factory to 200bhp that too was auto only (e.g. 508 GT I think can have that option)

The 407 V6 HDi was "dressed up" sporty, 18 inch wheels, body kit I think, etc but then auto only.
407 coupe even more so, yes is a GT not a back road carving machine but still think a manual gearbox is conspicuously absent there. Likewise the 508 GT.

Personally just don't like automatics so rules a few cars out for me!

Not sure about swirl flaps on this, will need to have a dig into it to find out.

Dayco I'd no problem with, reputable brand I think.
Not heard of Dolz, so can't comment there. Given the lack of maintenance are you seeking a good cooling system flush and new coolant with the pump (and belt) change?

Edit: quotes went wrong, hopefully fixed as to who said what!

I too dislike automatics, especially DCT and EGS.
I think on the 2.2HDI 200 and V6 HDI just blew the ML6C manual gearbox to smithereens. And it wasn't economically viable to re-engineer a new 'box.
C5 I V6 petrol were available with manual gearbox (ML5T). 407 Coupe V6 petrol was also available with a manual, very rare though.

[yoseff]

There were 2 intensive days. Timing and accessory belts changed , new coolant on the system, pump & thermostat, new bushing on one of the lower arms , new dot4 on the brakes & bleeding, one front suspension dust guard changed (missing the other side yet) and probably something else that i may be forgetting. The 2.2 is getting better and a good friend lend me a Lexia , so tomorrow i shall be playing a bit with it (and some questions may appear here)
One of the questions i have (cause i think i've read something about it somewhere) is: Is there a limit of times that i can reset errors on the car? If so , where can i see at what point am i regarding to that , and what's the solution once that limit is reached? Hopefully it is an high limit.
Should i clean all the preexisting errors and see if some permanent one stays? Or each one should be analised? I've cleaned errors sometimes but with an Elm327 and Faplite, but there's so much more in Diagbox...
Let's see if i can put some photos here later on. One that i got is very curious , from the front Sphere i took out - first time i saw one like that. Wait for it

[yoseff]

Today i took one of the spheres out and... It was like this. Anyone have seen one like this? Its an H3+ and it is one sphere from the front (52 Bar)

Sphere Detail

Should i open a topic regarding to it? Or should i look for a great one i saw recently about spheres and put this image there?

[MattBLancs]

One of the questions i have (cause i think i've read something about it somewhere) is: Is there a limit of times that i can reset errors on the car? If so , where can i see at what point am i regarding to that , and what's the solution once that limit is reached? Hopefully it is an high limit.
Should i clean all the preexisting errors and see if some permanent one stays? Or each one should be analised? I've cleaned errors sometimes but with an Elm327 and Faplite, but there's so much more in Diagbox...

On my X7, with Diagbox plugged in there seems to be 50 records available to log the clearing. Mine is up to 14 I think (of which 2 are mine within 6 months of one another) - surprisingly low number done previously for a 2009 car! My understanding is it is only a log, so should be able to keep on clearing after 50, just won't populate the log any further.

[yoseff]

After 2 days of using the car with peace of mind ( Timing belt wasnt original , so it was previously changed - but i didn't knew that) and a Lexia to play with , i have now more experience with the car , was able to take care of some errors , and (finally) could disable the seat belt annoying alarm. That thing could make noise only if the car was moving instead of reminding me Every Damn Time i turn on the engine , to use the seat belt... I can remember by myself
Next will be the Tire Monitoring , as one battery is already dead (always a warning that sometimes does just the noise without appearing in screen) , and 2 others are near to die , as there are warnings on Lexia already. Could that be that those batteries lasted 19 years??? Anyway , will not spend money on new ones for now, May think to reactivate them in the future when no more money is required to other parts. Have priorities nowadays.

Maybe the next thing to solve is a noise that comes from the rear right arm. New bearings need to be fit and will put probably also those things to allow adding lubrication in the future (Engineers should have thought that from factory. Bearings in arms would last a lifetime)

Any advice on the proper parts to get? Did read something about SKF bearings , but on searches i just find repair kits like this one: https://www.mister-auto.pt/jogo-de-repa ... l/qwb9020/ (Seems to be at a good price)

Also need to sort out one side xenon not working (Still not know if is lamp , but will get one to test soon)

One Engine rubber mount needs to be replaced (This: https://www.mister-auto.pt/suporte-de-m ... c/8061741/ )

Need to change rear "dust covers" from suspension. Already got them from Citroen. Also got a new oil dipstick. The one that was fitted was totally wrong for the engine.

LDS change (Already got one bottle from Citroen , but will get 4 or 5 more from Total , (at almost half the price Citroen asked me for the same liter bottle)

There's a small play on the steering wheel that i pinpointed to be exactly where the steering column enters in that piece that will connect to the steering rack.

I imagine that it can mess a bit with ESP and Hidractive changing to hard mode , if the play is too bad...
Had a look on my 2.0 to see if had any play and it was already fixed with a bit of a soldering job. Seems to be a good solution as i never had any play in so many Km.

Want also to change the rest of interior light to LED

Temperatures of aircon dont seem to be right... One side is blowing cold while other warm - I've seen that before... Needs fixing too

On the side that "Dont need to spend money" is the assembly of the Alpine radio (Already had it on the 2.0) , that will allow me to have hands free cellphone communication , USB , CD, Aux and Bluetooth Audio. Maybe in the future i put also the PXA (DSP) some amplifiers and a Subwoofer - Not a priority for now. Basic sound with the speakers i had in the 2.0 is quite good enough.
However... I realized that some wiring is almost broken on the doors , so sometimes sound from door disappears while closing it. Hope is not too hard to put new cables to the door. (Bypass the others)

Also want to do the procedure to regulate proper heights both in front and rear (Suspect they are not totally right)

Then a bit more cleaning & detailing on the interior (Exterior , i already took good care , polishing & waxing) , to the 2.2 reach "proper condition"

Have a few doubts on things i saw on Lexia , but maybe it's better i close this post , and add another "reply" on it. It's already too big

(Edited as i remembered something else to fix)

[yoseff]

This is a bit more "Visual" topic. Let's see how it goes:

Radio Option (For Aftermarket Radio off??)

Alarm not working - Should put off for now? Tire Management is to disconnect just here?

ODD steering angle here - It was straight. Does it resets as travel starts like Xantia?

Any thoughts on heights ? Does something seems off here? Need to do the correct procedure. Didn't touch there yet.

On ESP the steering angle looks more correct

It says fog lights present in the same optical as high beam , but that's not the case...

That tire size on ABS module is wrong , as it have 215/55/16. Should be corrected? Also says "No programmed law"- Should be like that?

Let's see if this format works well to put the right questions regarding to my initial findings & doubts on Lexia.
Sorry that it is in Portuguese. Feel free to ask in case you dont understand what something means.

[yoseff]

A bit more "play" with Lexia , and a bit more km driven on the car.
Disabled the alarm , as it was not working (Will have a deeper look on that and put it back to work if possible)
Tire Pressure Management is disabled also , so no more annoying noise every time i start my journey.

So far, and what i will take care in the next few days is the noise on the trail arm bearings , and i have the feeling that the braking is not right... Have the feeling that is more biased to the rear brakes. Unsure if it is contamination on the front braking pads / discs (discs look quite clean now , but they weren't) or the "strength divisor" from front to rear (Unsure about the name for it in English) that may be not working well. Where is that part located on Mk1 C5's?

Working also now on "Minor Details" , like removing that rubber coating from several parts of the interior , like the handles. Any ideas on what to do better with it? Having some results with glue remover , and thinking about either painting or applying vinyl... Would love to know your experiences on that.

Had the Intercooler full of crap in the bottom. Immediately thought it was some bad leak , but after washing it well (in its place - just the outside) it seems to continue clean. Let's see in the next days.

The engine is enjoying the "progressive runs" i've been doing , and everyday it seems more "open". In the first days the lows were not so nice to use, but today they seemed way better. Unsure if it is also the effect of Ceratec i applied , but everyday this car is surprising me more, and Hdi-Tuning magic is revealing (above 2000 rpm's that thing is a beast , and quickly we're above legal limits)
But let's go slowly. I wanted the "electronic touch" for better low end torque , safer overtaking and good fuel consumption. The girl was neglected in the past , so i prefer not to push too hard at once

[dulenator]

Working also now on "Minor Details" , like removing that rubber coating from several parts of the interior , like the handles. Any ideas on what to do better with it? Having some results with glue remover , and thinking about either painting or applying vinyl... Would love to know your experiences on that.

I used a sharp piece of plastic to scrape the coating and a little bit of fine (1500 or 2000 grit) sandpaper for a smooth finish. After that, I cleaned it with some degreaser and then applied one layer of plastic primer, two layers of paint and two layers of clear coat. It's still looking great after a year of use.

[yoseff]

I used a sharp piece of plastic to scrape the coating and a little bit of fine (1500 or 2000 grit) sandpaper for a smooth finish. After that, I cleaned it with some degreaser and then applied one layer of plastic primer, two layers of paint and two layers of clear coat. It's still looking great after a year of use.

I think that may be the best possibility. For now i just sandpaper it and remains without any paint. Let's see how it goes